Five-star C Jayden Quaintance chooses Kentucky

Jayden Quaintance is off the board to Kentucky, as the No. 11 prospect in the country chose the Wildcats over Missouri on Tuesday afternoon. One of the youngest and most unique prospects in the 2024 class, Quaintance gives the Wildcats a dose of versatility and professional potential in the front court and is capable of filling a number of roles.

Below, Rivals examine what UK is getting in the 6-foot-10 Quaintance who is playing his senior season at North Carolina’s Word Of God Christian Academy before joining the Wildcats next season.

WHAT KENTUCKY IS GETTING

Quaintance is a unique prospect to say the least. The 6-foot-10 big man runs like a wing and handles it pretty well with either hand. He gets up and down incredibly well for his size, which allows him to shine in transition. He also uses his elite agility to take bigger defenders off the bounce in the half-court. Quaintance has potential to be an extremely versatile defender as he becomes more disciplined as he moves his feet well on the perimeter in addition to already shining as a hyper-effective rim-protector with a good motor. A menacing presence in the paint on both ends, he’ll look to expand his offensive game and become a more consistent shooter from outside of 10 feet down the road. For now, however, he’s a good bet to aggressively attempt to dunk anything he catches near the basket, which works out for him more often than not. The fact that Quaintance is one of the younger players in the 2024 class is a bonus when it comes to his long-term pro potential, as he won’t turn 18 until he’s enrolled at Kentucky and isn’t close to maxed out from a muscle or skill perspective as things stand.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WILDCATS

A stalwart near the top of the recruiting rankings, John Calipari suddenly has one of the country’s best 2024 classes on his hands. Quaintance gives the class an agile, versatile big man to complement center Somto Cyril’s more traditional bang-in-the-paint approach on the offensive end. The two fill in the gaps in each other’s skill set nicely. The Wildcats also have five-star Boogie Fland and four-star guard Travis Perry in the fold, which makes this class a nice blend of backcourt and frontcourt talent.