Breaking Reason why: Jordan Smith includes Kentucky in new list of finalists

We are starting to see recruits trim down their lists as the fall visits are quickly approaching. For Mark Pope and Kentucky, they are still quite active in the 2026 class as they look to land their first recruit in the coming months.

One of those players may be 5-star guard Jordan Smith. The 6-2 combo guard recently scheduled a visit to Lexington for October 10th, and now he has trimmed his list down to six schools with the Cats making the cut. Joe Tipton of On3 was the first to report the news.

Also making the cut are Duke, Arkansas, Georgetown, Indiana, and Syracuse.

Smith, a 5-star prospect out of St. Paul VI Catholic in Virginia, has long been seen as a Duke lean due to the pipeline connection between Durham and Fairfax. However, with UK making the cut and also hosting him for a visit, this staff might be able to make it interesting.

Ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect by the 247 Sports Composite rankings, it will be interesting to watch how this recruitment unfolds going forward. Can Coach Pope land his first top-5 recruit? They seem to have at least a fighting chance with Smith.

Duke, Arkansas, and Indiana are among the finalists.