What Tyran Stokes could bring to Kentucky: How former No. 1 overall recruits have performed

Anthony Davis signed with Kentucky in the 2011 high school recruiting cycle. This recruiting win ultimately led the way to a national championship. It came just two years after UK signed No. 1 overall recruit John Wall in the 2009 cycle. The Wildcats were humming at that point when it came adding the best player in high school basketball. No one thought a decade and a half drought would occur after the Davis addition.

Kentucky has an opportunity to end that drought on Tuesday evening when No. 1 overall prospect Tyran Stokes ends his recruitment with an announcement. This could be a major moment for Kentucky basketball and the Mark Pope era. Everyone knows this. But what type of impact can a No. 1 recruit have?

Using the Rivals Industry Ranking, we’re pulling the recent top ranked recruits since the Davis addition and looking back at how they performance. Getting the best does not automatically mean instant superstar but it’s pretty close.

How recent No. 1 recruits performed in college basketball

Shabazz Muhammad (2012)

The Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman product picked UCLA over Kentucky in highly-anticipated announcement. Muhammad was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in his only year in college basketball when he averaged 17.9 points and 5.2 rebounds on .443/.377/.711 shooting splits. The wing became the No. 14 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and only lasted a few seasons before playing overseas.

Andrew Wiggins (2013)

This was another recruitment that Kentucky was a runner-up in. The Canadian was a second-team All-American in his only season in college basketball at Kansas. Wiggins averaged 17.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in Lawrence. The wing was the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. The touted prep star never became a star in the NBA but won a title with the Golden State Warriors in 2022 and still hanging around in pros.

Jahlil Okafor (2014)

His NBA career flamed out quickly as the game began to change to more pace and space basketball, but that didn’t stop Okafor from making a big splash in college. The Duke signee was a consensus first-team All-American in 2015 and helped lead Duke to Coach K’s final national title. Okafor was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Ben Simmons (2015)

Things got weird for Simmons in the NBA, but this was a prospect who was awesome at LSU and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The Australian was a three-time NBA All-Star and a consensus first-team All-American.

Josh Jackson (2016)

The wing was a third-team All-American at Kansas and a top-five pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Jackson has been out of the league since 2022 but average 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals in his only season in college basketball.

Marvin Bagley (2017)

The Duke forward was a consensus All-American at Duke who became the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Bagley has been a role player as a pro but was the ACC Player of the Year in college when he averaged 21 points and 11.5 rebounds.

RJ Barrett (2018)

Yet another Duke signee, Barrett became the second-best player for the Blue Devils in 2019 behind Zion Williamson. That team didn’t make a Final Four but Barrett earned All-American honors before becoming the No. 2 overall pick behind Williamson in the 2019 NBA Draft. Barrett has averaged at least 17 points per game in seven consecutive pro seasons playing for the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.

James Wiseman (2019)

Another recruitment that Kentucky narrowly lost out on, Wiseman stayed home to play for Memphis. Wiseman was the ruled ineligible by the NCAA for improper benefits. The big man only played three games in college before dropping out of school and hiring an agent. Wiseman went No. 2 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft but has failed to live up to the hype.

Cade Cunningham (2020)

The talented Cunningham signed with Oklahoma State to play for his brother, Cannen, who was on staff in Stillwater. This point guard was a first-team All-American who posted 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in his only season in college. Cunningham was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and led the Detroit Pistons to the best record in the Eastern Conference this season.

Chet Holmgren (2021)

The Minnesota native spent one season at Gonzaga. Holmgren posted 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks on one of the best teams in college basketball that season. The big man was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft who has become a key cog for championship team in Oklahoma City.

Dereck Lively II (2022)

The center did not have a great only season at Duke when he averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 20.6 minutes per game. That did not prevent Lively from becoming a lottery pick. This big man went No. 12 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and played a key role on a Dallas Mavericks team that made the NBA Finals in 2024.

Isaiah Collier (2023)

This Georgia native signed with USC and posted 16.3 points and 4.3 assists during his only season in college basketball. Collier fell in the draft to No. 29 overall. This guard has been a role player for the Utah Jazz over the last two seasons.

Cooper Flagg (2024)

The New England native emerged as a prodigy early in his prep journey and did not disappoint in his only season at Duke. Flagg led the Blue Devis to the Final Four and was the national player of the year in 2025. He backed that up with Rookie of the Year honors in his first season with the Dallas Mavericks.

AJ Dybansta (2025)

Another New England native, Dybansta spent one season at BYU and earned All-American honors after scoring 25.5 points per game. The big wing is now the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

This recruiting practice has real return on investment

Since Anthony Davis left college, landing the No. 1 overall recruit has been a fruitful exercise for numerous big-time programs. There have been numerous consensus first-team All-American selections and every player has been at least a first-round draft pick. Nearly all of them have been top-10 picks. These players at the top of the rankings typically deliver in college and then go on to good things in the NBA.

Kentucky could have one of the best players in college basketball on their roster leading the way in year three under Mark Pope if the Wildcats can land Tyran Stokes.