Mark Pope will have a five-star center in Lexington this weekend for a visit

Mark Pope and the Kentucky coaching staff are trying to land some elite talent in the 2027 class, and one of the players they are after is five-star center Paul Osaruyi. He is ranked as the 20th-best player in the 2027 class according to 247Sports.

Joe Tipton reported today that Osaruyi will be in Lexington this weekend for an official visit. Osaruyi is ranked as the #3 center in the 2027 class. The 6'10 225-pound center is a freak athlete and one of the best defenders in this class.

🇨🇦 Paul Osaruyi is one of the more exciting watches in the class of ‘27

The 6’10, 2008-born forward has an elite mix of athleticism and fluidity, being an integral part of Bella Vista winning the Chipotle Nationals this year. Potential big summer ahead for team Canada in U18s pic.twitter.com/odJ9NIqQI4
— nbadraftpoint (@nbadraftpoint) April 12, 2026

Knowing the current status of the center position for the Wildcats, they have to land an elite five in this recruiting class. Most believe that Malachi Moreno is off to the NBA Draft after this season and Franck Kepnang will be out of eligibility. This means that the staff will need to replenish the center position in this class, and they are recruiting this position hard.

The guy who many assume is the staff's #1 center target in the class is Lewis Uvwo, who was just in Lexington for a visit. Last cycle the staff made the mistake of going all in on Tyran Stokes, and it didn't go well. This 2027 cycle, the staff is taking a very different approach, as they are not putting all of their eggs in one basket.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope calls a play during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ever since Pope hired Mo Williams to the staff, these recruiting visits have gone a lot better, and the hope is that this weekend with Osaruyi this trend will continue. BBN really wants to see the staff land Uvwo, but if they miss on him, Osaruyi would still be an elite addition to this class. Kentucky's five-star commit Ryan Hampton has been very active in the effort to get Osaruyi to Lexington. Hopefully the visit this weekend goes very well.

Here is the scouting report on Osaruyi from Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports: "Osaruyi is one of the most physically imposing players in the national class. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, he’s long and powerful with a defined frame and great shoulders that should support plenty more muscle mass in the years to come. He’s also an impressive athlete who is absolutely explosive off two feet and very fluid leaping off one without breaking his stride. There are bursts of mobility and running the floor with long-strides and he isn’t without some amount of face-up skill."

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