Kentucky forward Jordan Burks enters NCAA transfer portal

Kentucky forward Jordan Burks has entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. He appeared in 20 games this past season as a freshman and had 31 offers out of high school.

Burks averaged 7.1 minutes this past season, scoring 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds. He had a big performance against Vanderbilt in February when he dropped 13 points and pulled down five rebounds as Kentucky pulled off a resounding 109-77 victory.

Burks played high school basketball at Hillcrest Prep (Ala.), where he was a three-star recruit. He was the No. 173 overall player from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

Jordan Burks’ departure is part of a full roster turnover after John Calipari left Kentucky to become the next head coach at Arkansas. Now, all 11 scholarship players from last year’s roster have either transferred or declared for the 2024 NBA Draft, meaning Mark Pope will build the program back up entirely from scratch as he takes over at his alma mater.

During his introductory press conference, Pope acknowledged the work ahead and said he plans to continue reaching out to players to get the roster in place for 2024-25.

“We’re talking to all the guys on the current team, all the guys that have been recruited, and just about every single player in the portal right now,” Pope said followed by a cheer from the sold-out crowd in Lexington. “We’re gonna find the guys that fit here the way we play, and the guys that will come here and understand what a gift it is to play here at the University of Kentucky.”

Before the roster can take shape, Pope has to get his coaching staff in place. He’s reportedly gearing up to do just that as former BYU assistant Cody Fueger, former Georgia head coach Mark Fox and G-League Ignite head coach Jason Hart are set to come aboard, per the Athletic’s Kyle Tucker.

Mark Fox and Pope have history. When Pope dropped out of medical school in 2009, Fox hired him to be Georgia’s director of basketball operations for the 2009-10 season. With head coaching experience at Nevada, Georgia and Cal, Pope boasts a career 324-263 record.

Jason Hart also has no shortage of experience. Hart played 10 years in the NBA before beginning his coaching career. His first collegiate coaching gig was at Pepperdine, but Hart quickly rose up the ranks and secured an assistant coaching position at USC.

In 2021, Hart was named the head coach of the NBA G League Ignite, a developmental team for players coming out of high school that plays against other teams in the NBA G League. Now, he will look to help Pope develop players at the collegiate level.