Mike Woodson has made a living at Indiana landing recruits following coaching changes and decommitments.
But don’t look for that to happen following John Calipari’s decision to leave Kentucky for Arkansas.
Calipari landed three class of 2024 players Indiana pursued to varying degrees.
The headliner was point guard Boogie Fland, who chose Kentucky over Indiana in what was to many a surprise move in October.
The Hoosiers also secured an official visit from Overtime Elite big man Somto Cyril, who letter committed to Kentucky. And IU offered guard Travis Perry, who also later signed with the Wildcats.
Fland and Cyril are expected to following Calipari to Arkansas, Adam Finkelstein, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports said on Wednesday.
“These players don’t commit to universities, I don’t care what the athletic department says,” Finkelstein said on CBS Sports HQ. “They don’t commit to universities as much as they do coaches. These guys committed to John Calipari. They committed to his track record of making pros. And if we’re to believe that now he has more resources at his disposal from an NIL standpoint, there’s not going to be much preventing them from following him to Arkansas.”
Perry is from Kentucky and is viewed as the one commit who might stay with the Wildcats. Indiana did not consistently push for a commitment from Perry.
Similar sentiments regarding the 2024 Kentucky recruits have been published by fellow national recruiting outlets On3 and Rivals.
Woodson landed Tamar Bates in 2021 after Shaka Smart left Texas for Marquette. And he got Malik Reneau in 2022 after Mike White left Florida for Georgia. Those fact patterns fly in the face of Finkelstein’s contention recruits follow coaches.
But Calipari has proven to be a unique coach who does tend to attract elite talent wherever he goes. And Fland said in October he committed to UK because of Calipari’s history of success with guards.
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