By JAMES MADDEN
Mark Pope and Kentucky have landed their highest-ranked high-school recruit during his tenure with the Wildcats.
Kentucky has now received a commitment from five-star Ryan Hampton, who’s a 6-foot-6 shooting guard in the class of 2027, a source confirmed to ZAGSBLOG.
A junior at DME Academy (FL), Hampton is also the younger brother of former five-star RJ Hampton, who played parts of four seasons with the Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat, while also currently playing for the Changsha Yongsheng in China.
Originally from the Dallas area, Hampton chose the Wildcats over Texas, Nebraska and NC State, among others.
Though former Kentucky head coach John Calipari was leading the program at the time, Hampton’s older brother RJ was also recruited heavily by the Wildcats, before he ultimately bypassed college and signed to play for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL.
Hampton is the Wildcats’ highest-ranked recruit of the Pope era and their first commit in the class of 2027.
He’s rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 6 overall recruit in the nation, according to 247Sports.
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