Top-five prospect Justin Edwards commits to Kentucky

John Calipari never exactly "lost it," but for a time it seemed like the Wildcats weren't always eating first in quite the same way it did earlier in his tenure.

With Monday night's commitment from Justin Edwards it seems like Kentucky is back in that most privileged position that it had been in.

Edwards joins five-star point guard Robert Dillingham as part of what appears to be the beginnings of a "super class". Edwards had narrowed his focus to Kentucky and Tennessee and picking the Wildcats is a significant recruiting win for UK.

The 6'7, 180-pound wing from Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep is ranked the No. 1 small forward and the No. 4 player regardless of position in the Class of 2023 according to Rivals.com. Edwards debuted at No. 21 in the rankings late last year but quickly rose to No. 8 and has continued his climb in recent ranking updates.

Rivals.com national hoops analyst Rob Cassidy recently named Edwards the "Alpha" for his play in the second live period in Philadelphia, pointing to his "highlight-worthy moves from a ball-handling standpoint," and noted that he "constantly asserts himself on the offensive end without taking possessions off."

As Cats Illustrated's David Sisk noted in his preview of Edwards' decision, Tennessee was widely regarded as the favorite through the spring and part of the summer until the Kentucky buzz picked up in recent weeks.

In six games at Peach Jam, Edwards averaged 16,3 points (42.9%), 7.3 boards, and three steals per game but shot just 11.1% (3/27) from three-point range. But as Sisk wrote this weekend, Edwards' mid-range pull up game may be the best of any players' in the country.

In a recent interview with Cats Illustrated the five-star prospect said, "I want to be the guy. I want to get challenged physically and mentally, so I feel like if I went to a place like Kentucky and became one of the guys it would prepare me for the next level. They have a historical program. They get the job done. They can make me one of the great players to come from Kentucky."

UK's other 2023 basketball commitment, Dillingham, is ranked the No. 3 point guard and the No. 6 overall player, so Calipari already has two top-10 potential stars locked up for a team that should have no problem with shot creation.