Kentucky's top recruit intends to reopen his recruitment

Five-star forward Jayden Quaintance Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky's top recruit intends to reopen recruitment following John Calipari's departure

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 4/10/24

Kentucky's highly touted recruiting class is starting to fracture following head coach John Calipari's departure.

Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, five-star forward Jayden Quaintance has requested a release from his letter of intent to Kentucky and plans to reopen his recruitment. Quaintance slots at No. 14 in the ESPN 100 and was the jewel of the Wildcats' 2024 class.

NEWS: Five-star forward Jayden Quaintance has requested a release from his letter of intent to Kentucky and plans to reopen his recruitment, sources told ESPN. Quaintance (No. 14 in the ESPN 100) was the highest-ranked recruit in the Wildcats' No. 2-ranked recruiting class.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 10, 2024

Quaintance's choice comes after Arkansas named Calipari as its HC on Wednesday.

"There is an expectation in the recruiting industry that Quaintance will eventually follow Calipari to Arkansas, but for now, he is keeping his options open," wrote Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports. "In addition to visiting Kentucky and Missouri prior to committing he took trips to Florida, Ohio State and USF."

More recruits may follow Quaintance and go elsewhere. According to Karl Rasmussen of Sports Illustrated, four-star forward Karter Knox reopened his recruitment earlier this week. He was ranked No. 24 in the ESPN 100.

While Calipari has underperformed in the NCAA Tournament over the past few years, he has helped several players make it to the NBA. In 15 seasons with the Wildcats, he had 31 players selected in the first round of the draft, including stars Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Karl Anthony-Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets).

Kentucky must find a Calipari replacement before it loses more momentum in recruiting.

Per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Kentucky plans to meet with Baylor head coach Scott Drew in the "near future." He would be a good hire for the Wildcats.

In 21 seasons with Baylor, Drew has made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and won a national championship in 2020-21. He's also a solid recruiter. 247Sports rates the Bears' 2024 recruiting class as the sixth best in the country.

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