By JAMES MADDEN
Five-star shooting guard Kam Mercer is staying home to play for his hometown program.
The five-star has pledged a commitment to Cincinnati, per reports.
A 6-foot-5 sophomore at Princeton HS (OH), Mercer intends to reclassify to the class of 2027 and will be entering his senior year of high school this summer.
Committing to play for new head coach Jerrod Calhoun at Cincinnati, Mercer chose Cincinnati over schools like Kentucky, Louisville and Ohio State, among others.
Since Mercer hasn’t officially reclassified yet, he’s the first member of ESPN’s Class of 2028 top 25 to commit, but will depart that list when he does officially reclassify to the class of 2027.
According to ESPN, Mercer is the No. 7 overall recruit and the second-ranked overall shooting guard in the class of 2028.
Mercer is also Calhoun and Cincinnati’s first commit in the class of 2027.
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