Kentucky's incoming transfer portal class is ranked best in the country

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Mar 11, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Jaland Lowe (15) back on defense against Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Markus Burton (3) during the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

With the expectation that Otega Oweh returns for a senior season, Mark Pope appears to have his 2025-26 Kentucky roster locked in place.

And it’s going to be a deeply talented one. Kentucky has 13 players on the roster, five of them incoming transfers. That portal group now ranks No. 1 in the entire country by On3. One of portal pieces is considered a five-star transfer while the remaining four are considered four-stars. This doesn’t account for the addition of stretch forward Andrija Jelavic out of Croatia. Kentucky is also adding a pair of top 30 high school recruits to the 2025-26 team.

5-star: No. 4 overall | Jayden Quaintance – F – Arizona State – 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 52.5 FG% | Committed 4/8
4-star: No. 53 overall | Jaland Lowe – G – Pittsburgh – 16.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.2 RPG, 37.6% FG, 26.6% 3PT | Committed 4/5
4-star: No. 62 overall | Mouhamed Dioubate – F – Alabama – 7.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 61.7% FG, 46.2% 3PT | Committed 4/7
4-star: No. 78 overall | Kam Williams – G – Tulane – 9.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 48.5% FG, 41.2% 3PT | Committed 3/28
4-star: No. 83 overall | Denzel Aberdeen – G – Florida – 7.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 41.8 FG%, 35 3PT% | Committed 4/21

Quaintance, still only 17 years old, is the prize commit as a potential top-five 2026 NBA Draft pick, but he could miss an early portion of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL. Lowe expects to fill in as the starting point guard while the most recent addition, Aberdeen, could also take over a starting spot in the backcourt after winning a national championship at Florida. Dioubate brings physicality and athleticism from the SEC that last season’s team was lacking, while Williams is an intriguing 3-and-D prospect with three years of eligibility remaining.

As they say, Pope has been cooking.