College basketball’s signing period is this week. Will Kentucky add another recruit?

The early signing period for college basketball prospects begins this week, the next step in the process for what looks to be one of John Calipari’s best recruiting classes ever.

High school seniors will be permitted to officially sign national letters of intent with the colleges of their choice beginning Wednesday, a one-week period that ends Nov. 16. If a player doesn’t sign with a college by that point, he won’t be able to do so until the “regular” signing period, which begins April 12.

The vast majority of star basketball recruits opt to sign in the early period — more than 80 of the top 100 players in the 247Sports composite rankings for 2023 have already made a commitment — though there will be some outliers who hold off until the spring.

Kentucky goes into the signing period with four commitments and the No. 2-ranked class in the country, with Duke holding the No. 1 ranking behind a class featuring five five-star recruits. For now. There’s a clear path for the Wildcats to land the nation’s top class, something that — despite all of Calipari’s success on the trail — they’ve done only once in the past seven recruiting cycles.

Here’s a look at the latest on UK’s efforts in the 2023 class.

Aaron Bradshaw

The most recent addition to Kentucky’s recruiting class, Aaron Bradshaw made a surprise announcement in favor of the Wildcats just minutes before Big Blue Madness. The 7-footer from Camden, N.J., was a special guest for that event — his second official visit to UK of the calendar year — and he’s rocketed up the recruiting charts in recent months, ascending to the No. 4 overall spot in the 247Sports rankings. Both 247Sports and Rivals.com regard Bradshaw as the No. 1 center in the 2023 class. He’s a thin but versatile big man with a growing offensive game — featuring range that continues to extend away from the basket — and potentially great rim-protecting skills at the next level. Bradshaw could form an intriguing 1-2 punch with expected UK returnee Ugonna Onyenso and could be able to play alongside another big at the college level.

Robert Dillingham

One of the best perimeter scorers in all of high school basketball, Robert Dillingham committed to Kentucky back in June and projects as one of the Wildcats’ best offensive players for the 2023-24 season, no matter who’s on the roster. Dillingham — a 6-foot-2 combo guard from Hickory, N.C. — can get points in bunches, a three-level scorer who has shown the ability to get hot from three-point range. He’s also capable of playing on the ball and creating opportunities for others. Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 6 overall player in the 2023 class. Dillingham played last season for Donda Academy, the now-shuttered prep school founded by Kanye West. He recently transferred to the Overtime Elite professional league, though he will play there on a scholarship that preserves his NCAA eligibility.

Justin Edwards

A viable contender for the No. 1 ranking in the 2023 class, Justin Edwards is a 6-7 wing from Philadelphia who excels as a two-way player. Edwards is particularly accomplished defensively and has the reputation of bringing a complete team-first mentality to the court. He played in the Team Final program on the Nike circuit, teaming up with star recruits Jalen Duren and Dereck Lively II in his penultimate grassroots season — and winning a Peach Jam title — before taking over as the star of the team this past summer. All of the major recruiting services rank Edwards in the top five nationally, with Rivals.com placing him the highest at No. 2 overall in the 2023 class. He committed to Kentucky in July.

Reed Sheppard

The first commitment for John Calipari’s 2023 class, Reed Sheppard is a double legacy recruit, the son of former Kentucky stars Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed Sheppard, two standouts for their respective programs in the 1990s. The younger Sheppard earned a scholarship offer from Calipari last summer and ended up committing to the Cats later that year. He’s an excellent all-around player and led the commonwealth in scoring as a high school sophomore. Sheppard helped lead North Laurel to the Sweet 16 in Rupp Arena last season, and his team should be one of the favorites to win the state title this season. Sheppard is No. 29 in the 247Sports composite rankings for the class of 2023.

DJ Wagner

No, DJ Wagner is not committed to Kentucky just yet. But it seems like a decision that could come at any time. Long ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 class, Wagner is the son of former John Calipari star Dajuan Wagner (at Memphis) and the grandson of former Louisville star Milt Wagner, who is now on Kenny Payne’s staff at U of L. What was billed as a Kentucky vs. Louisville battle for the 6-3 combo guard has tilted heavily toward the Wildcats, whose roster includes Wagner’s stepbrother (Kareem Watkins) and a former teammate (Lance Ware). It wouldn’t be a surprise if Wagner announced for the Wildcats before the end of the signing period on Nov. 16, and UK would be getting one of the most dynamic guards in the country and an instant-impact perimeter player for the 2023-24 season. He visited Lexington for Big Blue Madness last month and has been Calipari’s top target in the class for years. A commitment from Wagner would push Kentucky past Duke into the No. 1 ranking for 2023.

Anyone else?

If the Wildcats land Wagner, that’s probably it for their 2023 class. For now, at least. Only four other players in the 247Sports composite Top 25 remain uncommitted, and none of them have been subject to interest from Kentucky in recent months. Texas forward Ron Holland was a major UK target not too long ago, but he trimmed his list to three options — Arkansas, Texas and UCLA — late last month and then committed to the Longhorns over the weekend.

It’s always possible that UK could land a surprise player late in the 2023 cycle — Wildcats freshman Adou Thiero was not on the radar this time last year, for example — but there’s no sign of any interest in such a prospect just yet.

A late pickup via reclassification is also a possibility. Top-five 2024 prospect Ian Jackson has toyed with that idea and been linked closely to Kentucky, but those reclass decisions usually don’t happen until the spring or summer.

Even with the addition of Wagner, the Wildcats will likely need more than five new scholarship players for next season, so it’ll be worth watching the recruiting trail and — perhaps more likely — the transfer portal as the 2023-24 campaign draws closer. Obviously, with the 2022-23 schedule just starting Monday, there’s plenty of time to round out next season’s roster.

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