Kentucky conducted an in-home visit with a top 2027 prospect

Transfer season is off and running as coaches are figuring out who to contact once the portal officially opens on April 7, but this is also when high school recruiting starts to heat up again. Ahead of the very busy few weeks, the Kentucky staff stopped to pay a visit to one of the top players in the 2027 class.

On Wednesday, Obinna Ekezie Jr., a top 3 prospect in the class of 2027, announced that Kentucky had conducted an in-home visit with him down in Florida. Ekezie is considered one of the staff's top targets in the class and they are starting to show that as spring begins. The 7-foot big man out of Southeastern Prep has a bunch of other schools on his radar, including Maryland, Kansas, Alabama, Auburn, Arizona State, Louisville, Arkansas, Michigan and others.

I appreciate Coach Pope, Coach Fueger, and Coach McLean of Kentucky for coming by for an in-home visit. Blessed for the opportunity and great conversation 🙏 pic.twitter.com/wBT4pGi85W
— Obi (@ObinnaEkezieJr) April 1, 2026

As a fellow former big man, Mark Pope can relate to what Ekezie is going through, but he also knows how to utilize him the right way. In a previous interview with Kentucky Wildcats on SI, the 7-foot big man discussed Kentucky's pitch to him. "(Mark Pope) talks about (his basketball career) a lot and utilzing me in their system," Ekezie Jr. said. "He talks about how he utilized the bigs last year. That's really what he tells me, how I'm gonna fit in their system and how they used their bigs (in 2024-25) and him also being a former big man."

Ekezie values the fact that Pope is a former big man. "It's a plus," he said in a previous interview. "It's a good thing that he's a big man. It's a plus for me that like he's been in my shoes, and he knows how to use big men. I won't put that over other schools or anything, no, but it's a plus that he is a big man and he knows about the big position because he's played it."

What is the five-star big man looking for in a school? "In a coach, I value a coach that's gonna push me to reach my potential, that believes in me and my abilities," Ekezie Jr. said. "For a school, a good location, a good fanbase. ...The fit is very important to me, how the utlize me. My goal is to be one-and-done right now. That's kind of my goal as a prospect, so how are they gonna use me that year? And my fit. So, that's important."

With how much Mark Pope seems to value fit, it's no wonder why he is making Ekezie one of his top priorities in the entire class. Expect the interest to continue throughout the spring and summer.