When Jeremiah Fears decommitted from Illinois and announced he was reclassifying into 2024, the Kentucky Wildcats were among the schools that immediately reached out.

However, it does not appear those talks went anywhere.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Kentucky is not expected to make a serious push for Fears.

“In speaking with sources, I do not believe the Wildcats will make a strong push at this time,” wrote Tipton, who added that the Oklahoma Sooners are expected to be a major player. That means Kentucky could end up facing Fears next season as the Sooners join the SEC.

The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Fears is still currently a class of 2025 recruit at all four major recruiting services. He’s ranked 24th overall by ESPN, 55th by On3, 37th by 247 Sports, and 31st by Rivals.

Kentucky has plenty of depth in the backcourt, though having another guy capable of playing point guard would have been nice. Kerr Kriisa is the only veteran on the roster who’s played heavy minutes there. Lamont Butler is expected to challenge for the starting role, though he played off the ball significantly at San Diego State. Incoming recruit Travis Perry can also run the offense.

It appears Kentucky will be looking elsewhere for someone to potentially fill that 13th and final scholarship spot on Mark Pope’s first roster.