2027 5-star PF Paul Osaruyi has a Kentucky visit ‘coming up’

Kentucky’s recruitment of five-star power forward Paul Osaruyi is beginning to heat up. Osaruyi, sitting at No. 10 overall in 2027 by the Rivals Industry Ranking, has been on the Wildcats’ radar for a while now. He announced an offer from the Wildcats in April and has continued to hear from the staff ever since. Suiting up for Arizona Unity at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam this week, the 6-foot-9 big man says he’s been in talks with head coach Mark Pope and new assistant coach Mo Williams. Pope was courtside to watch Osaruyi play on Friday. “Been talking to Coach Mark Pope and Mo Williams, really,” he told KSR on Thursday. “They’ve been trying to get me down there for a minute. They all tell me that they’re a big fan of my game and telling me all the goods and bads of my game. They’re also trying to be a great mentor. Telling me what I got to do on the court. Just giving me feedback whenever I need it, criticism or whatever I need.” Osaruyi is familiar with the Kentucky program. He followed the Wildcats when John Calipari was still the head coach. As a native of Canada himself, Osaruyi kept tabs on his fellow Canadians who frequently came through Lexington to play college ball. He plans to get his own taste of what UK has to offer soon, too. “Yeah, it’s coming up,” he said of a visit with Kentucky. “I forgot the date. I gotta get back with my agent about that. But it’s locked in, for sure.” Along with the ‘Cats, Osaruyi rattled off the likes of North Carolina, Arkansas, Creighton, West Virginia, Houston, Indiana, Oklahoma State, and Arizona as schools he’s also hearing from regularly. He currently plays his high school ball at Bella Vista College Preparatory School in Arizona. Osaruyi put together a strong performance last week out in Las Vegas for Session IV of the EYBL season. He averaged 15.3 points and eight rebounds on 60.5 percent shooting across four games. His numbers have slipped through his first four Peach Jam games (7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds on 48.4 percent shooting), but he remains highly ranked for a reason. There have also been talks of a potential reclassification to 2026 for Osaruyi, which would allow him to play college basketball this coming season, but he shot those down when asked if it was still on the table. He expects to announce a commitment in the late-signing period. A decision still sounds to be a ways away. “I’m still locked in for 2027,” Osaruyi said. “I haven’t even gone on any visits yet really. I have visits planned out but I’m gonna be moving them because of my schedule for August.”