Commitment breakdown: five-star Cason Wallace to Kentucky

Kentucky won’t open its season until Tuesday night, but the program got a dose of good news on Sunday when five-star guard Cason Wallace announced his intentions to sign with the Wildcats. The No. 10 prospect in the 2022 Rivals150, Wallace has long been seen as a UK lean, but that certainly didn’t make his commitment any less sweet in the eyes of the Big Blue Nation faithful. Below, Rivals.com has a look at what Wallace brings to the table as well as what it means for John Calipari’s loaded class.

WHAT KENTUCKY IS GETTING

One of the stars of this year’s summer circuit, Wallace proved himself to be one of the more complete guards in this class and was upgraded to five-star\ status because of it. The 6-foot-4 prospect’s game starts with his motor and length, which allow him to shine as a defender that terrorizes passing lanes and routinely frustrates ballhandlers. Wallace is more than a defensive stopper, however. Offensively, he’s capable of playing on the ball or off. He creates his own shot at a decent clip and is a good-enough long range shooter to keep defenders honest. Wallace’s offensive game took a leap forward this summer, as he averaged 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in the Nike EYBL. His versatility and efficiency make his long-term upside that of high-level pro.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WILDCATS

Kentucky’s frustrations when it comes to landing a big are well documented, but they don’t seem so pressing when you zoom out and view the entirety of the class UK has managed to assemble on the heels of a 9-16 clunker of a season. John Calipari has collected three five-star prospects in 2023, as Wallace joins No. 1 overall player Shaedon Sharpe and No. 8 Chris Livingston, as well as four-star guard Skyy Clark, on the program’s commitment list. There are few, if any, schools in America that could come close to collecting this kind of haul following a nine-win campaign. Alas, here we are in the NIL Era, where the Kentucky brand acts as an insurance policy of sorts against compounding damage.

IN HIS WORDS

"[Hearing from John Calipari] was really special to me because I know that's a high level program/ You get a text from him and you're doing something right." -- Wallace to Rivals.com after the Wildcats first made contact.