KSR Today: Lamont Butler, NFL Draft, and Nike EYBL in Memphis
Good morning, folks! Happy Saturday to you all. Let’s make it a great one. It should be pretty easy considering Mark Pope picked up another commitment on Friday — his second from the transfer portal.
Former San Diego State guard Lamont Butler made his pledge to the Wildcats yesterday after Pope and his staff hopped on a plane and traveled to meet with Butler in Las Vegas. Before they could even get back to Lexington, Butler was on board. That must’ve been one hell of a pitch.
Butler averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game for the Aztecs in 2023-24. A four-year player at SDSU, the 6-foot-2 guard earned 102 total starts and was a crucial piece in the team’s run to the national championship game a year ago. Butler hit the buzzer-beater against Florida Atlantic in the Final Four to advance to the title matchup vs. UConn.
He joins Drexel forward Amari Williams as Pope’s two transfer portal hauls so far this offseason — in addition to incoming freshmen Collin Chandler and Travis Perry. More pieces could come into play in the near future, too.
If new assistant coach Cody Fueger’s social media post from this morning is any indication, good news could break at any moment. Of note, Saint Mary’s transfer guard Aidan Mahaney was in Lexington yesterday for a visit while Oklahoma transfer guard Otega Oweh was in town earlier this week. The likes of Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Great Osobor (Utah State), Deivon Smith (Utah), and Andrej Stojakovic (Stanford) all have been reported to visit Kentucky in the coming days.
Strap in, BBN…
Phillips, Wallace start NFL careers
A pair of Kentucky football players hear their names called during day two of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Defensive back Andru Phillips went in the third round with the 70th overall pick to the New York Giants. Just a couple of spots later, linebacker Trevin Wallace was selected with the 72nd overall pick by the Carolina Panthers. Phillips will team up with his former Kentucky teammate in New York, wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson.
This marked the sixth straight year that the Wildcats have had at least one day-two pick and the sixth straight year with at least two picks in one draft. More Kentucky names could get the call on Saturday with rounds 4-7 coming up.
KSR’s Adam Luckett already has previews of how both Phillips and Wallace expect to perform in their rookie seasons.
- Andru Phillips could be key part of Giants secondary rebuild
- Trevin Wallace should get development year before inheriting big role with Carolina Panthers
KSR is in Memphis
We’ve got myself, Jack Pilgrim, and Jacob Polacheck in Memphis this weekend to cover the first Nike EYBL session of the season. It’s technically a “quiet period”, so coaches are not allowed at this particular event (Kentucky staffers have their hands full in Lexington, anyway). But that isn’t stopping us from trying to figure out who the new staff is targeting in the high school ranks.
We’ve already posted stories on twin brothers Cameron Boozer and Cayden Boozer, who were being recruited heavily by Kentucky under John Calipari. Jacob also has a positive update on where things stand with top-ranked AJ Dybantsa over on KSR+. We’ve got plenty more coming too from the likes of Jasper Johnson, Caleb Wilson, and… Chuck Hayes?
Admittedly, it’s tough to identify which class of 2025 recruits (and beyond) the staff are identifying right now. Only a handful of them have even heard from the new staff members as Pope focuses on building out his 2024-25 roster, but that number is growing every day. We’ll be back at the Memphis Sports and Events Center all day long to figure it out.
We’re on DJ Waller watch
Pope and Co. aren’t the only Kentucky coaches looking to haul in some big fish. Mark Stoops and his staff have eyes locked in on Michigan transfer cornerback DJ Waller, who was on a visit to UK on Friday and has been trending towards the Wildcats even before then.
Waller, who hails from Youngstown, OH, and was a three-star recruit from the 2023 class, logged significant snaps as a true freshman for the National Champs in 2023. He appeared in 11 games and rotated in regularly at cornerback, totaling 12 tackles and one pass break-up.
Is a commitment on the way? Kentucky is certainly in good shape. For more on Waller, check out Nick Roush’s KSR Bio Blast here.
Bat Cats drop a tough one to South Carolina
No. 4 Kentucky baseball held a three-run lead in the night inning to No. 20 South Carolina during the series opener on Friday night in Columbia. The Wildcats went into the final inning with a 4-1 advantage but ultimately fell 6-5 in extra innings. It marks the third straight loss for the previously red-hot Bat Cats.
Kentucky is still 32-8 this season with a 15-4 in the SEC, but the last few games have not inspired more confidence down the stretch of conference play. UK’s lead in the SEC East over Tennessee is now just 1.5 games.
For a full recap from KSR’s Daniel Hager, check out his recap here. Game two of the series is scheduled for this evening at 6:00 p.m. EST on the SEC Network.
Liam McNeeley commits to UConn
Liam McNeeley, a five-star class of 2024 wing who was considering the Kentucky Wildcats, committed to UConn on Friday evening.
McNeeley is a former Indiana commit but backed off that decision in March. At the time, he was being recruited to Kentucky by former head coach John Calipari and continued to hear from the Wildcats once Mark Pope took over earlier this month following Calipari’s departure for Arkansas. But Pope was never able to get McNeeley in Lexington for a visit, and the No. 15 overall player in the class went with the two-time defending national champs.
Kentucky didn’t get a pretty significant “consolation prize” though in Butler. Now, let’s keep the momentum rolling…
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