Tulane's Kam Williams commits to Kentucky from the NCAA Transfer Portal

Kentucky is a few hours away from tipping off in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The offseason is already on for the Wildcats, though, with their first pickup made in the portal during this cycle.

Per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and with confirmation from On3’s Joe Tipton, Tulane’s Kam Williams has committed to Kentucky out of the NCAA Transfer Portal. That makes him the first transfer on next season’s team for the Wildcats.

NEWS: Tulane transfer wing Kam Williams has committed to Kentucky, he told @On3sports.

The 6-8 freshman averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season, shooting 41% from three. https://t.co/XOut2g9isf pic.twitter.com/7VmNCas7An

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 28, 2025

“NEWS: Tulane transfer wing Kam Williams has committed to Kentucky, he told @On3sports,” Tipton tweeted on Friday.

Time was apparently of the essence for Williams as far as committing and having a roster spot in Lexington among all the transfers currently in connection to UK. Now, he’ll be playing for a top program that he feels can best prepare him for a chance at the next level.

“Not many people get opportunities like this so I wanted to pull the trigger fast,” Williams said to ESPN. “More people are waiting to fill that spot so I had to take advantage.

“My dream is to play in the NBA…Kentucky’s culture and background shows that they care about their players, especially developing them into the best players they can be. I had a solid year, but not the season I needed to be where I want to be just yet. Another year will help me develop my understanding of the game and put me in the best light possible in the eyes of NBA teams. It’s not just about making the NBA but sticking.”

Williams just finished his freshman season in college with the Green Wave. In 33 games in New Orleans, Williams averaged 9.3 points (48.5% FG, 41.2% 3PT), 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks. That had him top five in all those major statistics while being the team’s leading three-point shooter in both makes and percentage. It also earned him a spot on the AAC All-Freshman Team.

Per the latest in On3’s 2025 Top Transfer Portal Players, Williams is the No. 31 overall player in the portal. He’s also currently the No. 5 small forward in that same ranking.

This comes an offseason after Mark Pope had to rebuild the entire roster with new players in the portal. Kentucky took nine transfers with all of them contributing a lot to the success of the program’s first season under Pope. However, with six of them walking on senior night, the roster needs new additions again with the Wildcats being active in portal recruitments this week while also preparing themselves for the second weekend of March Madness.

Williams became one of many transfer targets over this week for Kentucky. He’s now since taken one of their open roster spots as their first portal commitment in 2025.

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.