Florida Man: Kentucky's big rebound, DJ Wagner

RELATED: Fact or Fiction - Kentucky will land a super class

Less than a year ago, Kentucky was sulking off the Rupp Arena court following a 12-point loss to Richmond. Turns out, the concern that the loss created was warranted. The 74-64 stunner kicked off a six-game losing streak that helped UK limp to a 9-16 record that kickstarted a bit of panic about the future of the John Calipari regime. Columns wondering if Calipari had “lost his touch” appeared, and there were rumors about the legendary head coach making eyes at another stint at the NBA. But if Calipari lost his touch at any point last year, he seems to have located it this summer.

Enter Shaedon Sharpe.

The No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 class, Sharpe announced his commitment to Kentucky on Tuesday. He chose the Wildcats over Arizona and Kansas, as well as a reported $1 million offer from the Overtime Elite League. A nine-win season would have represented - at the very least - a speed bump on the recruiting trail for most other programs, bluebloods included. For Calipari and the brand he’s built in Lexington, however, it was a mere bug to the windshield. The Big Blue McLaren is speeding down the road at warp speed once again and it looks more formidable than ever.

Sharpe’s pledge seems like it may just be the start of a superclass rarely seen in the college basketball ranks. Kentucky is expected to land the commitment of No. 10 overall prospect Cason Wallace when he announces in November. UK is also a serious threat to snag No. 3 overall prospect Dereck Lively and No. 8 player Chris Livingston.

All on the heels of the program’s worst season since the 1920s.

In the NIL era, the brand Calipari and his staff are selling is simply too big to fail. The Calipari Era in Lexington is synonymous with one-and-done talent. Wins and losses be damned, the UK logo never leaves the spotlight. The new NIL rules have coaches selling publicity and the flavor of exposure Kentucky peddles is overpowering in the best possible way.

Labeling Kentucky as a recruiting juggernaut is obviously not a new idea. The fact that it’s becoming something even stronger in the new era of college sports, however, is now becoming clear. As UK inches closer to landing five of top 21 prospects in a single class, 9-16 somehow already seems completely irrelevant to the big picture.

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2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Rivals150

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The push to get more Americans vaccinated against Covid-19 has long been in full swing. Singers, athletes and celebs of all sorts have joined in the action. But when a friend who lives in suburban New Jersey texted me to say he saw a high school basketball player advocating for the vaccine in a local television PSA, I was obviously intrigued.

Turns out the kid in the ad was DJ Wagner, the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2023. Obviously, it’s nice to see a high schooler helping encourage safety in his community, as young people in the area may follow the lead of an elite local athlete with a famous father (Dajuan Wagner). The existence of the commercial also reinforces the fact that the talented and charismatic Wagner could be a marketing juggernaut in college and beyond.

The NIL rule changes have made the idea of Wagner playing college hoops miles more plausible, and he certainly seems to be getting comfortable in front of a camera while helping a noble cause.

See the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUwfltu6YOI