Just days ahead of Arizona’s first Big 12 Tournament game, the Wildcats received big recruiting news. Tommy Lloyd and his staff have secured a major blue-chip recruit.
Arizona was able to fend off Kentucky who also had significant interest in Caleb Holt. In addition to Kentucky, there were 23 offers including Duke, UConn, North Carolina, Kansas and Houston.
Holt is a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida native who attended Prolific Prep high school. He also started high school varsity for Buckhorn as an eighth grader. He stands at 6’5 and 200 pounds.
Holt is rated as a 98 overall and the No. 1 shooting guard, according to 247Sports. This commitment makes him the highest rated recruit in Lloyd’s five-year tenure at Arizona.
Lloyd earned the commit on Team USA U19
Holt is a two-time Alabama high school state champion. He also won a gold medal with the Team USA U19 National team. In his sophomore season, he almost averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds. His junior season saw a slight statistical regression, but he was still named Alabama Mr. Basketball and Class 6A Player of the Year.
According to ESPN, Lloyd coached the Team USA U19 team where the duo developed a strong relationship. “He took me under his wing. He saw my potential,” Holt told ESPN.
“He put me in games and believed in me and instilled a lot of confidence in me,” Holt added. “Under pressure in the quarterfinals against Canada, the game was close and he did not blink at all; he stayed the same throughout the game. That showed me a lot about him.”
The moment Caleb Holt committed to Arizona 👏
He is the No. 4 recruit in the @SCNext 100 Class of 2026. pic.twitter.com/9Ffght0hoB
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 10, 2026
Holt becomes the fourth 5-star recruit under Lloyd. He follows current Arizona 5-stars Koa Peat and Brayden Burries. Both of which had their career high (31 for Burries) or flirted with it (25 for Peat is their second highest total).
Where do this put Arizona?
Holt is arguably the best two-way player in the 2026 class. He has also established himself as a winner across multiple locations. Including multiple high schools, Team USA U19 and the Adidas 3SSB circuit of the summer of 2025. There he averaged almost 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.5 steals. He also earned MVP honors at the Adidas Eurocamp in 2025.
Holt’s defensive prowess and volume scoring ability should work well under Lloyd. Several Wildcats players are expected to make the jump to the NBA.
Along with Cameron Holmes, the SCNEXT No. 50 player and redshirt freshman Bryce James, the Wildcat guard and wing positions are looking very promising. With Peat and Motiejus Krivas expected to depart the program, Arizona might just need to shore up their front court to be early 2026-27 favorites.
