Kentucky is "looking like" the leader for North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope could be close to landing another transfer portal prospect.

According to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, that player could be North Florida’s Chaz Lanier, who entered his name into the portal on April 24 and is being recruited by plenty of big-name programs. Chief among them are the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers.

Considering Lanier is a native of Nashville, the Vols have been viewed as the frontrunner to land the 6-foot-4 guard. However, Norlander believes Kentucky is the team to beat right now.

“North Florida’s Chaz Lanier — who’s not a big-time name, but he’s being sought-after by big schools and it’s looking like that might be Kentucky. And if it’s not Kentucky, it’s Tennessee. And if it’s not Tennessee, it might be BYU,” Norlander said Tuesday on the Eye On College Basketball podcast.

Lanier is considered the eighth-best player to enter their name into the portal this offseason by On3.

After averaging fewer than five points per game during his first three seasons with the Ospreys, Lanier exploded this past season. He was tabbed ASUN First Team All-Conference during the 2023-24 campaign as a senior.

Lanier, who has one year of eligibility remaining, averaged 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.9 steals in 33.4 minutes per outing for North Florida in ’23-24. He shot 51 percent from the field, 44 percent from deep, and 88 percent from the line while starting 31 of 32 games played.

Along with Kentucky, Tennessee, and BYU, the likes of Duke, Illinois, Louisville, Villanova, and many more have reportedly expressed interest in Lanier. It should be noted that he entered his name into the NBA Draft in March and received an invitation to the NBA’s G League Elite Camp (May 11-12) on Monday, but the expectation is he’ll ultimately return to college for a final season.

College players must withdraw from the NBA Draft by May 29 to maintain their eligibility.