The top-ranked prospect in 2026 has included Kentucky in his top three

One of Kentucky's most prioritized targets in the 2026 class has officially narrowed down his list. After many speculation of the leaders in top-ranked prospect Tyran Stokes' recruitment, the five-star forward has officially named his top three schools of Kentucky, Oregon and Kansas.

Stokes, who has been on Kentucky's radar for a long time, is getting closer to a decision by the day, was seen as a longtime Louisville lean, but now the Cardinals, as well as USC, who was also in contention, are now officially out of the picture. As for Kentucky, they are now seen as in the driver seat, but as a decision approaches, the gap has shortened, and Kansas has made a late push. The five-star forward recently wrapped up his final official visit, which was to Kansas at the beginning of October.

Since that visit, Kansas' push has loomed large as they are continuing to pose as Kentucky's biggest threat to this point, even seemed to have passed Oregon, who of which is a Nike school, given Stokes' recent signed contract with Nike. Stokes is expected to announce here in the near future. He was expected to announce a few weeks ago, but he has continued to push back his decision. WIth the signing period beginning next week, a decision is widely expected to come soon during that period.

Mark Pope has pushed very hard for Stokes, but as of late, the race for the top prospect has started to get interesting. As for his game, here's what 247 Sports' Adam Finkelstein says about what the Wildcats may be getting in the five-star forward:

he’s powerful, long, and explosively athletic. But while he’s built like a forward, he can make plays like a guard with an ability to create off the dribble and an innate understanding of how to instinctively find a path to the rim, even when one doesn’t seem to initially present itself. He’s especially lethal getting downhill in the open floor and loves to take the ball off the defensive glass and start the break himself," Finkelstein said. "Because Stokes can be so physically imposing, it’s easy for some of the nuances in his game to go under-appreciated. But he has terrific hands, allowing him to hold on to anything he touches and simultaneously have good touch. He also has very good footwork, both on the perimeter and at the end of his drives, and even in the mid-post. Stokes is also a much better passer than he often gets credit for. ...Stokes has more sheer talent than anyone in the country and while he’s continued to grow his offensive game with each passing year, he now just needs to prove that he can consistently drive winning."

Can Mark Pope finally land his first big fish on the recruiting trail? We should find out soon.