Looking at potential landing spots for Kentucky transfer Travis Perry

Travis Perry is searching for a new home. After one season playing for his home-state Kentucky Wildcats, the 6-foot-1 point guard will look to spend his final three seasons of college eligibility elsewhere.

We’ve already discussed what this means for the state of Mark Pope‘s 2025-26 roster, but what does it mean for Perry’s future? He averaged just 2.7 points in 9.7 minutes per outing across 31 games played last season (including four starts), but was key during pivotal points in the season when injuries ransacked the Wildcats’ depth. The Lyon County (KY) product was still expected to be near the end of Kentucky’s bench next season, though. He’ll be after more playing time and a larger role as a sophomore at his next stop.

Let’s look at a handful of potential landing spots that make sense for Perry.

Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard was not shy about his affection for Perry during the NCAA Tournament. On March 22, just ahead of the Rebels’ Round of 32 matchup against Iowa State, Beard was asked about Perry by a Kentucky reporter. Ole Miss was one of five finalists for Perry before he committed to UK out of high school, and it’s clear that Beard kept a close eye on Perry throughout the 2024-25 season.

“I love Travis,” Beard said during his pregame press conference. “He’s one of those guys that’s addicted to basketball; loves it. Basketball guy. So I enjoyed recruiting him, getting a relationship with his family. In recruiting you don’t get so many more guys than you do get. But I was really happy for him that he found a great fit and played a great role as a freshman for Coach Pope’s team. And he’s a guy I always cheer for, have nothing but respect for. That dude’s a baller, man. He loves basketball.”

Will Beard and the Rebels make a run at Perry in the portal? On3’s Joe Tipton lists Ole Miss as an early team to catch in this recruitment. Perry officially visited Oxford — which isn’t too much further from his hometown of Eddyville than it is from Lexington — twice as a high schooler. Even when the program shifted from Kermit Davis to Beard as head coach, Ole Miss continued to keep up with Perry.

Beard is a defensive-focused coach, so it’ll be interesting to see just how deep into conversations they get with someone like Perry, who was a negative on that end as a true freshman. But there’s no denying the offensive potential Perry holds. Ole Miss has a clear need at point guard, too.

If this partnership ends up happening, the Big Blue Nation would see Perry wearing blue and red inside Rupp Arena next season.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

On the surface, this spot makes a ton of sense. Western Kentucky was also a finalist for Perry out of high school. As a mid-major, the Hilltoppers can offer a faster path to playing time than any of the above schools, and also have the proximity to home advantage. WKU and Eddyville are separated by a roughly two-hour drive.

That being said, WKU has a loaded roster as is, including a handful of in-state players. Some moves would need to be made in order to add someone like Perry if the staff is truly considering it. With his local status, he might be worth it for the program. WKU has reportedly reached out since Perry went into the portal on Tuesday night.

Cincinnati Bearcats

Another one of Perry’s five finalists out of high school was the Cincinnati Bearcats, led by head coach Wes Miller. We’ve already seen two Kentucky guards leave Lexington for southern Ohio in recent years: CJ Fredrick in the 2023 offseason and, most recently, Kerr Kriisa earlier this offseason. Could Perry do the same? Cincinnati has roster spots to be filled. Perry took a gameday trip to see the Bearcats back in high school, and even went on an official visit. There is familiarity with this program.

Other potential options

In the transfer portal era, anything can happen. It’s just as likely that Perry goes to one of the three above schools as it is that he lands elsewhere. The likes of Purdue, Michigan, Virginia, Indiana, Alabama (also one of his five finalists), LSU, and others were all in the mix with Perry at some point during his high school recruitment. Does Richard Pitino at Xavier look to get involved? What about Doug Davenport at Bellarmine? Is there a possibility he ends up returning to UK anyway? Do we dare even mention Louisville?

With Perry’s potential as an elite shotmaker and a year of SEC experience already under his belt, he should have plenty of suitors looking to bring in his talents.