John Calipari and his Wildcats have had a rough few weeks on the recruiting trail, but he and the team are hoping today’s addition helps turn the trend.

Earlier today, four-star point guard Nolan Hickman committed to the Wildcats, becoming the first member of Kentucky’s 2021 class. The news took many fans by surprise, as the Washington native wasn’t known to be on the radar for the Cats prior to the past 24 hours.

Hickman announced his commitment on Twitter.

According to Rivals, the 6-foot-2 Hickman is the No. 13 point guard in the nation and No. 76 player overall in the 2021 class. The 247Sports Composite has him as 2021’s No. 51 overall player, No. 7 point guard and the top player from Utah.

In his junior season with Eastside Catholic High School, Hickman averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He also shot 38% from three. He has decided to attend Wasatch Academy in Utah for his senior year.

Many outlets first predicted Hickman would stay out west for his college career, but the tune started to change Friday night. That’s when multiple analysts, starting with Travis Graf of Rivals, mentioned Hickman being a target of the Cats. Shortly after, recruiting websites began shifting their predictions in favor of Kentucky.

In an interview with 247Sports, Hickman called Kentucky his “dream school.” He also mentioned his relationship with assistant coach Tony Barbee, a factor that’s believed to have played a large role in his decision.

Hickman chose the Cats over several high-profile colleges, including Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona and UCLA. Fans are hopeful that he’ll get the ball rolling on top recruits announcing they’ll be headed to Lexington.