Against North Carolina, Kentucky Faces the Freshman Superstar Who Slipped Away
When North Carolina (6-1) walks into Rupp Arena on Tuesday night for the ACC/SEC Challenge showdown against Kentucky (5-2), the Wildcats won’t just be battling a top-tier opponent they’ll be staring down one of the most electrifying freshmen in the country. And the twist? He’s a player Mark Pope once pushed hard to bring to Lexington.
Caleb Wilson, the 6-foot-10 five-star forward from Atlanta, entered the 2025 class as the No. 5 overall recruit in the 247Sports Composite. His final two schools? North Carolina and Kentucky. For months, the Wildcats looked like the clear favorite… until January, when Wilson stunned the recruiting world and chose Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels.
That decision cost Kentucky what would’ve been Pope’s signature high school recruiting victory and left the Wildcats with a strong but different freshman class: five-star center Malachi Moreno, five-star guard Jasper Johnson, and developmental wing Braydon Hawthorne. Moreno, the local Georgetown standout, has already produced double-doubles and started Kentucky’s last two dominant wins.
But Wilson is on another level.
He hasn’t just been good for UNC he’s been their engine. He’s started all seven games and leads the Heels in scoring (19.9), rebounding (9.9), and steals (1.7). He’s already logged four straight double-doubles and is playing with a force most freshmen can’t touch.
“Caleb has been incredible,” Pope said on his radio show Monday. “He’s playing like an alpha, alpha, alpha. Getting downhill, getting to the rim… he looks like a veteran out there. Really special.”
And he’s shining brightest on the biggest stages. Against Kansas on Nov. 7, Wilson put up 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists, four steals, and just one turnover while shooting 9-for-11 from the field. Davis praised not only Wilson’s game, but his charisma. “When he steps in the room, you feel his personality,” the UNC coach said. “Gifted, yes, but also a genuine, nice person.”
Even in UNC’s lone loss a 16-point setback to Michigan State — Wilson led the Heels with 18 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
Scouts aren’t just impressed they’re convinced. ESPN’s latest 2026 mock draft projects him as a top-five selection. He’s been dominant inside the arc, selective from three (just eight attempts all season), and relentless at drawing contact. His average of eight free-throw attempts per game, converted at 76.8%, has turned him into a nightly problem.
“Caleb Wilson? He’s been a problem for everybody,” Kentucky guard Collin Chandler said. “We’re ready for him. He brings a lot.”
What makes him so dangerous? “That downhill speed, man. And the length,” Chandler added. “Stopping him before he hits the rim is the whole challenge and that’s easier said than done. He’s long, he’s fast, he’s good.”
Kentucky Once Led the Caleb Wilson Race
It was around this time a year ago that the momentum in Wilson’s recruitment began shifting. After his September 2024 official visit which included the UK–Georgia football game, a practice visit, and a Keeneland stop Kentucky surged to the top of his list.
It looked like the moment Pope would finally land the recruiting win that signaled a new era. Calipari had made the original offer in June 2023, and though Pope started slow, he had turned Kentucky into the clear favorite by fall.
Wilson’s trip to the Champions Classic in Atlanta where Kentucky beat Duke in Pope’s first marquee win only strengthened that belief. Chandler even helped host Wilson, saying, “We had a great visit. He’s a good kid. I thought we had him.”
But by winter, the tide shifted. UNC closed fast, and Kentucky ultimately missed on the one-and-done star.
A year later, that miss still hangs over Pope’s recruiting résumé. He has yet to land a high school prospect projected as a one-and-done or produce a first-round NBA Draft pick though Jayden Quaintance is expected to break that pattern this summer.
And in the 2026 cycle, Kentucky is still looking for its breakthrough. The Wildcats remain one of the few major programs without a signed commitment from the senior class after the early signing period.
However, hope is far from lost. Kentucky is deeply involved with two elite 2026 prospects: No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes and top-10 big man Christian Collins. Either would become the highest-ranked high school signee of Pope’s career.
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