Yates is trending toward Washington.
Update 2: Joe Tipton is now reporting that “It sounds like Kentucky is going in a different direction.”
On to the next one.
Update: Well, so much for the good vibes.
On3’s Joe Tipton just updated his story and now says Washington is in the lead.
“Sources say Washington is picking up significant momentum with Yates. It sounds like Kentucky is going in a different direction,” wrote Tipton.
Looks like Kentucky will be looking elsewhere for shooting help.
The Kentucky Wildcats are on a roll after scoring commitments from Jaland Lowe, Mo Dioubate, and Jayden Quaintance in a four-day span.
Could they be on the verge of another major pledge?
One of the top remaining players in the transfer portal is USC Trojans wing Wesley Yates III, with whom Kentucky has already had a Zoom meeting.
Now, On3’s Joe Tipton has shared an encouraging update on Yates and Kentucky’s standing with the highly-touted transfer.
“Two schools come up frequently in conversations — Kentucky and a potential return to Washington. I would personally give Mark Pope and the Wildcats the slight edge as of today, but portal recruiting can change in an instant,” wrote Tipton.
While Kentucky is a major player, Washington is a very real threat to land Yates, who began his career with the Huskies before redshirting due to a foot injury and transferring to USC for the 2024-25 season.
The x-factor here is former Huskies player Quincy Pondexter, who is Yates’ cousin.
Pondexter was an assistant coach at Washington alongside Yates for the 2023-24 season, then joined the Trojans staff this past season, leading to Yates making his way there as well.
When Yates first entered the transfer portal last week, Trilly Donovan reported that the ‘rumor’ was Pondexter would re-sign from USC and make his way back to Washington along with Yates as a package deal.
Then on Monday, news broke that Pondexter had left the Trojans staff. If he lands at Washington, that may be enough for the Huskies to move into the lead for Yates’ services. But for now, Pondexter is still a coaching free agent.
And with Tipton’s update, it’s clear that Kentucky is a serious threat for Yates. Let’s see if Pope can close on another big-time recruitment.