Jayden Quaintance excited to reunite with Kentucky, win a national championship

MrsTylerKSR

Jayden Quaintance on his official visit to Kentucky in 2023 - Photo via UK Athletics

Jayden Quaintance originally committed to Kentucky in November 2023, becoming the fourth member of John Calipari’s 2024 recruiting class. One year and almost five months later, he committed to the Cats again, becoming Mark Pope’s fourth addition to the 2025-26 roster from the transfer portal.

The news broke Tuesday morning, just as KSR the radio show was coming on air. An hour later, the big man called into KSR to talk about reuniting with Big Blue Nation and the Kentucky Basketball program after a season at Arizona State.

“It feels good,” Quaintance said. “You know, just getting back to the fan base, getting back in that environment, it feels good.”

Quaintance considered staying with the program after John Calipari left for Arkansas a year ago. He listened to Mark Pope’s pitch but ultimately headed west to Arizona State, where he earned Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive team honors after averaging 9.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in 29 minutes per game. Quaintance injured his knee on Feb. 23 vs. Kansas State and had surgery to repair a torn ACL on March 19. He’s expected to be cleared for contact in September and ready to go early in the 2025-26 season. He actually called KSR on his way to rehab.

“Rehab’s been going really well,” Quaintance said. “I’ve been ahead of schedule. The scar is healing up well, I’m getting a lot of swelling down, getting my quad strengthened really well. So, rehab has been going good. We’re aiming to get back around September.”

Once he’s cleared to practice, Quaintance sees himself fitting well in Mark Pope’s system. When asked what drew him to Kentucky once again, the big man complimented Big Blue Nation first and then said he was intrigued by what Pope did in year one.

“The fanbase for Kentucky is probably one of the best — probably is the best in college basketball, period. And the coach showed a lot of interest. He seems like he genuinely thought I fit really well in their program. I feel like I fit well into their play style and offense. I just thought it was pretty good for me.”

At 6’10”, 225 lbs. with a 7’5″ wingspan, Quaintance was one of the best shot blockers in the country last year, averaging 2.6 blocks per game. Like former Kentucky center Amari Williams, he can also distribute, dishing out 1.5 assists per game, an area of his game he’s looking to improve under Pope.

“I haven’t been able to watch much, but I feel like, from what I was shown on the film, we play somewhat similar,” Quaintance said of the comparison to Williams. “I feel like I’ll be able to kind of take over that kind of role well and flourish in that kind of role.”

“When I’m able to get back on the court, they kind of will be able to play through me a little bit more,” Quaintance added. “I’ll be able to work on the perimeter a little bit more, you know, get to show off my playmaking ability more than I was able to this year, be able to play downhill, push the ball off the break. You know, just work on my versatility more.”

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Assist to Jasper Johnson

Pope got an assist in the recruitment from another incoming Cat. Quaintance said Kentucky signee Jasper Johnson has been in his ear trying to convince him to come to Lexington.

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“My guy, Jasper Johnson, he was a big part of kind of helping me lean towards Kentucky. He’s been talking about how much he loves the environment and situation and the fans and the coaching and just how he thought I’d be able to fit well into the system that they have going on here and the team that they’re trying to build. So my guy Jasper has helped me a lot in kind of getting here.”

Still just 17 years old, Quaintance has to wait another year before he is eligible for the NBA Draft. He’s currently projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 draft, but he knows he needs a strong sophomore season to prove he’s worthy. What better place than Kentucky, right?

“I mean, it’s the biggest brand in college basketball. They’ve got the best fans in college basketball and travel well. You can’t go to Kentucky and not get noticed. So, I plan on doing big things here, and I feel like this is the best stage to do it on.”

Quaintance obviously has his own goals but wants to make it clear that he’s a team-first player. Arizona State didn’t make the NCAA Tournament this year, finishing the season 13-20 and 15th in the Big 12. After watching the games from home and seeing Pope’s plan for next season, Quaintance believes the Cats can cut down the nets in Indianapolis in 2026.

“Winning is probably the most important thing to me, and I’ve been wanting to have a chance to compete. You know, I don’t really like watching from the sidelines, watching everybody else who stayed in the tournament. We didn’t make the tournament this year. And I look forward to having a real chance to win it next year. I feel like that’s going to be another really big part of going to Kentucky. So, we have a real shot to win the national championship.”

In the meantime, get ready for JQ to be back in Kentucky blue. He got a small taste of BBN during his first recruitment, being introduced to the Rupp Arena crowd during the Georgia game on Feb. 24, 2024. He can’t wait to be back in front of BBN again soon.

“It’s a great privilege, how much love that the fans show,” Quaintance said. “I’m gonna play hard and give my all every night. I’m gonna have an impact on the offensive end and defensive end of the ball. And I play to win every night. Every time I step on the floor, I play to win, to impact the game however I can.”