5 Kentucky basketball recruiting targets to watch in 2027 class

• Kentucky basketball had a disappointing 2026 high school recruiting cycle, landing only one player ranked in the top 150.
• UK coach Mark Pope is now focusing on the 2027 class, having already offered scholarships to 15 prospects.
• Top 2027 targets for Kentucky include five-star prospects Beckham Black, CJ Rosser, and Marcus Spears Jr.

LEXINGTON — Kentucky basketball's recruiting efforts in the 2026 high school ranks won't be remembered fondly by those within the program. Nor the Wildcats' fan base.

UK took plenty of swings in the 2026 cycle. But it had far, far more misses than hits.

Go down the lineup of the top prospects in 2026, per the 247Sports Composite.

Jordan Smith. Caleb Holt. Jason Crowe. And most notably, the undisputed No. 1 player in the cycle, Tyran Stokes.

UK made a run at every member of that quartet, all ranked within the top six nationally; each cast their lot elsewhere (Stokes to Kansas, Smith to Arkansas, Holt to Arizona and Crowe to Missouri).

All told, Kentucky offered nearly two dozen players ranked among the top 150 in the country in 2026. The Cats landed only one of them: Mason Williams, a point guard who is the son of new assistant coach Mo Williams.

What's notable about the younger Williams' commitment was the timing. He didn't give his pledge until March 27 of this year — five days after UK's 2025-26 season ended.

Hard as it might be for some to believe given the high school recruiting prowess under former coach John Calipari, Kentucky went the duration of its 2025-26 campaign without a single high school commitment. In a class sitting outside the top 100 in the country (No. 101) in 247Sports' team rankings, Kentucky's only other commitment was Zyon Hawthorne, a guard who didn't have a power-conference offer at the time he signed in April.

Mark Pope, heading into his third season at the helm, hopes the 2027 cycle is more fruitful.

As of May 26, Kentucky has offered 15 prospects in the 2027 class, per 247Sports.

The Courier Journal is highlighting five of the Wildcats' targets to keep tabs on going forward:

Beckham Black

• Position: Point guard
• Height: 6-3
• Weight: 180 pounds
• High school: Southeastern Preparatory Academy (Orlando, Florida)
• 247Sports Composite ranking: Five stars (No. 1 position; No. 6 overall)

UK has been keen on Beckham Black for quite some time. The Wildcats offered Black in September 2025. At that point, Black was a four-star recruit. But he's continued to rise up the rankings since then. As of May 26, he's a five-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite — and the top point guard in the 2027 cycle.

During Nike EYBL Session II in Memphis, Tennessee, Pope and his staff made sure Black knew he's a priority for the class. Per Kentucky Sports Radio's Jack Pilgrim, the Cats were courtside for every game Black competed in during the event, held the weekend of May 17. The fight to land him will be fierce, however. Three schools stand out: Arkansas, Georgetown and Southern Cal.

Black is the younger brother of Anthony Black, who starred for one season (2022-23) at Arkansas before becoming a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Arkansas' coach at the time was Eric Musselman; he's now at Southern Cal. And Georgetown is where Micah Peavy, Black's stepbrother, had the best season of his college career, starting all 32 games in 2024-25 for Ed Cooley's squad.

If UK can best Black's other suitors, he'd be the best high school point guard Pope has landed. Acaden Lewis was a four-star pledge in the Wildcats' 2025 class but never made it to campus, as he decommitted and signed with Villanova.

Demarcus Henry

• Position: Small forward
• Height: 6-7
• Weight: 190 pounds
• High school: Compass Prep (Chandler, Arizona)
• 247Sports Composite ranking: Five stars (No. 5 position; No. 15 overall)

Demarcus Henry's father (Chris Henry) and his older brother (Chris Henry Jr.) excelled on the gridiron; Demarcus chose the hardwood. It's been a sound decision by Demarcus so far, as he's among the top-ranked hoopers in the 2027 class.

Given that his brother plays for the Ohio State football team, and their sister, Seini Henry, suits up for the Buckeyes' women's basketball team, many assume OSU is the odds-on favorite for Demarcus. And he admitted his older siblings are doing their best to ensure he winds up in Columbus, Ohio. But on May 18, he told Rivals/On3 national basketball reporter Joe Tipton that while Ohio State is "an option," he's also "really open to everything ... looking at every program, just trying to find the best fit for me and my future." He's only taken a pair of unofficial visits so far: Ohio State and BYU.

As for Kentucky, which extended an offer May 15, Henry told Tipton "it's one of the best schools in the country. I'm very blessed." Henry added UK has a "great coaching staff" and that "I love what they're building." Henry has not set a timeline for a decision.

Paul Osaruyi

• Position: Center
• Height: 6-10
• Weight: 220 pounds
• High school: Bella Vista Prep (Scottsdale, Arizona)
• 247Sports Composite ranking: Five stars (No. 1 position; No. 4 overall)

Paul Osaruyi, one of the best big men in the 2027 class, would be a massive addition — literally and figuratively — for the Wildcats. Particularly considering Malachi Moreno's future. Though he tested the NBA draft waters, Moreno announced May 24 he'd return for his sophomore season at Kentucky in 2026-27. The 2027 draft, however, is perceived as weaker than this year's addition. With that in mind, Moreno likely would remain next year's draft as a potential top-10 pick. Bringing in Osaruyi as his replacement for the Cats' 2027-28 roster would go a long way in filling Moreno's production.

Kentucky has monitored Osaruyi for more than a year before finally offering him in April. While he has his pick of schools, Osaruyi on May 17 told KSR's Jacob Polacheck things will begin narrowing soon. Osaruyi, who plans to visit Arkansas and North Carolina in the coming months, wants to trim his list to 10 schools. He added he'd likely take "two or three more" visits before his senior season of high school starts. He told Polacheck he's enjoyed interacting with UK's staff. "They’re just getting to know me, my character, and how I am as a person, on the court," Osaruyi said.

Jamie Shaw, a senior national recruiting analyst for Rivals/On3, wrote on May 18 that Arkansas and UNC "are the two schools I am told to watch," while Houston and West Virginia also are in the mix. Don't count out Kentucky, though. It doesn't hurt that Osaruyi is from Ontario, Canada. It's an area of the world that has been good to the Wildcats over the years, as Calipari-era stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray hail from "The Great White North."

CJ Rosser

• Position: Power forward
• Height: 6-10
• Weight: 195 pounds
• High school: Southeastern Preparatory Academy (Orlando, Florida)
• 247Sports Composite ranking: Five stars (No. 1 position; No. 1 overall)

CJ Rosser slots in at No. 2 nationally in the three major recruiting databases: Rivals/On3, 247Sports and ESPN. But in the rankings that combine the average score — the 247Sports Composite and the Rivals Industry — Rosser ascends to No. 1. Go figure. Whether one views him as the best the 2027 class has to offer (or somewhere ever-so-slightly lower), what isn't up for debate is earning his signature would be cause for celebration for any school.

The Wildcats' scholarship offer came his way in May 2025. Rosser made headlines last month when he took Pope and assistant coach assistant Mikhail McLean fishing. Reeling in Rosser would be, by many orders of magnitude, the biggest fish Kentucky has caught in the Pope era. Shortly after that fishing expedition, Rosser told KSR "it was really fun" showing the coaches the ropes. "It means a lot that they continue to show up for me and try to get to know me off the court too," Rosser told KSR on April 29. I might could teach them a thing or two about fishing though."

Rosser, who is teammates with Black at Southeastern Prep, has a plethora of offers aside from Kentucky. He had an unofficial visit with UK in February; he's also taken unofficial visits to Louisville, Duke, UNC, Florida State, North Carolina State and Virginia Tech. Rosser told Rivals/On3 on May 21 he didn't "have any plans or a timeframe yet" for further visits. "I’m going to be looking at the coaching and how they are going to help me in the long run," he told Rivals/On3. "I want to have no weaknesses on the floor. ... Development is big for me and where I end up going."

Marcus Spears Jr.

• Position: Power forward
• Height: 6-9
• Weight: 210 pounds
• High school: Dynamic Prep (Dallas)
• 247Sports Composite ranking: Five stars (No. 2 position; No. 3 overall)

Marcus Spears Jr. comes from a family of athletes. Marcus Spears Sr., who now is an ESPN analyst, had a nine-year NFL career after winning a national title and earning All-America honors at LSU. Aiysha Smith, the younger Spears' mother, was an All-SEC performer for LSU's women's basketball team and played two seasons in the WNBA. And Spears Jr.'s older sister Cari Spears is a volleyball superstar; she was the MaxPreps National Player of the Year in 2024 and started all 30 matches as a freshman last season at Texas.

Kentucky recently visited with Spears Jr., with assistants Mo Williams and McLean joining Pope. "It's Kentucky. Ultimately, you know what you're getting," Spears Jr. told KSR on May 15. "As I said, you have to go for the basketball. ... I’m worried about what’s being put out on the floor, what’s being put out behind the scenes, and stuff like that." His family's ties to both LSU and Texas don't hurt their chances at landing him, and both schools have made Spears Jr. a priority. But those two, along with UK, are just three of many suitors for Spears Jr., who has numerous power-conference offers.

He doesn't have an exact timeline in mind, but he told KSR, "I'm going to commit when I’m ready. I'm not going to milk the clock just because. When I have that decision made, I'm going to do it."

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.