Even before Kentucky got the commitment it wanted from North Carolina point guard John Wall, the Wildcats already had the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class.

Center Daniel Orton, point guard Eric Bledsoe, forward Demarcus Cousins, swingman Jon Hood and junior college transfer Darnell Dodson had already put John Calipari’s first recruiting class at Kentucky at No. 1.

So how good is UK’s class now with Wall, Scout.com’s No. 2 overall player?

“That’s a good question,” said Dave Telep, Scout.com’s national recruiting director. “At the end of the day, you truly measure recruiting classes by wins and losses. But if you look back the last 10 years or so, it’s going to be hard to top this one.”

He recalled a recruiting class at Duke headed by Shane Battier or one at Ohio State headed by Greg Oden that were extraordinary. There’s been one or two at North Carolina that were special, too.

“But I just have to think that this group, at least from my perspective, is as strong as any recruiting class I have seen in the last decade or so,” Telep said Tuesday. “The absolute magnitude of this class catches you and leaves you shaking your head a little bit.”

Telep said it might be a “bit of a surprise” that Calipari has been so successful so fast but that it probably shouldn’t be a surprise.

“Maybe it is that he could do it this fast but John Calipari and Kentucky was a perfect marriage between an elite, tradition-rich school with a high profile coach who is on top of his game. It is no surprise these are the results.

“In terms of this recruiting class here, he just way overdelivered. If he recruits a better class than this one during his tenure at Kentucky, there will be a few more (national championship) banners at Kentucky.”