One of the Kentucky Wildcats’ main recruiting opportunities each year is Big Blue Madness, and this year’s tournament is expected to include another notable guest.
Five-star forward Tounde Yessoufou will make an official trip to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness, according to @HSTopRecruiting. The news has been verified by our own Chris Beasmore and KSR’s Jacob Poloacheck.
Yessoufou is a 6-foot-5, 211-pound big man who attends St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria. He is from California. As of right now, 247 Sports Composite has him ranked sixth among power forwards and 20th overall in the class of 2025.
Yessoufou published his list of the top 10 back in July, and it included, among other teams, Kentucky, UConn, Kansas, Baylor, Tennessee, and UCLA. Among his finalists are USC, Arizona, and Washington, all of which he has officially visited already. On September 14th, he will be officially visiting Tennessee.
Yessoufou was once considered as a reclass candidate for 2024, but he decided to stay in 2025 in an attempt to win a McDonald’s All-American scholarship.
Yessoufou, a native of Benin in West Africa, claims he has liked being recruited by Mark Pope, the new head coach of Kentucky.
“It’s been a really good relationship,” Yessoufou said in July to Joe Tipton of On3. “Mark Pope is always a funny man when he visits my practice. He encourages me to play hard and to not give up. His enthusiasm is distinct, and as a coach, he can push you hard to grow as a person off the court as well.
He is telling me that I am a wonderful person and that he wants me to play for him because of how hard I play. Every time I play, he claims he enjoys watching me.
He usually provides me guidance on how to maintain my composure in the face of setbacks, adhere to my plan, and go on to the next play. I find it really important that a coach can give me the honest feedback I require.
In any case, Jamie Shaw of On3 recently projected that Yessoufou would play for USC and remain close to home. With his connections to the West Coast, new Kentucky assistant Jason Hart will be heavily involved in this recruitment.
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