2026 Top 50 In-State Guard Planning Visit to Kentucky

AAU season is over, and that means it's time for recruits to begin taking or scheduling more of their visits. One of those, Jayden Johnson, a top in-state guard in the class of 2026, is planning to take the trip to Lexington in the fall for Big Blue Madness, according to HS Top Recruits .

Johnson took a visit to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness last year as well. A lot of recruits are usually in attendance for the event, mostly some of the top in-state prospects. The 6-5 guard has other visits on the docket, too. He has visits planned to Louisville, USC, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech. No dates for the visits have been confirmed.

Kentucky's new staff has continued to build a relationship with Johnson, and the contact has been increasing, mostly from his lead recruiter, Cody Fueger. Johnson recently spoke with KSR's Jack Pilgrim about his recent offer from the Wildcats as an in-state recruit, as well as how the contact between the two sides has been. "It’s just small contact right now because he’s got a whole new team," he told Pilgrim. "Just being able to get that connection going is good. ...It feels good because every kid from Kentucky wants that Kentucky offer. To be able to have that from those coaches is amazing."

Johnson is being recruited by the likes of Kentucky, Cincinnati, Xavier, USC, Ohio State, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, Texas A&M, and Arizona State, among other schools. He's continuing to build relationships with each coaching staff, but especially with getting to know Mark Pope and the new Kentucky staff.