Mark Pope takes Lamar Wilkerson to Keeneland on portal visit

Kentucky is trying to be in the winner’s circle in the portal recruitment of Sam House State’s Lamar Wilkerson. That included a trip to an actual one on Sunday during his visit to Lexington.

Mark Pope, along with several members of the Wildcats’ staff, hosted Wilkerson on a visit today in the bluegrass. Part of that trip was a stop at Keeneland, with the track’s spring meet being this month, with them even appearing and walking with one of the winning horses.

Mark Pope took Sam Houston transfer guard Lamar Wilkerson with him to Keeneland today 😻

📸: Dr. Michael Huang, KSR

➡️ https://t.co/mI6GX997vY pic.twitter.com/5WYN4Scysw

— KSR (@KSRonX) April 13, 2025

Lamar Wilkerson is having a great time with Coach Pope down at Keeneland today. pic.twitter.com/Uf77At17v2

— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) April 13, 2025

This isn’t the first time that the Wildcats have utilized Keeneland while the portal is open in April. They notably brought their first transfer addition of last year’s cycle there with Amari Williams, who went on to have a great lone season with the program.

Wilkerson is one of the top players, overall and still left available, in the portal. He is at No. 29 overall as the No. 10 SG, as the eight-best player and fifth-best two-guard left uncommitted, per the latest update to On3’s Industry Ranking of 2025’s Top Transfer Portal Players. With that, Kentucky as well as Indiana, Auburn, and Ole Miss are getting visits from him in leading his recruitment.

That’s coming off of Wilkerson’s senior season with the Bearkats where he averaged 20.5 points (47.7% FG, 44.5% 3PT on 3.4 threes), 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. That earned him honors as All-Conference USA First Team while he tied for eight nationally in points per game while being top-ten in the country in total three-pointers made, three-pointers per game, and three-point percentage.

If Kentucky were to earn a commitment, Wilkerson would be their fifth addition in the portal and sixth overall this offseason. The Wildcats have also brought in Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State – No. 3), Jaland Lowe (Pittsburgh – No. 41), Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama – No. 48), and Kam Williams (Tulane – No. 55) in what’s currently the No. 3 class per the latest in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings. They also picked up a commitment on Saturday from Andrija Jelavic, a Croatian prospect.

Kentucky hopes Wilkerson will be their final piece for next season’s roster. That’s why they’re showing him all their town has to offer while he’s on campus today.

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

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.