Kentucky already has its first 2027 commitment in the books, but the class is nowhere close to finished.
Forward Ryan Hampton kicked things off in June, giving the Wildcats an early piece for a cycle that is still very much taking shape. And with Mark Pope’s staff already offering 24 players in the class, per the 247Sports Composite as of Tuesday, Sept. 15, there are still plenty of names in play. Some targets are off the board - most notably Marcus Spears Jr., who committed to Texas and reclassified to the 2026-27 season - but Kentucky remains in the hunt for several of the best prospects in the country.
Here are three 2027 recruits to keep an eye on as the season nears.
CJ Rosser is the biggest prize on the board for Kentucky’s frontcourt chase. The 6-foot-10 power forward from Southeastern Preparatory Academy in Orlando is the No. 1 player at his position and No. 2 overall in the 247Sports Composite, and Kentucky has been after him since May 2025. He recently trimmed his list to seven schools: Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisville, Miami, NC State, North Carolina and Southern California.
The Wildcats will get their turn in early October, when Rosser comes to Lexington for Big Blue Madness on Friday, Oct. 2.
That weekend doubles as his official visit. He already took his first official visit to North Carolina earlier this month, and by the end of October he’ll have completed official visits with all seven finalists.
His final scheduled trip is to Louisville during the weekend of Oct. 22, which still leaves time before the early signing period, set for Nov. 11-18.
North Carolina appears to be the team to beat for now. Before Rosser’s visit to Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels were considered the favorite, and that hasn’t shifted. Joe Tipton of Rivals/On3 reported Monday, Sept. 14, that UNC believes it has widened the gap after hosting Rosser, who grew up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, before transferring to Southeastern Prep.
Kentucky also has a real shot at Lewis Uvwo, a 6-11 center from Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Uvwo is now ranked No. 7 overall and No. 1 among centers in the 247Sports Composite after a steady climb since the spring, when he was still viewed as a top-50 prospect. The buzz around him is obvious: he’s seen as one of the best defensive prospects in years, a shot-blocker mentioned in the same breath as Anthony Davis, Willie Cauley-Stein and Nerlens Noel.
The competition here will be heavy. Uvwo has already taken official visits to Baylor and Cal, with Kentucky’s visit lining up around the football game against Alabama on Sept.
- He still has an official visit set with Providence, and BYU and Duke remain in the mix.
According to On3/Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim, the Kentucky trip went extremely well. Pilgrim reported Monday, Sept. 14, that after entering the visit needing to make up ground, the Wildcats “are now a threat” to land him.
Uvwo has not announced a decision date, but Pilgrim also reported “he’s highly likely to put pen to paper during the early signing period.”
AJ Williams is another major name on Kentucky’s radar. The 6-7 small forward from Eagles Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia, is No. 5 overall and No. 2 at his position in the 247Sports Composite, and he has the kind of profile that draws a national crowd. Originally part of the 2028 class, he reclassified and then revealed a top 10 on Monday, Sept. 14 that included Kentucky along with Arkansas, Auburn, BYU, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Mississippi State and North Carolina.
Williams has not taken an official visit yet, though he has been on unofficials to Auburn, Duke and Georgia Tech. BYU and Georgia are expected to make strong runs at him, and he has not laid out a firm timetable for a decision.
He told Rivals/On3 recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw that wrapping things up before the early signing period would be ideal. At the time, BYU was seen as the favorite, with a commitment possible sometime in September.
If September comes and goes without a decision, that could work in Kentucky’s favor.
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Landed In One Early Season Spotlight Again
Through the first two weeks of the 2026 college football season, Kentucky has already found itself tied to one of the sports biggest television draws. The Wildcats trip to Alabama landed among the most-watched games in the sport so far, part of a busy early slate that also featured Texas-Ohio State at the top of the list, along with heavyweight matchups like Oklahoma-Michigan, Wisconsin-Notre Dame and Clemson-LSU.
For a program that is often gauged not just by wins and losses but by how often it shows up in the national conversation, that kind of exposure matters. The weekly Nielsen tracking has made clear that the SEC is still the center of gravity for college footballs biggest audiences, and Kentuckys place on that list is another reminder that even early-season results can have a wide reach. The more interesting question now is whether the Wildcats can keep turning those kinds of spotlight games into something bigger once the ratings numbers stop and the real pressure starts. [Read more 🡒]
Former Wildcats Just Sent A Loud Week 1 NFL Message
Seventeen former Kentucky players saw action across NFL Week 1, giving Wildcats fans plenty to track once the college calendar turned over to pro Sundays. The group made its presence felt in all three phases, with pass rushers, receivers and offensive linemen logging meaningful snaps for teams from one end of the league to the other.
ZaDarius Smith and Josh Hines-Allen were among the biggest defensive standouts, each piling up pressure off the edge, while Deone Walker was part of Buffalos late push in a tight win over Houston. WanDale Robinson also kept his name in the box score by leading his team in receptions and yards, and Luke Fortner was in the starting lineup at center, another reminder that Kentuckys pro pipeline is still producing players who are hard to miss when the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Is Already Chasing A Guard Mark Pope Could Covet Long-Term
Kentuckys early recruiting footprint keeps stretching well beyond the current roster cycle, and Brady Pettigrew is the latest name to surface on the Wildcats radar. The Bolingbrook, Illinois guard has already drawn a scholarship offer from Lexington as part of Kentuckys push into the 2028 class, a group that Mark Pope and his staff are clearly trying to identify before the market gets crowded.
Pettigrew has built his reputation as one of the classs more intriguing combo guards, with evaluators pointing to his scoring, versatility and competitive edge. He has backed that up in high school and AAU settings, where coaches and scouts have liked the way he impacts both ends of the floor and helps drive winning, the kind of profile Kentucky tends to monitor closely when it starts planting long-term flags. [Read more 🡒]