A 2026 top 20 prospect has included Kentucky in his Final Four schools

Kentucky is moving along with one of their top targets in the 2026 class. On Monday, it was announced by Rivals' Joe Tipton that 2026 top 20 prospect Maximo Adams has cut his list of schools to four, including Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan State, and Texas. One of the highest stock-risers from the summer, Adams is inching closer to making his decision.

Adams, a 6-7 forward from Sierra Canyon, CA has taken visits to all four of his finalists, including just wrapping one up to North Carolina on Oct. 24. In a brief interview over the summer with Kentucky Wildcats on SI, the five-star forward had high praise for what Mark Pope is doing at Kentucky, saying, ""I think it's an amazing program with an amazing coach." Adams saw his recruitment explode over the summer, and is now beginning to settle down after cutting his list of schools even further.

Something that could be worth watching in terms of Adams and Kentucky is Pope's relationship with his brother, as he played under Pope at BYU during the 2023-24 season. Now, Pope is recruiting Maximo in Lexington, which could be intriguing for the 6-7 forward as Kentucky continues to express a lot of interest in him. There is no clear frontrunner as of now, or one that could seperate themselves from the group, but that connection may be something to keep an eye on with Pope and Adams' brother.

Adams recently discussed what he's looking for in a program in a previous interview with Rivals. "I’m looking for a brotherhood," Adams said. "I want to go to a school where I trust the coach and have a good relationship with the coach. A school where I can just play and feel comfortable. I can fit into any type of playstyle, so I won’t be looking as much at a style. I will look at their plan for me."

The 6-7 forward was truly a stock-riser throughout the summer, averaging 19.4 points and 10.5 rebounds throughout his Nike EYBL season. 247 Sports' Adam Finkelstein wrote a scouting report on what Adams brings to the table as a player:

"He’s a true mismatch problem who can play multiple positions and score at different levels. While Adams has a very versatile offensive attack, he has a few clear weapons. First, he’s an exceptional mid-range shooter off the dribble. He can create space with his handle, but has very advanced footwork, both at the end of his drives and in the mid-post. He’s even a threat to make some tough one-foot step backs from 12-15 feet and now starting to makes threes off the dribble. He’s also a pick-and-pop threat to the arc, able to straight-line drive bad close-outs, put the ball on the floor in the open court, and make reliable decisions (1.5 assists to 1.4 turnovers). At his best, he’s also putting pressure on the rim."

Can Pope's past connection with Adams' brother help Kentucky land his services?