The five-star recruit made his commitment to play in Lawrence during Tuesday night’s NBA Tip-off broadcast on ESPN. Stokes had narrowed his choices to Oregon, Kansas, and Kentucky, but in the end, he opted to join Bill Self’s program.
The decision deals a significant blow to Mark Pope and his coaching staff, who had invested months in trying to land Stokes as the cornerstone of the Wildcats’ 2026-27 lineup. According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Stokes is the top overall high school recruit in his class.
Pope and Kentucky will now need to shift their focus to building a roster around Washington transfer guard Zoom Diallo, who committed to UK earlier this month.
Much of Kentucky’s production from the 2025-26 roster has been lost to the NBA Draft, transfers, or expired eligibility. Still, UK currently has three transfers and one high school recruit committed for next season, along with returning scholarship players.
Despite missing out on Stokes, expectations will remain high for Pope and the Wildcats in Year 3 of his tenure. Through his first two seasons, Kentucky has posted a 20–16 record in SEC play.
