The country stopped to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday on Friday but recruiting never takes a day off. There was heavy movement both in basketball and football. An important roster-building time in both sports is here to say.
Is Mark Pope about to land his first five-star commitment? Vince Marrow made his first big splash as Louisville’s executive director of player personnel and recruiting. We’re unpacking that and much more as the holiday weekend rolls on.
Let’s ride.
Jason Crowe Jr. will commit on July 18
Kentucky is looking for its first top-10 recruiting win of the Mark Pope era. That could occur in just 13 days. Five-star guard Jason Crowe Jr. will announce his commitment on July 18.
NEWS: 5
Jason Crowe Jr. will announce his commitment on July 18th, his father tells @Rivals.
The 6-3 guard does not have a list of finalists he’s choosing between. https://t.co/7jeUGqY7Xb pic.twitter.com/jBhth1iOQU
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 5, 2025
The Southern California native is the No. 6 overall player in the 2026 Rivals Industry Ranking. Kentucky, USC, Alabama, Washington, Texas, Baylor, UCLA, and Arkansas are schools all actively recruiting the five-star prospect. The guard is currently averaging 23.8 points per game on the EYBL circuit.
“My relationship is real good with them. Coach Pope texted me before USA to just be myself, and to play my game. That helped,” Crowe told On3’s Jamie Shaw. “They shoot a lot of threes, and obviously I’m a shooter. They play run-and-gun and that’s how I like to play.”
Now the Cats need to close.
Jarvis Strickland flips to Louisville
We all knew it was only a matter of time before Kentucky and former assistant coach Vince Marrow crossed paths on the recruiting trail. We did not have to wait long for Louisville’s new executive director of player personnel and recruiting to make a splash.
Two weeks after backing off his pledge from Kentucky, Jarvis Strickland flipped to Louisville on the Fourth of July.
BREAKING
Strickland decommitted from Kentucky last month.
Read: https://t.co/eG0oGgF01A pic.twitter.com/x08W4U8EYp
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 4, 2025
The Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman offensive tackle was Kentucky’s first commit in the 2026 high school cycle when he joined the class in March. However, the Chattanooga native decided to back off that pledge in June after Marrow left Kentucky for Louisville. Now Louisville has completed the flip for the four-star offensive line recruit.
UofL won this battle. It won’t be the last between the Cats vs. Marrow on the trail.
Shiyazh Pete is the most interesting man in the SEC
New Mexico State transfer Shiyazh Pete is projected to be Kentucky’s new starting left tackle this fall. The former All-CUSA performer has a very interesting background. The son of a Captain in the U.S. Army, Pete spent his formative years living in the Navajo Nation. He is Diné, which translates to “the people.” Pete can quickly complete a Rubik’s Cube and dabbles in the didgeridoo.
KSR’s Nick Roush had a long sit down conversation with the offensive lineman as Pete explains why he just really might be the most interesting man in the SEC.
Matt Ponatoski Eve
We did not see the Kentucky program add any commits on the Fourth of July, but there will be some fireworks later this weekend. On Sunday evening, Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller quarterback Matt Ponatoski will make his commitment announcement. Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Oregon are finalists.
The four-star recruit won Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year in both football and baseball as a junior. Things have been quiet regarding Arkansas in this recruitment. Alabama recently flipped Iowa State quarterback commit Jett Thomalla. Oregon has taken a commitment from Bryson Beaver. Meanwhile, Kentucky has remained a strong contender throughout this recruitment. The Cats even got Ponatoski on campus for a mid-week unofficial visit in June before the quarterback went to the West Coast for the Elite 11 finals and an official visit with Oregon.
UK could land a very big fish on Sunday. KSR will have full coverage throughout the weekend on Ponatoski’s commitment.
Jasper Johnson, Team USA face New Zealand in World Cup semifinals
Trailing by two possessions in the third quarter, Team USA survived its first scare of the 2025 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
The United States outlasted Canada 108-102 in the quarterfinals on Friday. Kentucky guard Jasper Johnson finished the game with eight points two rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 13 minutes.
Team USA advanced to the semifinals on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. CT where they will face New Zealand.
The Cincinnati Reds are 1.5 games back in the wild card race
The All-Star break is just over a week away and there is still lot of baseball left to be played. However, we have cleared the halfway point, and the Cincinnati Reds are very much alive for a playoff spot. The Reds are 7 games back of the Chicago Cubs in the division but one of the three wild card spots is within their grasp.
The current playoff picture does not include Cincinnati (46-42) but the NL Central franchise is just 1.5 games back of the Padres for the final wild card spot. The Reds are three games behind the Brewers and 4.5 games behind the Mets.
| Team | Record |
| Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West) | 56-33 |
| Chicago Cubs (NL Central) | 53-35 |
| Philadelphia Phillies (NL East) | 51-37 |
| New York Mets (Wild Card) | 51-38 |
| Milwaukee Brewers (Wild Card) | 49-39 |
| San Diego Padres (Wild Card) | 47-40 |
On Friday, Cincinnati defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in a 9-6 shootout that did not include one home run for the road team. Now the Reds will look to take the series against the NL East division leader. Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET/3:05 p.m. CT.
The Reds are firmly in the hunt heading into the most important part of the baseball season.
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