Kentucky forward Daimion Collins plans to enter transfer portal

After two seasons in Lexington, Kentucky forward Daimion Collins has decided to enter the transfer portal, he told On3.

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound sophomore is a former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American. Despite the high school accolades, Collins was never able to truly find his footing and make an impact. He averaged less than eight minutes per game in both seasons at Kentucky, hovering around two-to-three points per game.

Collins provided the following statement to On3:

“Dear Big Blue Nation, in the last two years, I have encountered so many amazing people and had some incredible memories that I will cherish a lifetime. To my teammates, thank you for the strong bond and brotherhood. We challenged and supported each other every day, and it actually made us better. I’m forever grateful for the valuable experiences we shared together. I want to take a moment to thank Coach Cal and staff,  for giving me the opportunity to represent BBN and continue my growth as a young man.

“While this has been a difficult decision, it’s the best decision for my future. With that being said I will be entering the transfer portal.”

Daimion Collins, a native of Atlanta, Texas, was the No. 15 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Coming out of high school, he picked Kentucky over Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, and Kansas.

The Kentucky Wildcats, led by John Calipari, finished the 2022-23 season third in the SEC with an overall record of 22-12.

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

Daimion Collins leaving UK, transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.

The portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. For example, the 2021-22 cycle started Aug. 1. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle. In comparison, 1,833 Division I basketball players entered the portal during the 2020-21 cycle after totals of 1,020 in 2019-20 and 1,063 in 2018-19.