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Grace Hollars / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Big 2026 Recruiting Weekend: Top Prospects Visit Heavyweights

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports | By Neil Adler | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 7:08 PM ET

It’s a big weekend in college basketball recruiting as numerous four-star and five-star recruits in the 2026 class will hit the road on official visits to some heavyweight programs. The 2026 cycle has gotten off to a slow start, with only three of the top-25 players (h/t 247Sports) verbally committed to a college team at this juncture. However, more four-star pledges arriving, and as prospects visit college campuses, additional commitments should come soon.

4-Star, 5-Star 2026 Prospects Visit Heavyweight Programs

Blue-blood squads, including UConn, Kansas and Kentucky, will host targets this weekend. The Huskies, winners of two national championships over the past three years, will welcome four-star guard Junior County to Storrs. The 6-foot-4 point guard/shooting guard is a top-30 national prospect out of the Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant (Utah).

County’s visit to the Huskies is one to keep an eye on, per Rivals national analyst Jamie Shaw. Might he be on a commitment watch at UConn? We’ll have to wait and see.

Dylan Mingo, a five-star guard and top-five national prospect from New York state, also recently took an official visit to the Huksies. A senior at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville (N.Y.), he’ll visit Penn State this weekend. The 6-foot-5 Mingo has taken previous trips to Washington, Miami, UConn and Alabama. His trip to the Nittany Lions is significant, because his older brother (Kayden Mingo) is a freshman guard at Penn State.

Big Recruiting Weekend for Blue-Bloods

This weekend is going to be massive for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Mar 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts in the second half during a Midwest Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Officially visiting are five-star small forward Anthony Thompson, five-star power forward Cameron Williams and fellow five-star power forward Christian Collins. All three players are ranked inside the top-10 nationally of the 2026 cycle. Like many other big-time teams, Kentucky is searching for its first 2026 verbal pledge. Wildcats head coach Mark Pope and his staff have a huge opportunity this weekend with a trio of five-stars on campus in Lexington.

Sticking with blue-bloods, the Kansas Jayhawks will host two big men this weekend. One is five-star center Ethan Taylor, and the second is Davion Adkins, a four-star center. Kansas has been the rumored leader for Adkins for a while now, per 247Sports analyst Travis Branham, and he’s likely to make a decision soon. It’s entirely feasible that Jayhawks head coach Bill Self could see Adkins as their first 2026 verbal commitment.

Vital Visits for Syracuse, Texas, Others

This weekend, the Syracuse Orange will host one of its top 2026 targets on an official visit: five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr., from New York City. Syracuse has prioritized him for more than two years, although the competition for this top-10 national prospect is intense. Rippey’s other finalists include Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, N.C. State, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Over at Texas, the Longhorns are welcoming two four-star small forwards to Austin: Maximo Adams and Bo Ogden. Both Adams and Ogden are ranked in the top-35 nationally, per 247Sports. Adams, from California, is relatively wide open with his recruitment these days. According to 247Sports, the Longhorns could be the leader for Ogden, who plays in Austin (Tex.) at Westlake High School.

Other official visits to keep tabs on: four-star center Arafan Diane to Virginia, four-star guard Lucas Morillo to Illinois, four-star guard Joseph Hartman to Michigan, five-star combo guard Austin Goosby to BYU and four-star small forward Luca Foster to Ohio State.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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