Kentucky one of five programs recruiting top-20 prospect 'the hardest'

The recruiting board for Kentucky under the new coaching staff will look quite different from previous years but there are certain prospects that will remain high on the mind of Mark Pope and Co.

With Kentucky's roster pretty much set for the 2024-25 season most of the attention is turning to the 2025 class which will be a critcally important group for Mark Pope.

With numerous one-year players for the Wildcats this year, replacing a large majority of the roster will be the key next year, but this time through high school commits.

One of those is Cayden Boozer -- a five-star point guard who was previously recruited by John Calipari and the old Kentucky staff.

While Mark Pope hasn't been as involved with 2025s up to this point, Boozer is a prospect that has had converstaions with the new staff.

And, recently Boozer said five programs are recruiting him 'the hardest'. That inlcudes Kentucky. The other programs mentioned by Boozer are Duke, North Carolina, Arkansas and Miami.

Boozer is a 6-foot-3, 190-pounder from Columbus (Fla.) High School. He plays on the Nike EYBL Circuit for Nightrydas Elite and has been one of the top point guards in the country.

"Cayden Boozer continues to prove himself as one of the top floor generals in the rising senior class and he’s leading the EYBL in assists," 247Sports national recruiting director Eric Bossi wrote last weekend. "He’s always, cool, calm and collected but don’t think for a second that he isn’t wired to compete. Boozer gets after it each and every time while backing up his status as top-20 ranked dude in 2025."

Boozer is averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 assists per game through 15 games this spring. He has a 3.47 assist-to-turnover ratio this AAU season as well.

Boozer has taken visits to Florida, Miami, Duke and Kentucky already but his trip to Lexington was under the previous staff.

"We’re just trying to build that relationship and I’m trying to learn more about [Mark Pope’s] program. Kentucky is a great school, national championship school," Boozer told Zagsblog.com. " ... I mean, they are a really good school and a really good winning program.”

While it's still early in the new staff's recruitment of Boozer, it's likely one that remain a high priority. And, on the flip side, the draw of Kentucky will still be there -- as will the history and tradition.