Kentucky is involved with a top 20 prospect in the 2027 class

The Wildcats have a new name on their radar, who has been generating a lot of buzz lately.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope works the sideline against Florida during their quarterfinal game of the 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 13, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kentucky basketball is continuing to cast a wide net in the 2027 class. On top of being involved with nearly all of the top 15 prospects in the class, with one of those being recent commit Ryan Hampton, they're now involved with a new name among the top of the rankings.

Earlier this week, the Kentucky staff extended an offer to point guard NaVarro Bowman Jr., who is ranked as the 16th-overall player in the class. After the past few weeks he has had, this offer shouldn't be a surprising one. Bowman Jr. had a fantastic run helping lead the USA U17 National team to a gold medal in the FIBA U17 World Cup and now, he's off to a hot start at the Nike EYBL live period in Las Vegas. In his first game out west, the 6-3 point guard put up 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Feb 28, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope motions to his players during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As for his overall recruitment, several top programs are really begining to take notice after his impressive play for Team USA. Schools like North Carolina, Arizona, Kansas, Baylor, Illinois, Indiana, Texas and Tennessee are all involved and have extended offers to the five-star guard, who has had the recruiting world buzzing lately and has really made his stamp as to why he's one of the best guards in the class. It's pretty early in his recruitment and Kentucky has just recently gotten involved, so it's unclear where things stand right now, but there's plenty of time for that to play out.

The 6-3 guard is setting up official visits though, with two scheduled in the near future. Bowman Jr. will take trips to Arizona and Texas soon after Peach Jam, which begins next week. He's also in the process of setting one's up with North Carolina and Illinois. One would assume a visit to Kentucky will be in the works down the line as well, but that remains to be seen given how new the interest is. He sure made a good impression on Pope and the staff over the last few weeks.

Feb 4, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope watches the action during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bowman Jr. talked about his thoughts on the Kentucky offer in a recent interview with 247 Sports' Travis Branham: "It was one of the blue bloods, so that meant everything. Those are like the top colleges --Kentucky, North Carolina. Those are the blue bloods that everybody wants."

A new name is on Kentucky's radar, a top 20 guard who has seen his stock take a giant leap this summer.

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