Arizona’s run of bad luck on the recruiting trail kept rolling, and Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats are staring at an empty 2027 class after missing on another priority target.
One day after 5-star center and Phoenix native Darius Wabbington chose Indiana, 4-star big man Kamsi Awaka announced for Todd Golden and Florida. Awaka, the brother of former Arizona forward Tobe Awaka, went with the Gators over Arizona, Michigan, Michigan State, and UConn.
The setback stings even more because Awaka was one of the players who attended Arizona’s Red-Blue Showcase, and Lloyd is now 0-2 with those prospects. The focus now shifts almost entirely to 5-star guard Adan Diggs, a consensus top-10 recruit who is set to visit Arkansas this weekend and Kentucky later this month.
Awaka comes in as a major get for Florida. The 6-foot-10 center is ranked as high as No. 31 in the 2027 class, and he starred at Blair Academy in New Jersey last season. He also brings a 7-foot-4 wingspan and a profile built around rebounding, rim protection, and the kind of physical play that made his brother such a familiar fit in Tucson.
There are clear similarities between the two Awakas. Both are big, rugged interior players who do their best work with strength and toughness around the basket. Kamsi is ranked No. 6 among centers in the 2027 class, five spots behind Wabbington.
Florida’s track record with frontcourt development likely didn’t hurt either. The Gators have been strong at turning big men into NBA caliber talent, and returning senior Rueben Chinyelu offers another example of a player molded in a similar way to Awaka.
For Arizona, the picture is still unfinished in the 2027 cycle. The Wildcats do not yet have a commitment, and their only outstanding offer to a post player is Cherif Millogo. The 7-foot-4 California big man is ranked No. 5 among centers and No. 36 overall in the class by 247Sports composite rankings.
Millogo’s offer sheet already includes Alabama, Kentucky, BYU, and Georgia, among others, but he has not announced any official visits or finalists.
That makes the recruitment of both Millogo and Diggs especially important for Lloyd and his staff. Diggs, a 6-foot-4 guard from Millennium High School, is ranked No. 6 in the 2027 class and has long been viewed as a heavy Arizona lean. A commitment from him would help soften the blow of losing Wabbington and Awaka.
Diggs is scheduled to visit Arkansas on Oct. 10 and Kentucky on Oct. 22 after his Arizona visit. If Arizona comes up short there too, the Wildcats’ recruiting week would go from rough to brutal in a hurry.
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