Will Kentucky’s current five-star recruits follow John Calipari to Arkansas? Who will UK turn to next?
Another domino appears to have fallen in the ever-changing coaching carousel and it’s a big one. John Calipari is reportedly headed to Arkansas after spending 15 seasons as Kentucky’s head coach.
In his tenure in Lexington, Calipari had 11 top-three recruiting classes led by elite high school prospects who have gone on to be great NBA players. This year was no different with Kentucky bringing in a No. 2 recruiting class led by five-stars Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, Jayden Quaintance and Billy Richmond.
Fland, Knox and Quaintance all played in the McDonald’s All American game last week and were looking forward to playing at Kentucky next season and being the group to change the narrative around Calipari’s recruiting and coaching system. Kentucky ended its season this year with another disappointing early exit from the NCAA tournament after 14-seed Oakland upset the Wildcats in the first round.
“There’s always pressure coming into a new situation, but we all definitely feel it after how this season ended,” Fland told Yahoo Sports at the McDonald’s All American game. “We have to go in there with the mindset that we’re not freshmen. The big thing for us is we need to make it about the team’s success first. We all want to reach that next level and make the NBA. The key is to not skip steps and really buy into what coach Cal says and do whatever is necessary to win.”
Many Kentucky fans assume most, if not all, of the four- and five-star recruits that made up this top recruiting class will be following Calipari to Arkansas. They would still be competing in the SEC and most recruits chose Kentucky over the years because of Calipari’s track record in getting players to the NBA.