Illinois transfer Jacob Grandison reportedly considering Kentucky

Could Kentucky add another shooter to next season’s roster? An option is available.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and On3’s Joe Tipton, Illinois transfer Jacob Grandison is considering 10 schools as a potential destination and the Wildcats made the cut. Joining Kentucky on his list are USC, BYU, UCLA, DePaul, Arizona, Iowa State, Michigan, Oregon, and Duke. He averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists a season ago.

Grandison, a 6-foot-6 sharpshooter, attended Illinois the last two seasons. He was forced to sit out the 2019-20 season after transferring to the Fighting Illini due to NCAA rules. Grandison previously played two seasons at Holy Cross from 2017 to 2019 before transferring to Illinois. He will have one year of college eligibility remaining.

Grandison withdrew from the NBA Draft on Tuesday’s deadline and quickly entered his name into the transfer portal. He appeared in 30 games for Illinois this past season, including 23 starts. Now 24 years old, Grandison has developed into a knockdown outside shooter, converting on 41.0 percent of his outside looks in 2021-22 on nearly five attempts per game. It wasn’t a fluke, either. During the 2020-21 season, he shot 41.5 percent from deep, although on a smaller volume.

The loudest knock on Kentucky’s roster heading into the 2022-23 season is the absence of one more pure shooter. CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves figure to fill in that role, with incoming freshman Cason Wallace potentially helping in that area too. But Grandison would give head coach John Calipari an added weapon that could be much-needed for a deep NCAA Tournament run next March.