One of Kentucky basketball’s final recruiting targets from the class of 2026 has made his college decision.
On Friday night, five-star combo guard Jordan Smith committed to Arkansas. Smith, who is ranked as the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2026 class by the 247Sports Composite, chose the Razorbacks from a final shortlist of schools that also included Duke, Georgetown, Indiana, Kentucky and Syracuse.
A 6-foot-2 backcourt player who is known for his defensive skills, hustle and winning pedigree, Smith had been working with that final list of six schools since the summer. Smith plays prep basketball for St. Paul VI Catholic High School, which is located in Virginia but is part of the greater Washington, D.C., area. Smith made his college choice prior to his Senior Night home game.
Smith took an official recruiting visit to UK in October for Big Blue Madness. In addition to that Big Blue Madness visit, Smith also got some one-on-one time with UK head coach Mark Pope this past summer at a USA Basketball training camp. That camp also included UK freshmen Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno, prior to their respective college careers getting underway.
In July, both Smith and Johnson won a gold medal with the United States at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup. Pope was a court coach during USA Basketball’s pre-World Cup training camp, and he also traveled to Switzerland to watch the Americans play in the event.
Kentucky’s ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of Smith began in September 2024, when Pope and the Wildcats extended a scholarship offer to him.
In choosing the Razorbacks, Smith becomes the third class of 2026 commitment for head coach John Calipari. The former UK coach also has pledges from five-star small forwards JJ Andrews and Abdou Toure in the high school senior class.
Arkansas now has the fifth-best group of incoming 2026 recruits in the country, according to 247Sports.
With Smith’s college decision made, Kentucky’s big board of prospects from the 2026 class continues to shrink.
The Wildcats are still in the conversation for several elite players from the high school senior class, including small forward Tyran Stokes (the No. 1 overall recruit in the 247Sports Composite); shooting guard Caleb Holt (No. 4); power forward Christian Collins (No. 6); and small forward Bruce Branch (No. 8).
UK isn’t viewed as the favorite to land any of these players. At one point, Pope’s program was considered the leader for both Stokes and Collins.
Kentucky is one of only two SEC schools, along with Georgia, yet to land a commitment from the high school senior class. Dating back to at least 2010, this is the latest UK has gone in a recruiting cycle without a commitment from a high school player.
“Every recruit is different. Every recruit is looking for something different,” Pope said last month when asked by the Herald-Leader about the lack of 2026 commitments. “And so, unsurprisingly to the tenured coach, sometimes when things are not smooth, it’s actually a better story for some recruits. Some guys want different things. At the end of the day, recruiting, it is such a unique story. I think the way we like to do it is such a unique story for every single player that it’s hard to give a generalized answer.”
Class of 2026 college basketball recruit Jordan Smith committed to Arkansas on Friday night. Smith, a guard, is a five-star recruit and one of the best players in the high school senior class. USA Basketball
Cameron Drummond
Lexington Herald-Leader
Cameron Drummond works as a sports reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader with a focus on Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting and the UK men’s basketball team, horse racing, soccer and other sports in Central Kentucky. Drummond is a second-generation American who was born and raised in Texas, before graduating from Indiana University. He is a fluent Spanish speaker who previously worked as a community news reporter in Austin, Texas.
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