Mark Pope and Jason Hart visit Brandon McCoy Jr. and Christian Collins

Another top prospect will be getting a visit from the Cats.

The Kentucky Wildcats are starting to fill up their big board for the class of 2025 as players start to trim down their lists before the upcoming season.

Now, the UK Coaching staff is starting to turn their attention to the class of 2026 as they look to get some early traction with several of the top players in the class.

Mark Pope and his staff have been all over the country the last few days. On Wednesday, Pope and assistant coach Jason Hart were out in California to visit point guard Brandon McCoy Jr. and forward Christian Collins.

Jacob Polacheck of KSR was the first to report the news.

McCoy, a 6-foot-4 and 170-pound point guard out of Bellflower (CA), is ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the 2026 class and features practically every high-major program in his offer list. With UCLA, Arkansas, Duke, Kansas, Alabama, and plenty of others in pursuit, seeing the Cats schedule an in-home visit is positive news for where this recruitment could go as it ramps up heading into next year.

Collins, a 6-foot-8 and 200-pound forward out of St. John Bosco as well, has climbed his way into five-star status according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings. With offers from Cal, Arizona State, Kansas, USC, UCLA, and several others.

If the Cats can get on the radar early for the talented forward, it could make a difference in the long run as his recruitment continues to grow.

This early recruiting period has been busy for the Cats coaching staff. Now, we have a few more names to watch closely in the class of 2026.