Kentucky has been eliminated from the recruitment of an elite five-star guard

It once looked like Kentucky had a shot, but they are out for a top five recruit in the 2026 class.

Nov 14, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope gives his players a thumbs up during the second half against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Deron Rippey Jr. was one of Kentucky's top recruits in the 2026 class, and for a while, it seemed like the Wildcats were in a good spot for the five-star point guard.

After a while, the conversation about Rippey Jr. seemed to die down, and today his top schools were released, and the Wildcats were not included. The top five schools for Rippey Jr. are Duke, NC State, Miami, Tennessee, and Texas. It seems like Will Wade and the NC State Wolfpack are making a hard push after Rippey Jr.

It seems like Alabama is making a move after Caleb Holt and some Kentucky fans are starting to wonder when the commits are going to start coming.

Nov 7, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts to the action during the second half against the Valparaiso Beacons at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The situation with Tyran Stokes seems up in the air as he has left for a new school. The Wildcats seem to be in a great spot to land Christian Collins, and fans are hoping this happens sooner rather than later.

Rippey Jr. is a great player and would have been an excellent addition to the team, but it looks like he will be heading elsewhere. Coach Pope has proven he can recruit in the portal, but having a freshman killer is really important.

The Wildcats learned this the hard way in the loss to Louisville, as Mikel Brown Jr. had a massive night. Kentucky needs to land Collins to avoid panic, and hopefully, this will happen in the coming days/weeks. It is coming down to the wire in the 2026 basketball recruiting class.

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope watches as the Cards go up on Kentucky in the first half during the UofL-UK annual rivalry game at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky Nov. 11, 2025. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Here is the scouting report on Rippey Jr. from Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports: "could be targeted on that end, that’s strictly theoretical right now. Offensively, he’s a dynamic athlete with the ball, both in terms of his burst into the lane and ability to rise up for explosive dunks. That explosiveness allows him to make momentum changing plays at virtually any point. Simultaneously, he’s made significant strides with his shooting. He made 34% of his attempts from behind the arc in 3SSB play, has developed very clean mechanics in rhythm, and is just starting to make tougher shots with range. The next area for growth is cleaning up some of the inefficiencies in his game to be totally reliable as a point guard. Like many dynamic athletes, who tends to assert himself in spurts, but there are times he can be a little suspect with his decisions (3.1 turnovers) or shot-selection (38% FG)."