New Kentucky head coach Mark Pope is attempting to keep the Wildcats in the mix for five-star McDonald’s All-American Jayden Quaintance, who was granted release from his NLI with UK following John Calipari‘s departure for Arkansas.

The forward told On3’s Jamie Shaw that Pope will conduct a home visit with him Tuesday. Shaw also reports Quaintance will visit Memphis Friday and is setting up a visit with Calipari and Arkansas. He visited Louisville this past weekend.

Quaintance, a center who is just 16 years old and will not be NBA Draft eligible until 2026, reclassified to the class of 2024 from the class of 2025 and signed with Kentucky on November 14, 2023.

“I feel confident in my decision,” Quaintance told 247Sports back in November about reclassifying. “I’ve been playing up forever in the summer and in high school it is all classes so you are always playing the best regardless of class. So, I don’t think it changes much it is just going to get me to the college level a little faster.”

Despite reclassifying, he stayed among America’s top 10 prospects as he is the country’s eighth best player in the class of 2024 per 247sports’ rankings and is the country’s second-best center.

He initially cut his list to four: Kentucky, Florida, Ohio State and Missouri and then his final decision became a two-horse SEC race between Kentucky and Missouri, but it was Calipari and the Wildcats who finished on top over Dennis Gates and the Tigers.

The 16-year-old plays his prep hoops for the Word of God Christian Academy Holy Rams based in Raleigh, North Carolina and the same school that produced former Kentucky star John Wall.

He played his prep hoops at Word of God Christian Academy’s basketball program now plays in the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite league and during the 2022-23 season, Quaintance averaged 15.4 points per game, 10.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.3 steals, logging an average of 32.5 minutes of playing time.

He represented Team USA in the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Yucatan, Mexico, in the summer of 2023, averaging 6.7 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks in an average of 18.7 minutes of action as he helped Team USA capture the event’s, Gold Medal.

In the 2023 NBPA Top 100 Camp held in Orlando, Florida, this past summer, Quaintance shined, averaging 13.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks while shooting 64.9% from the field.

At the McDonald’s All-American Game in Houston April 1, he scored seven points, grabbed seven rebounds, picked up four steals, and dished three assists.