Braydon Hawthorne arrives on campus, recreates picture with Joe B. Hall statue

Braydon Hawthorne‘s first order of business after arriving on Kentucky’s campus? Recreating his childhood picture with the Joe B. Hall statue outside the Wildcat Coal Lodge, his new home.

The four-star forward sat next to the statue and greeted BBN in a video posted by the Kentucky Men’s Basketball social media accounts. By our count, he is the sixth player to arrive on campus, joining Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance, Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe, Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen, Miami (OH) transfer Reece Potter, and fellow incoming freshman Malachi Moreno. Most of the team is expected to be on campus by Friday night in time for Mark Pope’s Father/Son Camp on Saturday.

“What’s going on, BBN? I’m back, sitting next to Coach Joe B. Hall. I just arrived in Lexington, ready to get to work.”

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Pope’s Father/Son Camp will hold special meaning for Hawthorne, who made the trip from Beckley, WV, to attend John Calipari’s Father/Son Camps as a kid. That’s when he took the picture with the Joe B. Hall statue that made the rounds after he committed to Kentucky on May 22. In an interview with KSR, he recalled Calipari asking him why he wore the same Kentucky shirt two years in a row and talking to Willie Cauley-Stein about his shoes. On Saturday, he’ll have the opportunity to return the favor with a new generation of fans, one of many “surreal” moments.

“I’m very excited because I was a part of that fan base growing up. It means everything to me to wear that Kentucky on my chest and represent them. I’m ready to win No. 9 and speak it into existence. That’s the biggest thing for me, I believe.”

Hawthorne was one of the fastest risers in the 2025 class, ranked No. 35 in the On3 rankings. Originally a West Virginia commit, he reopened his recruitment when Darian DeVries took the job at Indiana. Jason Hart immediately reached out on Kentucky’s behalf, and Hawthorne picked Kentucky over West Virginia, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and Duke on May 22. Other schools were selling him on immediate playing time, but the chance to play for his dream school and his relationship with Kentucky’s coaching staff won out. At 6’8″, 185 lbs., he knows he needs to bulk up to hold his own in the SEC.

“I really need to put on a little bit of weight and get stronger,” Hawthorne said. “I hope I can get to — I’m never going to be the biggest guy, but I just need to add weight to myself with a little more mass. I want to get 205 (pounds), I feel like that’ll be a scary weight for me.”

Welcome (back) to Lexington, Braydon.

Kentucky Basketball Players who have arrived on campus so far

Here’s a running list of who has arrived on Kentucky’s campus so far and what jersey numbers they’ll be wearing, if they’ve shared it:

• Jayden Quaintance
• Denzel Aberdeen – No. 1
• Jaland Lowe
• Malachi Moreno – No. 24
• Reece Potter
• Braydon Hawthorne – No. 22

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