Cal is set to get a look at the top center in the 2027 class next month.
Lewis Uvwo, a five-star recruit from Nigeria who now plays at Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, plans to visit Berkeley during the same weekend Cal opens its football season. Uvwo, listed at 6-foot-10, is rated the nation’s No. 1 center prospect in the class of 2027 and has become one of the most sought-after big men in the country.
According to On3, his trip to Cal will come Sept. 4-6, following a visit to Baylor this weekend, Aug. 28-30.
Cal is scheduled to open its football season Saturday night, Sept. 5, at home against UCLA. After Berkeley, Uvwo is slated to visit Kentucky from Sept. 11-13 and Providence from Sept.
18-20.
The Cal visit is one of four official trips on Uvwo’s calendar, but it’s hardly the only sign of his rising profile. He already holds offers from Duke, Michigan, Kansas, North Carolina, Houston, Illinois, Texas, UCLA, Louisville and others.
Recruiting services are in lockstep on where he stands nationally. 247Sports has Uvwo as the No. 1 center in the 2027 class and the No. 7 overall prospect. ESPN puts him first among centers and No. 8 overall, while Rivals/On3 has him No. 1 at the position and No. 9 overall.
The production is catching up to the hype. Uvwo’s offensive numbers aren’t the kind that jump off the page, but his rim protection does.
At the 2026 Nike EYBL Peach Jam in mid-July, he averaged 11.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 6.0 blocked shots across seven games. Over 28 summer games beginning in the spring, he posted averages of 9.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks.
Uvwo’s path to basketball started in Nigeria when he was 15. His bike broke down, people asked whether he played basketball, and although he had never played before, he took the idea home and tried the sport.
Prolific Prep, which was once based in the Bay Area in Napa, California, moved to Florida last year.
Cal’s staff will be hosting Uvwo at a time when the program is coming off a 22-12 season and a 9-9 mark in the ACC. The Bears lost four starters from that team, then restocked with five transfers and several freshmen expected to see the floor.
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