Momentum Shifts Toward Missouri in Pursuit of Five-Star Guard as Another Recruiting Analyst Makes Prediction
The race for one of the nation’s top basketball prospects just took another turn. On Tuesday, recruiting expert Travis Branham of 247 Sports logged a crystal ball prediction in favor of Missouri for elite 2026 guard Jason Crowe Jr., assigning a confidence level of 7 out of 10 — signaling that the Tigers may now be leading the chase for the highly sought-after recruit.
This latest development comes shortly after On3’s Joe Tipton also pointed to Missouri gaining ground, reporting on July 4 that the Tigers had taken the lead and that a decision is expected on July 18.
Earlier in the process, Kentucky appeared to be in the driver’s seat, especially following the addition of assistant coach Jason Hart to Mark Pope’s staff. Hart had built a strong relationship with the Inglewood (CA) standout. But with less than two weeks until the decision date, Missouri has seemingly overtaken the Wildcats as the frontrunner.
Crowe, a 6-foot-3 scoring guard ranked No. 6 nationally in the 2026 class, has yet to release a list of finalists. Alongside Missouri and Kentucky, schools like USC, Texas, Baylor, UCLA, and Alabama are still believed to be in the mix.
As the countdown continues, Missouri fans are growing optimistic, while Kentucky may need to start considering alternate options for its 2026 backcourt. Of course, in the unpredictable world of recruiting, surprises can happen — and nothing is certain until the commitment goes public.
