Mark Pope has yet to land a commit in the 2026 class, and though he doesn’t live-and-die by five-star freshmen as his predecessor in Lexington did, Big Blue Nation is growing a bit weary over the current state of Pope’s recruiting. That concern could get ramped up quite a few notches on Friday when five-star guard Jordan Smith announces his commitment.
Kentucky is a finalist for Smith, along with Duke, Syracuse, Indiana, and Georgetown, but the widely-held expectation is that the 6-foot-2 product of Fairfax, Virginia, and the No. 3 recruit in the country is heading to Arkansas to join John Calipari.
NEWS: 5⭐️ Jordan Smith Jr. will announce his college commitment on Friday, February 13th, he tells @Rivals. The 6-2 guard will choose between Duke, Kentucky, Arkansas, Syracuse, Indiana, and Georgetown. https://t.co/omYFS6eZ9upic.twitter.com/SqAencHSqs
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) February 11, 2026
2026 5-star guard Jordan Smith sets commitment for Friday
While Calipari continued to pump first-round picks into the NBA throughout the waning years of his tenure at Kentucky, BBN grew very tired of his teams flaming out in the NCAA Tournament. Yet, even after restarting in Fayetteville, Coach Cal has kept the same philosophy, and it’s led him to plenty of success…