Kentucky is on the first major list cut for one of the most electric point guard prospects in the 2027 class.
On Wednesday, Cayden Daughtry unveiled a top 14 that includes the Wildcats, giving Kentucky an early spot in the mix after his breakout run at Peach Jam in July. The list also features Arkansas, Iowa, Florida, Miami, Michigan, Louisville, Florida State, Villanova, Providence, UConn, Tennessee, USC and Vanderbilit.
At this stage, the recruitment is still wide open. Daughtry has only one official visit lined up so far, a trip to Iowa on Sept. 11, and more are expected to be scheduled soon.
What put Daughtry on the map in such a big way was what he did in North Augusta. Kentucky had already offered him after seeing him during one of the May sessions of EYBL, but Peach Jam is what sent his recruitment into overdrive.
The 6-foot guard put together a huge showing, scoring 43 points on 4-7 shooting from deep while also adding five rebounds, four assists and three steals. He also buried a three at the buzzer to force a second overtime in what became an 84-83 loss for his team.
He was regularly piling up around 30 points a game throughout the event and never let up.
That kind of performance drew a strong evaluation from 247 Sports' Adam Finkelstein, who described just how polished Daughtry already looks for his age.
"Daughtry is the most skilled player in high school basketball," Finkelstein said. "He has an incredible mastery of the ball at such a young age.
He’s rhythmic and creative with his handle, drills deep shots off the dribble, has a great floater game, and advanced lay-up package, all of which is rooted in super soft hands and elite touch. It’s actually in the micro-details where he can differentiate himself though - the various pick-up points for his pull-ups, the way he can manipulate the degree of arc on his shots, vary his stride length through the lane, change direction on a dime without having to slow down, and the cadence of his dribble.
If there is one area that is still unproven, it’s his three point shooting off the catch, since so many of his reps come off the dribble."
For Kentucky, the contact picture has been relatively quiet since Peach Jam, even with plenty of other schools getting involved. The staff was in the building for that standout performance, though, and it would be a surprise if the Wildcats don’t land an official visit once that part of the process gets rolling.
Daughtry is one of several point guard names Kentucky is tracking closely, alongside Reese Alston, King Gibson, Beckham Black and Nasir Anderson. The battle at the position is still taking shape, but after the summer he just put together, Daughtry has clearly made himself a priority target.
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