Kentucky's top targets to watch for following Ryan Hampton's commitment

Mark Pope has been on an absolute heater as of late. Not only did he pick up a massive get with top-ranked transfer Milan Momcilovic for the upcoming season, but he started off 2027-28 with a bang by bringing in top 10 recruit Ryan Hampton, who was fresh off a visit over the weekend. After missing out in a brutal way with the 2026 class, Pope sure is starting off right in 2027.

Following Hampton's big commitment, it's only right that we take a look at who else could join him. Pope and the staff have casted a wide net once again, but it sounds like they're keeping their priorities in order this time around. Kentucky is involved with a number of top 10 recruits and are showing clear major interest in a few of them in particular. Let's look at them.

CJ Rosser (#1 overall, PF)

Rosser has been a clear top priority for Kentucky since last summer and the interest has only continued to grow. The staff even conducted an in-home visit with him in April. Rosser took an unofficial visit to Kentucky in February for a game. Others pursuing Rosser include Louisville, North Carolina, Arkansas, Duke, Florida State and NC State, among others. This one could end up being an in-state battle between Kentucky and Louisville. The Kentucky staff is really developing their relationship with Rosser well.

Adan Diggs (#2 overall, CG)

Diggs is a new target for Kentucky as they were impressed by him in May after the first live evaluation period at Nike EYBL. The staff offered him immediately following one of his games. Now, they're working on ramping up interest mutually as the two sides get to know each other. Diggs, who is a versatile guard that can score in different ways. As Kentucky starts to get involved in his recruitment, plenty of other suitors are on him, including North Carolina, Alabama, Houston, USC, Arizona, BYU, UCLA and Texas A&M, among others. This is certainly one to watch for given Kentucky being new in his recruitment and his status as a top recruit.

Marcus Spears Jr. (#3 overall, PF)

Kentucky kicked things off in the backcourt with a very athletic wing that can create his shot with ease and get to the rim, but no frontcourt addition would be better than Marcus Spears Jr., who is not only a top three player in the class, but he has plenty of potential with his versatility. Spears' athleticism is impressive, but he's continuing to grow as a shot-maker. Kentucky continues to prioritize the 6-9 forward as his recruitment rolls on. Offers are continuing to come for Spears with visits expected in the fall.

Beckham Black (#4 overall, PG)

Black has been a priority for Kentucky for nearly a year at this point. The staff continues to express high interest with consistent contact, but others are right there with them in terms of interest. Arkansas, Texas and USC have all been on him for a long time, but both Duke and Kansas have most recently gotten involved. Kentucky is in a very good position here, but it still is early as Black has not taken any visits yet.

Reese Alston (#7 overall, PG)

Alston is becoming more and more of a priority for Kentucky. He took an unofficial visit to Lexington for Big Blue Madness back in October, with many official visits still to be taken, as he has already visited Wichita State and Purdue. Kentucky offered Alston soon after that visit in October and the interest has grown a lot since. The staff unsurprisingly watched him multiple times at the EYBL live period in May. Other schools recruiting him include Louisville, Houston, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas, LSU, and Maryland, among others.

There are obviously plenty of targets for Kentucky in the class and it's clear who they are prioritizing. Kentucky started the 2027 class with a bang and now they are looking more big additions. Options are certainly not slim.

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