Hunter Dickinson to visit Kentucky, clouding status of Kansas recruitment

Kansas basketball had been in competition with Maryland in the recruitment of Hunter Dickinson, but a new blue-blood school has entered the mix.

Hunter Dickinson’s recruitment status drastically altered after he announced he would be visiting Kentucky this Sunday. The highly coveted center from Michigan was a consensus All-American as a sophomore and has earned All-Big Ten honors in each of his collegiate seasons. Dickinson averaged 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds with the Wolverines in 2022-23. Considering he is on an official visit to Kansas right now, it is not promising news.

After the report surfaced, his transfer projection on On3 pivoted to UK. Although it does not hold as much weight as a crystal ball does, there is a reason for Jayhawk fans to be concerned.

Fans spent weeks imagining the perfect fit between Dickinson and Dajuan Harris, yet it could all be in jeopardy. We knew that Dickinson would have an extensive market, but a school like Kentucky swooping in during the latter parts of his recruitment suggests he might be second-guessing his original choices.

Head coaches John Calipari and Bill Self will enter a bidding war for the star big man. A rumor surfaced from Chris Balas that the Jayhawks offered $4 million in NIL benefits for Dickinson to come to KU. Whether it is true or not remains to be seen, but it is a plausible price for the nation’s top player in the transfer portal.

The only thing left to do is to play the waiting game with Dickinson. Next year’s success relies substantially on his commitment to Kansas, as it will be difficult to score buckets without a go-to guy. Competing with schools like Maryland and Georgetown did not seem menacing, but Kentucky is a different animal when it comes to recruiting.