Kentucky has extended a scholarship offer to a top-5 prospect in the 2026 class and one who has ties to the new UK staff.
Late Monday night, Mark Pope and the Wildcats offered Lynwood (Calif.) 5-star point guard Jason Crowe Jr.
Crowe (6-2, 165), is currently ranked No. 5 overall and the No. 2 point guard in the 2026 class by both 247Sports and the industry average 247Sports Composite as Kentucky joins an early offer sheet for Crowe that also includes the likes of UCLA, Louisville, and Weber State.
The trepidation among schools to issue an offer could be because his father, Jason Crowe Sr., is lifelong friends with UK assistant Jason Hart. Like Hart, Crowe Sr. is from Inglewood, Calif. and attended Inglewood High School before going on to enjoy a lengthy professional basketball career overseas.
Crowe was among the standouts at the USA Basketball Final Four Minicamp in Phoenix last April.
“What was most notable is that he appears to have grown and is now pushing 6-foot-4 and that’s a scary thought when you combine that with his off-the-charts skill level and ability to process the game at an elite level,” wrote 247Sports National Basketball Director Eric Bossi. “A big-time scorer who can shoot with range or get anywhere he wants off the dribble, there’s not a defense he hasn’t seen at this point and the way he plays fast but under control is always impressive. He won’t even turn 16 until later on this summer.”
Crowe is also the travel teammate of fellow Kentucky recruiting target Tounde Yessoufou, who will take an official visit to Lexington for Big Blue Madness in October. Playing up a level alongside Yessoufou for Team Why Not on the Nike EYBL 17U travel circuit, Crowe averaged 10.2 points and 4.0 assists over 15 games in the regular season.
He is just the sixth prospect in the 2026 class to receive an offer from the Wildcats, joining No. 1 overall prospect, Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame power forward and Louisville, Ky. native Tyran Stokes, Chandler (Ariz.) Compass Prep 4-star power forward Miikka Muurinen, Loganville (Ga.) Grayson 5-star wing Caleb Holt, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco 5-star point guard Brandon McCoy, and Atlanta (Ga.) Overtime Elite 4-star point guard and Newport, Ky. native Taylen Kinney.
