Former Kentucky portal target Rylan Griffen commits to SEC school

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RylanGriffenKansas — Mar 12, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Rylan Griffen (6) drives to the basket during the first half against the UCF Knights at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images

Rylan Griffen was once viewed as a serious portal target for Kentucky and head coach Mark Pope. Instead, the Kansas transfer is transferring to a different SEC program.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Griffen has committed to play for Texas A&M and new head coach Bucky McMillan. The 6-foot-6 rising senior guard out of Dallas, TX averaged 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game this past season for the Jayhawks. He spent his first two college seasons at Alabama, where he was a starter on the Crimson Tide squad that reached the Final Four in 2023.

Griffen was previously scheduled to take an official visit to Kentucky on April 22. But the day before he was set to arrive in Lexington, Kentucky landed a surprise commitment from Florida transfer guard Denzel Aberdeen. Griffen’s trip to UK was soon canceled as contact between the two sides quickly fell off. A return to Alabama was also reportedly on the table for Griffen.

NEWS: Kansas transfer and former Alabama guard Rylan Griffen has committed to Texas A&M, he told @On3sports.

The 6-6 junior and Dallas native brings long-range shotmaking to Bucky Ball as Griffen shot over 39% from three in his sophomore year at Alabama — a key contributor to… pic.twitter.com/2qSk2KHtRx
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) May 2, 2025

On3 ranks Griffen as the 116th-best player (and 29th-best shooting guard) to enter the transfer portal this offseason. For comparison, Aberdeen is ranked 88th overall and the 5th-best combo guard.

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After taking over for Buzz Williams, who is now the head coach at Maryland, McMillan has been faced with a similar situation to what Pope was dealing with last offseason. Seven players from last season’s Texas A&M roster transferred out (four following Williams to Maryland) while eight players ran out of eligibility. Only one piece from last season, rising sophomore Chris McDermott, stuck around.

But McMillan has done a solid job reloading as he brings his famous “Bucky Ball” style of play to the SEC. Along with Griffen, he’s added the likes of transfers Federiko Federiko (Texas Tech), Mackenzie Mgbako (Indiana), Marcus Hill (NC State), Jamie Vinson (Texas), Josh Holloway (Samford), Jacari Lane (North Alabama), and Zach Clemence (Kansas) to his debut roster in 2025-26.

Griffen didn’t end up as a Wildcat, but he’ll have a chance to face Kentucky on the hardwood next season during conference play.