What Elsa Vadfors’ commitment means for Kentucky WBB
On Sunday, Big Blue Nation was caught by surprise when Kentucky received a commitment from 6-foot-5 Swedish center Elsa Vadfors. At just 19 years of age, Vadfors will come in as a freshman and add some extra depth in the paint. Here’s what her commitment means for the program.
More than likely that the roster is complete
It feels pretty safe to say that Kentucky’s 2025-26 roster is complete. Kenny Brooks and the staff were in the hunt for one more big to bolster the post position, and they got what they were looking for.
Clara Strack was always going to be the starter at the five, so it was just a matter of finding a role player to complement her.
Provides immediate insurance, but could be a key piece later on
As far as this upcoming season goes, Vadfors is — ideally — going to provide insurance down low more than anything. If and when Strack comes out of the game, Vadfors can step onto the floor and hold things down. Teonni Key and even Amelia Hassett could also slide down to the center spot if the staff wanted to play small ball too.
There’s a lot that they could do with the frontcourt, and Vadfors’ addition only adds to that.
Shouldn’t drastically alter high school recruiting efforts
While getting Vadfors is nice, reeling her in doesn’t completely change how the staff will go about recruiting, especially in the 2026 class.
Olivia Vukosa, the No. 4 prospect in On3’s Women’s Basketball Recruiting Rankings, is the one true post player that the staff is really targeting in the 2026 class. Otherwise, it’s just a mix of guards and wings. So, there’s no need for the staff to really shift their recruiting efforts. Again, getting Vadfors is great, but you can’t just stop recruiting a top five prospect like Vukosa, especially when you have as good a chance to land her as anyone.
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