After Mark Pope was hired as Kentucky basketball's newest coach, one concern among critics was his high school recruiting abilities. In his nine seasons as a college coach, four at Utah Valley and five at BYU, he had never signed a class ranked higher than 80th nationally. However, after more than eight months in Lexington, Pope has clearly addressed any doubts about his recruiting skills. Kentucky is now in the running to sign one of the top 2025 classes in the country and may even surpass his predecessor, John Calipari, for the top haul in the SEC.

Kentucky Basketball's 2025 Recruiting Class - A Game Changer

UK's 2025 Recruiting Class Signings

In the 2025 recruiting cycle, Kentucky has signed three players. Jasper Johnson and Acaden Lewis are guards, while Malachi Moreno is a center. According to the 247Sports Composite, all three signees are among the top 30 players in their class. Johnson ranks at No. 16, Moreno at 28, and Lewis at 30. Each player's ranking by the four major recruiting services is as follows:- 247Sports rankings- Rivals150 rankings- On3 rankings- ESPN100 rankingsUK's class is ranked sixth in the country according to the 247Sports Composite. Duke has the top-rated class, followed by Houston, UConn, Kansas, and Arkansas. As of December 16th, Arkansas is the only SEC school with a higher-rated 2025 class than Kentucky. After Arkansas and UK, Mississippi State, Alabama, and LSU round out the top five. Here's how the 16-team league stacks up:1. Arkansas (No. 5 nationally)2. Kentucky (6)3. Mississippi State (8)4. Alabama (12)5. LSU (15)6. Auburn (16)7. Georgia (19)8. South Carolina (23)9. Texas A&M (27)10. Florida (30)11. Ole Miss (32)12. Tennessee (36)13. Oklahoma (38)14. Missouri (39)15. Texas (69)16. Vanderbilt (76)

Committed Players and Targets

Among committed players, the highest-ranked 2025 prospect pledged to an SEC team is five-star guard Meleek Thomas, who has signed with Arkansas and Calipari. Thomas is ranked No. 8 overall and is the No. 1 shooting guard in the 2025 cycle. He played his senior season at Overtime Elite in Atlanta after previously attending Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, Pennsylvania. As a junior, he averaged 23.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, leading Lincoln Park to a 28-3 record and the Class 4A title in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League.At present, while Kentucky has made numerous offers to 2025 prospects, the list of those it considers a priority is limited. The primary target is five-star power forward Caleb Wilson, who plays for Holy Innocents' Episcopal in Atlanta. He has long been considered a Kentucky lean, as he often expressed his hope of playing with Lewis in college. Wilson has narrowed his list of finalists to five schools: UK, North Carolina, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Central Florida. According to 247Sports national recruiting analyst Travis Branham, Wilson will reduce his list to two finalists this month, with UK and UNC expected to be the top contenders.The Wildcats have already beaten North Carolina to secure Johnson's signature. Now, the question is whether Kentucky can deny North Carolina a second five-star talent in 2025. If Wilson doesn't choose UK, the other 2025 prospect Kentucky is still in the running for is Nate Ament. Like Wilson, he is a five-star power forward. However, unlike Wilson, the Wildcats don't seem to be in the lead with Ament. Nevertheless, earlier this month, Ament told ESPN basketball recruiting director Paul Biancardi that Kentucky will receive a visit at some point. This gives the Wildcats a chance, even if it's a slim one. Ament plans to make his decision after his final visit, which will coincide with Kansas State's home game versus Arizona on February 11th.It's worth noting that if either Wilson or Ament chooses Kentucky (or another SEC school), they will surpass Thomas as the highest-rated incoming signee in the conference. Ament is currently ranked No. 4 nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings, one spot ahead of Wilson.Reach Kentucky men's basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.