5-star Maryland SG target Keldon Johnson commits to Kentucky

Kentucky and John Calipari got another elite prospect Sunday evening, as 2018 five-star guard Keldon Johnson committed to the Wildcats, he announced via his high school radio.

It came down to a two-way race between the WIldcats and the Terrapins, with Kentucky winning out for the No. 14 recruit in the class of 2018. After 2018’s No. 1 recruit R.J. Barrett chose Duke yesterday, Calipari adds the nation’s No. 2 shooting guard. NC State and Texas were also in the running, but had long seemed like unlikely landing spots for Johnson.

Calipari now has a two-man class of five-star prospects, with Johnson joining point guard Immanuel Quickley. Kentucky’s 2018 recruiting class now ranks No. 21 in the nation.

Johnson visited College Park the weekend of Sept. 28 with five-star point guard Devon Dotson, and four-star combo guard Eric Ayala. Dotson committed to Kansas last month, while Ayala became the third member of Turgeon’s now-No. 6 class.

With Johnson off the board, the Terps will look at other options. It’s likely they look back to the state of North Carolina for another small forward in four-star Jairus Hamilton.

Turgeon and staff are also still in the running for five-star Moses Brown, the No. 2 center and No. 15 overall player in the class. Brown has delayed his decision until the spring, with UCLA also in the race for his services.