Analyst compares Jayden Quaintance with Cooper Flagg, Cadeau, and Fears; questions Kentucky’s depth and balance: “Potential top 10 pick”

College basketball analyst Rob Dauster has drawn a big comparison between Kentucky's Jayden Quaintance and some of the top young stars in the game, calling him a “potential top 10 pick” despite the injury that ended his season early at Arizona State.

Speaking on "The Field of 68" podcast, Dauster likened Quaintance’s early college journey to that of elite names like Cooper Flagg, Elliot Cadeau and Jeremiah Fears.

Quaintance tore his ACL in February, had surgery in March, and is now working through rehab with hopes of being cleared for contact in September.

Although the injury did not scare Kentucky off, Dauster believes his return could shake up the Wildcats' already deep roster.

“He enrolled in college, he kind of did what Cooper Flagg did, what Elliot Cadeau did, what Jeremiah Fears did,” Dauster said, highlighting how Quaintance skipped ahead like some of the country’s brightest prospects.

“He wasn’t on a team that was as nationally relevant, but he still averaged nine points, eight rebounds, two and a half blocks, and shot better than 50% from the floor.”

Dauster also pointed to the fact that Quaintance appears in multiple 2026 NBA mock drafts as a top-10 talent, saying the questions now are not about ability, but about timing.

“To me, it’s not just if he will be back,” he said. “It’s when does he come back, how long does it take him to be his best, and how does that impact the team?”

He raised real concerns about chemistry and rotation, especially once Quaintance is healthy again.

“I’m more concerned about the impact of Jayden Quaintance returning and changing the minutes for the guys who were getting playing time earlier in the season, than I am about trying to convince Trent Noah to be okay with his role.” (Timestamp 12:41-14:03)

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein raves about Jayden Quaintance

Jon Rothstein was impressed with the work Mark Pope has done in the transfer portal, and he believes the game-changer is the signing of the injured Jayden Quaintance.

While speaking on the "Inside College Basketball Now" podcast on July 14, he raved about the quality of the forward, making sense of the signing despite the injury.

He even mentioned that Quaintance had "a legitimate chance to be in the discussion to potentially be a National Defensive Player of the Year candidate."