Kentucky’s recruiting in the 2026 class has hit a rough patch, but the future looks bright with the 2027 class already shaping up. Among the early targets is a local star who’s quickly turning heads.
Braxton Keathley, a 2027 guard from Martin County, KY, is one of the state’s top prospects, and he recently made an unofficial visit to Kentucky for the Wildcats’ game against NC Central on Tuesday. Keathley has impressed all season, including a recent triple-double with 34 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.
The Kentucky staff has taken notice, but he’s also drawing interest from Louisville, LSU, Purdue, South Carolina, and Florida State, along with offers from Eastern Kentucky, UT Martin, Ohio, and Bowling Green. During his visit, Keathley shared his thoughts on the staff and the experience.
“They really talked about how well I scored and how they’ve been hearing about me for a long time,” Keathley said. “One of the assistants mentioned a coaching friend told them to jump on me quick because I was really good. Several fans came up to take pictures. Jack Givens welcomed me, talked about my game, and said he plans to come see me play soon. A couple of other UK players came over, were really nice, and said they’ve been keeping up with me.”
A lifelong Kentucky fan, Keathley has looked up to stars like Tyler Herro, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey, Devin Booker, Malik Monk, and Reed Sheppard. He even trained with Maxey for a week this past summer. He also had high praise for current Wildcats Trent Noah, Jasper Johnson, and Malachi Moreno.
“I saw Trent Noah last night bringing great energy and smiling during warmups—you could tell he loved every minute wearing the Kentucky uniform,” Keathley said. “Jasper and Moreno were warming up hard, too. My dad always told me that to play at Kentucky, you have to be special and accept everything that comes with wearing that jersey.”
Basketball runs in Keathley’s family. His father coached former Wildcats Anthony Epps and Wayne Turner, learning firsthand the leadership, humility, and toughness required to succeed at Kentucky. Keathley is eager to carry that mindset into his own career.
“A couple of recruiting services don’t have me ranked yet, and that’s okay,” he said. “I’ll walk into the gym every night knowing I outworked and outplayed everyone else. I’ll compete like every game is a championship and play with the same passion the fans have. I’m all in—there’s no in-between.”
Keathley is proud of his Eastern Kentucky roots and the community that has supported him. He shared advice he received from Trent Noah’s dad at the game: “Us mountain people have got to stick together. Eastern Kentucky has great people and basketball players. Kentucky basketball as a whole—we have to stick together through the highs and lows. That’s what we do.”
With his talent, passion, and deep Kentucky roots, Braxton Keathley is a player to watch as he continues to make a name for himself locally and nationally. The Wildcats staff will certainly keep close tabs on his progress this season.
