Who will Kentucky land in the 2025 recruiting class?

The Kentucky staff has plenty of options.

Kentucky head basketball coach Mark Pope listened while Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey spoke at the 2024 Leadership Louisville Luncheon at the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal & USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kentucky's new staff is working very hard on the recruiting trail. After the coaching change, Mark Pope has had to rebuild relationships as well as targeting some new prospects for fans to keep their eyes on. Pope has had incredible energy on the recruiting trail, and the Wildcats are in on plenty of the nation's top prospects.

Who will Kentucky land in the class of 2025 and join Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson? There are some recent moving parts for the Wildcats. One of the best wing players in the class, Caleb Wilson, recently took an official visit to Kentucky. He is someone who a month ago it seemed Kentucky was fading with. Now, the Wildcats are making up a lot of ground and look like one of Wilson's top contenders. After no longer being in contention for Tounde Yessoufou, that could mean good things for Kentucky's chances with Wilson, but Arkansas still seems like the leader for his services. This one could end up being a Kentucky-Arkansas battle.

Another forward Kentucky is in pursuit of is Nate Ament, who Pope and the staff have been in on for a couple of months now. He's working to reschedule his visit to Lexington that got canceled, and Kentucky is certainly among his top options. A guard that could join Jasper Johnson in Kentucky's backcourt in 2025 is Acaden Lewis, who Kentucky is in a very good spot with. Syracuse is the team to watch here, but Kentucky seems to be lurking close behind. Another player to watch for as an addition to Kentucky's backcourt is Braylon Mullins, who is AAU teammates with Malachi Moreno, and would be the perfect addition to Mark Pope's offensive system. Kentucky's chances are very good with Mullins.

Mikel Brown Jr. is yet another potential addition for Kentucky's backcourt, but landing Lewis seems like the much more likely option of the two guards. The Kentucky staff is also in on forward Chris Cenac Jt. Kentucky doesn't seem likely to land the forward, as LSU has most of the momentum at the moment. In terms of who Kentucky is likeliest to receive commitments from at the moment is Braylon Mullins and Acaden Lewis. Kentucky has put themselves in a great position with Lewis. Caleb Wilson is one to watch at the forward position, and missing out on Yessoufou could lead to Kentucky turning up the heat with him even more.

Nonetheless, the Kentucky staff has plenty of options to go from in the class, and their energy on the recruiting trail has been paying off so far.