Kentucky basketball makes the cut for a top ten recruit in the 2026 class

Now that the Kentucky roster for the 2025-26 season is finished, aside from the possibility of one more player, Mark Pope and his staff are now recruiting the 2026 class hard.

In the 2025 class, Kentucky landed two five stars, and the staff would love to do this once again in the 2026 class.

The coaching staff has reached out to multiple players in the top ten, and one of them is Anthony Thompson, a five-star small forward. The 6'8 wing is an Ohio native and is ranked as the ninth-best player in the 2026 class by 247Sports.

Thompson recently released his list of top ten schools, including Kentucky, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, Kansas, Auburn, BYU, Xavier, Texas, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State, and North Carolina.

At 6'8, Thompson is a solid ball handler and can shoot the ball, making him a solid fit for how Kentucky likes to play. Thompson can guard almost every position on the floor, which makes him a player every college in the nation wants.

Thompson has been on a visit to Lexington twice. Once in January and the other coming for Big Blue Madness. Kentucky needs to keep getting Thompson on campus for visits, and it sounds like they have a good shot.

While there are still 15 schools in consideration for the services of Thompson, the Wildcats are definitely in a great position to get the job done. There is still a long way to go but Pope's is looking to add some elite players in the 2026 class.