Arizona Makes Top Five For Elite 2026 Guard

One of the top prospects in the 2026 recruiting class named Arizona as one of his top five schools.

Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd celebrates after defeating the Oregon Ducks at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Arizona and head coach Tommy Lloyd have done a solid job in the 2026 recruiting cycle. They started strong, landing a commitment from Cameron Holmes, a four-star small forward, and have been making progress with some of the nation's other top recruits. 

One of those recruits is a five-star shooting guard who recently named the Wildcats as one of his final five schools.

Five-Star Shooting Guard Names Arizona in Top 5

On Dec. 17, Rivals' Joe Tipton reported on X that Caleb Holt, a five-star shooting guard from Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had announced his top five schools, naming Arizona alongside Alabama, Houston, Kentucky, and Providence.

NEWS: 5⭐️ Caleb Holt is down to five schools, his agency @KlutchSports tells @Rivals.

The 6-5 shooting guard is the No. 3 overall player in the 2026 class. https://t.co/izGPOZYmD0 pic.twitter.com/Vt4HXakWyz

— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) December 17, 2025

Arizona has been targeting Holt throughout his recruitment and hosted the young shooting guard on campus in Tucson for an official visit on October 4. He would be a major addition to the Wildcats' 2026 class, with Rivals' industry rankings listing him as the No. 3 overall player in the country and the No. 1 shooting guard.

While all of Holt's finalists are still very much in contention to land him, Rivals' senior national basketball recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw believes that three schools are standing out: Alabama, Arizona, and Houston. 

Grayson Rams guard Caleb Holt (3) makes an acrobatic lay up attempt while being guarded by Columbus Explorers guard Cayden Boozer (2) during the first quarter of a City of Palms Classic quarterfinal game at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. | Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In a recent article for Rivals, Shaw explained that although Alabama has long been the frontrunner in Holt's recruitment, he has recently been hearing about Arizona and Houston being discussed for the five-star guard more frequently. 

• "For a long time during the process, Alabama was the school most people were talking about, particularly with," Shaw wrote. "Over the last couple of weeks, Arizona and Houston seemed to have picked up some momentum."

Apr 2, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; A general view of the Arizona Wildcats and Connecticut logos at the Alamodome prior to the national semifinals of the women's Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

• He continued, "While Alabama is still being mentioned, the general sentiment I am hearing is that its lead might be slipping a bit. But while I am currently hearing Arizona and Houston more, everyone is still paying attention to Alabama. This recruitment should go into the 2026 calendar year."

Holt isn't the first five-star recruit to name Arizona as a finalist this recruiting cycle, as the Wildcats were also in the running for Cameron Williams, a five-star power forward who ultimately chose Duke.

It’d be a significant win for Lloyd and his staff if they were able to secure a commitment from Holt after missing out on Williams.

Holt hasn't set a commitment date yet, but as Shaw notes, it is likely to be after the new year. There's a real possibility that Arizona will miss out on the five-star shooting guard, but being named in his top five at least gives the Wildcats a chance to land one of the top players in the 2026 class.

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