Former Kentucky forward Bryce Hopkins is back in the transfer portal

by:Jack Pilgrim•about 10 hours

Prov-191317 — Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

Remember Bryce Hopkins? It’s been quite the journey for the former Kentucky forward. He signed with the Wildcats in the 2021 class alongside the likes of Shaedon Sharpe, TyTy Washington and Daimion Collins while Oscar Tshiebwe was also an incoming transfer.

Playing in 28 games as a freshman, the former four-star recruit would average 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.4 minutes per contest before entering the transfer portal. He’d make his way to Providence as a Friar for year two, emerging as a star under Ed Cooley, averaging 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds as a sophomore. That concluded with a head-to-head battle against his old school in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Kentucky holding him to seven points, eight rebounds and four turnovers in 39 minutes in the 61-53 win for the Cats.

Despite Cooley’s departure to Georgetown, Hopkins opted to return under new coach Kim English in 2023-24 and picked up right where he left off, averaging 15.5 points and 8.6 rebounds before tearing his ACL in January 2024 after just 14 games. Coming back the following season, he’d get back to game action in December 2024 and dominated, averaging 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Friars. That run would last just three games, though, nagging knee injuries shutting him down for the season once again — 17 total games in two seasons.

Now, Hopkins is using that additional season of eligibility to enter the transfer portal, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

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NEWS: Providence forward Bryce Hopkins is entering the transfer portal, source told @On3sports.

The 6-7 senior averaged 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds this season, appearing in only three games due to injury. https://t.co/dyoe949aKN pic.twitter.com/qEeQivtPxO
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 19, 2025

An interesting note on that news? Hopkins is entering the transfer portal with a ‘do not contact’ tag, meaning he likely knows where he’s going before becoming available when schools are allowed to start reaching out to DI prospects starting next week.

Any bets on where the former Wildcat is going? Maybe following Cooley to Georgetown? A return home to Chicago — DePaul was an option when he left Kentucky? Would Mark Pope be interested in bringing him back to Lexington?

We’ll see soon. Either way, Hopkins is back on the move after three years at Providence.