Kentucky basketball loses recruiting prediction for top 2026 prospect

Kentucky basketball recruiting has been in a rough spot with their efforts regarding the 2026 class. As they were once seen as the leader for all three of Tyran Stokes, Caleb Holt and Christian Collins, it has completely flipped over the last few months and now, things are continuing to trend in the wrong direction for Collins specifically.

On Tuesday afternoon, On3 recruiting insider Joe Tipton removed his prediction for Collins to land at Kentucky and now, has replaced it with USC. Collins, a top-10 prospect in the class, re-opened his recruitment back in December after previously having a top three of Kentucky, USC and UCLA. Things quickly started to shift towards the worst for the Wildcats are the early signing period came and went with no announcement from Collins after one was widely expected.

Since that time, Kentucky has received a lot of criticism with their ability to close out recruitments and now they are in a bad spot with all three of their top targets in the class. The staff has worked, and continues, to work tirelessly when it comes to their recruiting in the 2026 class and beyond, but now, they have put themselves in a bad spot as spring nears with still no commitment to be found. It is worth noting that despite Collins re-opening his recruitment, Kentucky is still currently maintaining consistent contact with the top 10 forward, per source, but at this point, it seems like a long-shot to make a leap back in the driver's seat. USC has been a looming favorite for a while and now, look to be gaining even more momentum.

Back in the summer, Collins' mother spoke with Kentucky Wildcats on SI about what her son is looking for in a school. "His major is going to be business, so we're going to want to look into a strong academic program," Collins said. "I would say strength and conditioning, making sure that his mental health is good, making sure that there's a good schedule for him to accomplish his goals, as well as put him in a position to win a championship."

Kentucky fans probably don't want to hear this right now, but Collins has had a past connection with assistant coach Jason Hart, who was a big reason why they were able to get into such good postion back in October with Collins. In a previous interview with Kentucky Wildcats on SI, Collins' mother was asked if that relationship would be worth taking into consideration when the time for a decision comes. "I take it into consideration, but whatever the best is for Christian, that's what I'm looking for," Collins' mother said at the time.

Now, as we head into the spring, Kentucky continues to be in deep waters with their top recruits and now have even lost a prediction for one of them.