Can Kentucky make a late push to regain momentum with Five-Star Caleb Wilson?

Will Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats land Caleb Wilson?

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope instructed his team as the Wildcats faced off against the Brown Bears at Rupp Arena on New Year's Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. | Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal & USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mark Pope has three signees in his 2025 recruiting class, and may be adding another with a top 10 target set to announce later this week. On Thursday, 2025 forward Caleb Wilson will be announcing his decision. He will be announcing between Kentucky, North Carolina, and Ohio State. Up until very recently, Kentucky had a lot of the momentum, but lately, things have been shifting.

Many thought that the idea of a package deal between current Kentucky signee Acaden Lewis and Caleb Wilson had real legs, but now, North Carolina has gained a lot of ground and look to be the leader as we head into the final few days before an announcement. Over at 247 Sports, Travis Branham logged a crystal ball prediction for Wilson to North Carolina, and more and more recruiting experts across the country have also expressed that the Tar Heels look to be leading heading into the homestretch.

Don''t count out Mark Pope and the Wildcats just yet, because recruiting can always shift right up until the announcement. As of now, though, North Carolina is seen as the leader. Wilson recently talked about Kentucky in an interview with On3's Jamie Shaw.

Coach Pope is very tall, he played in the NBA. I can relate to him a lot. He’s overall a great person and that is a great system they run. Their style of play is very good, it’s the spacing. I’m a guy who can shoot but also get to the rim. Being open and able to post up and show my full skill set will be very important in college. Kentucky’s guard play is good, but they have older guys. They have two freshmen guards, you know, Coach Pope says he believes in them, so then I do too. Coach Pope is so energetic. He is always joking and smiling. He’s a great guy. He’s religious, and he’s always been nice to me and let me know he has a belief in me.

Caleb Wilson on Mark Pope

Wilson impressed at the annual Hoophall Classic over the weekend, just in time for his big announcement on Thursday. Can the Wildcats make a last second push and get back into the lead?