Five-star class of 2024 McDonald’s All-American Jayden Quaintance signed with Kentucky in the fall but re-opened his recruitment when John Calipari left to go to Arkansas. UK gave him a release last week and his first visit to another school will be to Louisville, his father tells 247sports’ Eric Bossi.

The consensus top 10 player is expected to make an official visit to Louisville on Thursday.

Quaintance, a center who is just 16 years old and will not be NBA Draft eligible until 2026, had reclassified into the Class of 2024 from the Class of 2025 and signed with Kentucky on November 14, 2023. It didn’t matter to his ranking.

The 6-foot-9 Quaintance remained one of the top 10 players in the nation. He’s ranked as the No. 8 player in the nation and the No. 2 center in both the 247Sports rankings and also the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He’s the top player out of North Carolina.

“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.”

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.

Quaintance played his prep hoops for the Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C. 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.