Deron Rippey Jr., a top guard in the 2026 class at 6-foot-2, has recently narrowed his final list to 10 teams. He has removed Indiana and Kansas from his list, according to Joe Tipton.
The New Jersey native plans to further trim his options over the coming months before announcing his commitment date.
Rippey, who currently plays at Blair Academy in New Jersey, will have a big decision to make in the coming months. His final 10 schools are as follows: Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, NC State, Miami, and Alabama.
The No. 2-ranked point guard in the nation on Rivals, Rippey has already completed his official visits to Miami, North Carolina, and Louisville. He has visits scheduled with NC State, Tennessee, Kentucky, Duke, Texas, Alabama, and Syracuse.
The 18-year-old spoke on his relationship with Kentucky to Rivals.
“Things have been good with Kentucky. I’m about to have my official visit with them as well. Their expressing interest is just insane to me. They told me they want to get me on campus as quickly as possible. Coach Pope is a very nice and kind person. He loves to call and chat, to check in on me. Being around a guy like that is always great.”
You can expect Pope and the Wildcats to be heavily involved with one of the top players in the nation in the coming months. Rippey’s official visit to Kentucky will take place from October 3 to 5.
