Kentucky lands commitment from 7-foot-5 Millogo, No. 8 hoops recruit in 2027

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• Jeff Borzello

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  Jeff Borzello

  ESPN Staff Writer

  • Basketball recruiting insider.
  • Joined ESPN in 2014.
  • Graduate of University of Delaware.
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• Paul Biancardi

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  Paul Biancardi

  Basketball Recruiting

  • National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com
  • 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level
  • Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State

Nov 4, 2026, 09:55 AM ET

Cherif Millogo announced Wednesday that he has committed to Kentucky, becoming Mark Pope's highest-ranked recruit since returning to Lexington as head coach.

The 7-foot-5 Millogo was one of the biggest risers in ESPN's latest 2027 rankings update, skyrocketing from just inside the top 40 all the way up to No. 8 in the class. He is the No. 2-ranked center in the country.

Millogo is a Burkina Faso (West Africa) native who transferred from Cambridge Arts, Technology and Science (Massachusetts) to St. Francis (California) before his junior year after not playing as a sophomore due to a torn ACL.

He has been on power-conference radars for more than a year and opened eyes with his play at the recent Border League event in Las Vegas, where his performances brought new offers from the likes of North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Louisville and Arkansas.

Millogo took an official visit to Kentucky in mid-October, and then made two more trips to BYU and USC in late November. He possesses arguably the most potential in the 2027 class and could be its best NBA prospect, due to his size and expanding skillset. He can knock down 3-pointers and mid-range shots while also protecting the rim with his massive frame, a 7-foot-9 wingspan and massive standing reach.

Millogo joins fellow SC Next 100 prospect Ryan Hampton (No. 31) in Kentucky's 2027 class. He becomes the highest-ranked recruit for Pope since he replaced John Calipari in 2024, passing No. 18 Jasper Johnson in 2025.

Kentucky's recent hire of Alfred Aboya as an assistant coach is already paying dividends. Aboya was previously the head coach at NBA Academy Africa and has ties to Millogo after playing at UCLA with former Bruins star Luc Mbah a Moute, who is Millogo's legal guardian.

Mbah a Moute is also the guardian for Yann Kamagate, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2028 class.