2026 top prospect Christian Collins talks rescheduling Kentucky visit, updates recruitment

One of Kentucky's most prioritized targets in the 2026 class is currently in the process of rescheduling his visit to Lexington. 2026 top 3 prospect Christian Collins' mother told Kentucky Wildcats on SI on Thursday that they are currently working out a new date for the five-star and his family to take the trip to Lexington.

As for the new date, an official date has not been set yet, but Collins' mother says sometime in September is looking like the likely scenario. The new visit date should be finalized soon. As for his other visits, Collins will visit Oregon on August 6 as well as USC on August 30. His mother also discussed where his overall recruitment stands. Three schools have been separating themselves from the pack early, as Kentucky, USC, and California are all reaching out more consistently than the others involved with Collins, his mother told Kentucky Wildcats on SI. As for who is standing out among the three, Collins says all three are maintaining an equal level of contact.

The Collins family also has a tight connection with Kentucky assistant Jason Hart, who is also from Los Angeles area. Hart has known the five-star forward since he was in ninth grade and his son went to the same school as Christian. "I've had a previous acquaintance or connection with Jason Hart, he's from LA. I've seen Jason since Christian was in ninth grade." As for whether that factors into where Kentucky stands in the recruitment, Collins' mother says it's a consideration, but she wants what's best for her son in the end. "It's a consideration," she said. "I take it into consideration, but whatever the best is for Christian, that's what I'm looking for." Collins says they have also maintained weekly contact with Mark Pope.

Collins' mother also discussed what she and the five-star forward will be looking for in a school.

"His major is going to be business, so we're going to want to look into a strong academic program," Collins said. "I would say strength and conditioning, making sure that his mental health is good, making sure that there's a good schedule for him to accomplish his goals, as well as put him in a position to win a championship." The top 3 overall prospect has no plans on cutting his list of schools down anytime soon, as his recruitment has just recently began to take off. His mother also talked about what it was like going from her son having no offers to places like Kentucky wanting him. "He went from not having any offers to several offers and to get an offer such as Kentucky, that's hard to come by."

As Collins continues to work through the early stages of his recruitment, it appears Kentucky is among the early top contenders for Collins. It's very early, but if they continue maintaining the very consistent contact, that could bode well for Pope and the staff as his recruitment goes on.