An unexpected development.
On July 4th, one of the top recruits on the Kentucky Wildcats’ big board for the class of 2026 announced he was ready to make a decision.
It was reported by Joe Tipton of On3 that 5-star guard Jason Crowe Jr. has set his commitment date for July 18th. For the longest time, it appeared UK was the clear frontrunner with no official visits taken.
Now, a new report by Tipton states that a different SEC team appears to be trending to land Crowe.
That team? The Missouri Tigers.
This is a bit of a shock, mostly due to the close connection between the Crowe family and Kentucky assistant Jason Hart. In a recent interview, Crowe compared his and Hart’s relationship to one similar to an uncle, hence why many considered this a layup for UK.
Now the question becomes: What happened?
That is one we will get an answer to in the coming weeks.
At the moment, however, it appears Dennis Gates and the Missouri Tigers have the inside track to land the top-10 recruit.
Kentucky is no longer seen as the frontrunner for 5⭐️ Jason Crowe Jr., with another SEC school now gaining serious momentum.
Read: https://t.co/LxcUcdeJlO pic.twitter.com/vkVj0SwKgw
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 6, 2025