"Kentucky lock": Wildcats fans elated as 5-star high school phenom Jason Crowe Jr. makes major recruiting announcement

Jason Crowe Jr., the No. 6 player in the Class of 2026 (according to On3's Industry Rankings), announced his commitment date. According to On3's Joe Tipton, the 6-foot-3 shooting guard will announce his college decision on Jul. 18.

The news was posted by Tipton in collaboration with Crowe Jr. on Instagram on Friday.

"5⭐️ Jason Crowe Jr. will announce his commitment on July 18th! Where do you want to see him hoop? 👀," the post was captioned.

The news had the hoops and especially Kentucky Wildcats fans excited as they shared their reactions in the comments section of the post.

Wildcat fans elated as 5-star high school phenom Jason Crowe Jr. makes major recruiting announcement

"Oh wow. Kentucky lock," a fan commented.

A fan added, "BBN we need you @kentuckymbb."

"Thanks for playing!" a Kentucky Wildcats fan page added.

"man this yn is one of the best guards in his class I hoped that he would reclassify like arenas but I guess he wanted to play aau another szn just like stokes who also should've reclassified, anyway this seems the easiest Kentucky lock lol can't wait to see him play college ball," another fan added.

A fan commented, "They won’t pass on a Kentucky guard in the draft!! Check their resume!!"

"kentucky eating with this one man.. they even signed jasper johnson and malachi moreno, crowe jr joining them next year is gon be so good for the program.. but i still think they gon face sum competition from usc," added another fan.

This fan wanted him to stay in Los Angeles, "I hope you stay in Los Angeles but go where the best fit with coaching staff and players. Keep shining. ❤️."

Jason Crowe Jr. will enter his senior year at Inglewood High School. Last season, he led the Sentinels to a 26-7 record and a 7-0 record in the California Southern Section Ocean Basketball League. However, the team was knocked out in the second round of the 2025 CIF state title.

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Jason Crowe Jr. talks about his relationship with Kentucky coach Mark Pope

During a conversation with On3's Jamie Shaw, Jason Crowe Jr. talked about his conversation with Mark Pope and the kind of game Kentucky plays.

“My relationship is real good with them. Coach (Mark) Pope texted me before USA to just be myself, and to play my game. That helped,” Crowe Jr. said. “They shoot a lot of threes, and obviously I’m a shooter. They play run-and-gun and that’s how I like to play.”

Jason Crowe Jr. has received offers from USC, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Oregon and Louisville, among others.