This past offseason, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope struggled to break into the top 20 of the national recruiting rankings, bringing in the No. 19 overall class, including just three blue-chip prospects.
Now, Pope and the Wildcats are focused on the class of 2026, and specifically on the No. 2 guard in the country: Jordan Smith Jr.
Over the weekend, Smith announced he had scheduled official visits with the Kentucky Wildcats and Arkansas Razorbacks, who are led by former Kentucky head coach John Calipari. The guard isn't satisfied with the two visits, wanting to tack on a few more before his commitment, but it is a step in the right direction for Pope and the Wildcats.
Smith shared that he also wants to schedule official visits with the Louisville Cardinals, Duke Blue Devils, Indiana Hoosiers, Georgetown Bulldogs, and Syracuse Orange. He has already visited the Blue Devils on two occasions, as well as visiting Georgetown, Louisville, and Syracuse one time apiece.
5⭐️ Jordan Smith Jr. has scheduled official visits to Arkansas and Kentucky, he tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 22, 2025
The 6-2 guard says he would also like to visit Louisville, Duke, Indiana, Georgetown, and Syracuse before making a commitment.
Smith discusses each of those programs:… pic.twitter.com/IYrYxHatN9
Smith has received 29 Division I offers, including from blue bloods like the North Carolina Tar Heels and Kansas Jayhawks. However, the young combo guard has seemingly narrowed his choices down to the seven schools he discussed recently.
Smith is the No. 3 overall player in the class of 2026, making him the No. 2 combo guard and the No. 1 player out of Virginia for that recruiting cycle. At just 17 years old, he already stands at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, with another season of high school basketball remaining.
On April 30, 2025, Pope took a trip to Smith's hometown of Fairfax, VA, to visit the combo guard, the second time Kentucky's head coach had done so in the past year. He officially sent Smith an offer on Sept. 17, 2024, just a day after he first visited him in Fairfax.
Smith's official visit with Pope and the Wildcats is set for October 10, 2025. His visit with the Razorbacks is scheduled for a few weeks earlier on September 19, 2025.