Where Arizona Stands in Caleb Holt's Recruitment
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Arizona and head coach Tommy Lloyd have had an interesting 2026 recruiting cycle. After starting strong by securing a commitment from four-star small forward Cameron Holmes, the Wildcats missed out on another top target, Cameron Williams, who ultimately committed to Duke.
Despite missing out on Williams, Lloyd and his staff have continued pursuing other elite recruits, including five-star shooting guard Caleb Holt. With Holt set to make a decision sometime in the near future, here's an updated look at where Arizona stands in his recruitment.
Taking a Look at Where the Wildcats Stand with Caleb Holt
Caleb Holt is a five-star shooting guard from Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He's one of the top basketball recruits in the country with Rivals' industry rankings listing him as the No. 3 overall player in the 2026 class and the No. 1 shooting guard.
The Wildcats have been pursuing him for a few months, first extending an offer in September and hosting him for an official visit in Tucson on October 4. On Dec. 17, Holt narrowed his decision to five schools, naming Arizona alongside Alabama, Houston, Kentucky, and Providence.
Early in his recruitment process, Arizona was often named among the leaders in Holts recruitment. However, as the cycle progressed, Lloyd and the Wildcats put most of their focus on landing Williams and slowly fell behind Holt.
When Williams ultimately committed to Duke, the Wildcats turned their focus back to Holt and have been slowly but surely climbing their way back to the top of the five-star shooting guard's list.
Shortly before Holt named his final five schools, Rivals' senior basketball recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw reported that the three schools he had heard were most closely tied to Holt in recent weeks were Arizona, Houston, and Alabama. While Kentucky and Providence remain very much in the race, it appears the Wildcats' main competition will come from the Cougars and the Crimson Tide.
As of October 4, Rivals' Recruiting Prediction Machine has Alabama as the favorite to land Holt, which makes sense given that he's from the state. However, that doesn't necessarily guarantee he'll choose the Crimson Tide, and the Wildcats still have a strong chance of landing him.
Holt hasn't set a commitment date yet, and Shaw reported that he probably won't decide until after the new year, though it's likely to come sooner rather than later.
Arizona may not be the odds-on favorite to land the five-star right now, but the Wildcats are very much in contention to secure a commitment from one of the top prospects in the 2026 class.
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Max Doresy serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.
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