It has been a great year for the Arizona basketball team. The Wildcats are one of the best teams in the country this season and are on pace to be one of the four one-seeds in the NCAA Tournament. However, off the court, they are recruiting extremely well, and a big example of that is their landing a commitment from five-star shooting guard Caleb Holt on Tuesday.
Holt announced his intention to play for the Arizona Wildcats and head coach Tommy Lloyd for the 2026 season on Tuesday's episode of “First Take.” Lloyd and the Wildcats beat out Alabama and Kentucky for Holt's services and landed a top-five prospect for the 2026 recruiting class.
The McDonalds’ All-American becomes Arizona’s second commitment this cycle, joining four-star small forward Cameron Holmes, who committed back in November. Arizona is primed to lose more than a few players from the 2025 basketball team, and Holt and Holmes will be there to fill those gaps, especially on offense.
One of the biggest keys to this commitment for the Arizona basketball program was that Caleb Holt played for Tommy Lloyd on the U19 USA Basketball team.
“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. Under pressure in the quarterfinals against Canada, the game was close, and he did not blink; he stayed the same throughout. That showed me a lot about him.”
The two formed a bond over the summer, and it continued throughout the fall and winter recruitment, including on Holt's official visit to Arizona in early October.
“He is a straightforward person, keeps things real with you, and he does not sugarcoat anything,” Holt said. “Whatever he believes, he stands by it. He is easygoing off the court and serious on the court. He is a blast and loves to have a good time off the court.”
Holt's commitment will be the second-highest in Arizona basketball history, behind DeAndre Ayton's in 2017. He is also the fourth five-star recruit to commit to Arizona under Tommy Lloyd, following Brayden Burries and Koa Peat from this past season.
