Kentucky is a top contender for a 2027 stock-rising big man

Kentucky basketball is looking to add to its 2027 recruiting class after picking up a commitment from top 15 recruit Ryan Hampton fresh off of his visit over the summer. They are involved with nearly two dozen prospects in the class and have offered over half of them. Now they have positioned themselves well with one of those offered prospects.

According to On3's Joe Tipton, Kentucky is currently among the top contenders for 7-foot-5 big man Cherif Millogo, along with programs such as BYU, Texas and Creighton. After offering Millogo back in May after watching him at Adidas 3SSB, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff look to have serious interest in the big man. Among the others involved with the top 40 recruit include Alabama, Arizona, Vandy, Georgia, USC, Syracuse, and TCU as some schools that have offered him.

Im blessed to receive an offer from University of Kentucky thank you to Coach Pope and all the Staff for this opportunity . pic.twitter.com/733Sp2bFw3
— Cherif Millogo (@Cherif_mlg) May 23, 2026

Kentucky just recently hosted top 10 overall big man Lewis Uvwo on a visit, who then visited Providence a week later. The result there will surely have an impact on this recruitment. It's worth noting that Millogo does not currently have any visits scheduled, so Uvwo is likely to decide before thew 7-5 big man decides himself. This recruitment will be one to keep an eye on. Kentucky's other top big man targets aside from Uvwo include Darius Wabbington as well as Paul Osaruyi, who will be in Lexington for a visit this weekend.

Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope gives an update on the upcoming 2026-27 season during a press conference in Lexington, Kentucky July 24, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Millogo currently plays alongside one of the best high school basketball prospects regardless of class, Yann Kamagate. The duo is widely seen as one of the top big man duos in the country and Kentucky was even in to watch them at their high school recently. Mark Pope is casting a wide net in the 2027 class and their interest in Millogo is real, as you can see from them being seen as a top contender for his services.

The 7-5 big man is new to basketball as he has only been playing for a few years now. That story is similar to Uvwo's, and Kentucky has taken notice of both of them with serious interest. Can Kentucky beat out the other three top contenders for Millogo, or will others begin to get involved? There is plenty of time left in this recruitment.

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