Who the Kentucky MBB staff has contacted in the transfer portal

by:KSR•04/13/25

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

With Kentucky’s 2024-25 season now in the books, Mark Pope and his staff shift all of their attention to the offseason. The college basketball transfer portal officially opened on Monday, March 24, and Division I players have been jumping in like never seen before. Over 1,000 names have been entered into the portal since it opened last Monday.

As the roster currently stands, there are 12 players on board for the 2025-26 season. More additions (and potentially more losses) will be made through the portal.

Below is a running list of every transfer portal prospect Kentucky has shown interest in. For more in-depth intel on which UK coach is leading the charge, how serious the interest is, when possible visits might happen, and more, make sure to head on over to KSR+ where Jacob Polacheck has all the latest scoop.

[Official KSR Basketball Transfer Portal Thread (2025)]

UPDATE: April 13, 4:30 PM ET | Sam Houston transfer guard Lamar Wilkerson arrived in Lexington for his visit. Mark Pope immediately brought him to Keeneland where it didn’t take long for the Big Blue Nation to notice his presence. The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter was at Indiana on Saturday and is expected to visit Ole Miss and Auburn before going into decision-making mode.

UPDATE: April 12, 10:00 PM ET | In the biggest surprise of the portal season thus far, Kentucky picked up a commitment from international big man Andrija Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 stretch forward with a 7-foot-5 wing span. Hours later, Brandon Garrison confirmed his return to UK for a junior season.

Portal Commits (5)

Kam Williams – SF – Tulane – 9.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 48.5% FG, 41.2% 3PT | Committed 3/28

One of the best available shooters in the transfer portal, Kam Williams committed to the ‘Cats on the morning of the Sweet 16 — Friday, March 28. After one season at Tulane as a full-time starter, the 19-year-old freshman hit 41.2 percent of his outside shots in 2024-25 on 153 attempts. Clocking in at 6-foot-8, the Louisiana native also brings some juice on defense (1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks per game) and is already on the NBA Draft radar going into his sophomore season. Williams is a true 3-and-D prospect and an excellent first portal pickup for Mark Pope.

Jaland Lowe – PG – Pittsburgh – 16.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.2 RPG, 37.6% FG, 26.6% 3PT | Committed 4/5

Lowe committed to Kentucky on April 5, four days after entering the transfer portal. The 6-3 guard played two seasons at Pitt, averaging 9.6 points per contest in year one before emerging as the go-to scoring threat for the program in year two, playing 35.5 minutes per game. He wraps up his career with 836 points, 278 assists, and 221 rebounds under Jeff Capel and earned Third Team All-ACC honors in 2024-25. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Mouhamed Dioubate – F – Alabama – 7.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 61.7 FG%, 46.2 3PT% | Committed 4/7

Dioubate committed to Kentucky on April 7, three days after entering the transfer portal. The 6-7 forward has two years of eligibility remaining. Dioubate finished with eight points on 2-for-5 shooting with eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal in Alabama’s win over Kentucky on Jan. 18 and 13 points and 8 rebounds in the Crimson Tide’s win over the Cats in the SEC Tournament. A physical player with a knack for rebounding and defense, Dioubate will bring some toughness to next year’s squad.

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Jayden Quaintance – PF – Arizona State – 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 52.5 FG% | Committed 4/8

Quaintance was originally committed to Kentucky out of high school but changed course when John Calipari went to Arkansas. One year later, he is returning to the program after a year at Arizona State. Quaintance underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee in March. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported that Quaintance is “already ahead of schedule” and “should be cleared for contact in September.” He is a projected top-ten pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (he isn’t eligible for this year’s draft due to age restrictions).

Andrija Jelavic – PF – KK Mega Basket (Serbia) – 10.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 50.3 FG%, 32.3 3PT% | Committed 4/12

Committing out of nowhere (not technically through the portal, but we’re including him anyway), Jelavic is considered one of the best international college prospects. A 21-year-old incoming freshman, the 6-foot-11 Croatian big man with a 7-foot-5 wingspan can stretch the floor and play both frontcourt positions. Jelavic is already drawing comparisons to what Andrew Carr did during his lone season at Kentucky. He opted for the college route instead of jumping into the 2025 NBA Draft. With his addition, Pope has what will be one of the best frontcourt rotations in the entire country.

Portal Targets (5)

HAVE ALREADY MET AND/OR PLAN TO MEET FOR ZOOM/VISIT

Lamar Wilkerson – G – Sam Houston – 20.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 47.7% FG, 44.5% 3PT

The best three-point shooter in Conference USA, Lamar Wilkerson is on Kentucky’s Big Board. The 6-foot-5 guard was named First-Team All-CSUA and has one year of eligibility left to use. He hit a conference-leading 45.5 percent of his outside shots on 8.8 attempts per game. A native of Arkansas, Wilkerson is also going to test the NBA Draft waters.

April 13: Wilkerson arrives in Lexington for his visit.
April 9: Wilkerson schedules a visit to Kentucky for this weekend.

Jaron Pierre Jr. – G – Jacksonville State – 21.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, 42.4 FG%, 38.2 3PT%

The New Orleans native started his career at Southern Miss. After two seasons, he made the move to Wichita State, then had a breakout year for the Gamecocks in 2024-25. Pierre scored more points than any player in college basketball this season, eclipsing 30+ points six times before he was named C-USA Player of the Year. He’s declaring for the NBA Draft but will also weigh his options in the transfer portal.

April 2: According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Pierre “plans to meet” with Kentucky “in the near future”. Pierre has visited SMU and also plans to meet with Ole Miss.
April 2: Met with Mark Pope and Alvin Brooks III in Dallas on the day he visited SMU.

Mackenzie Mgbako – F – Indiana – 12.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 43.7% FG, 32.9% 3PT

A former McDonald’s All-American, Mackenzie Mgbako is on Kentucky’s radar after two seasons at Indiana. Once the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Mgbako produced similar stats as a sophomore. He scored a season-high 31 points in the Hoosiers’ season-opener. The 6-foot-8 forward will have two years of eligibility remaining.

April 2: Took an official visit to Kentucky.

NO ZOOM MEETINGS/VISITS CURRENTLY OR PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED

Rylan Griffen – G – Kansas – 6.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 37.2 FG%, 33.6 3PT%

After Rylan Griffen entered the transfer portal on March 31, Kentucky was among the schools to show some early interest. But as of late, the UK staff appears to be focusing its efforts at this position on Lamar Wilkerson and Jaron Pierre Jr. Going into his senior season, Griffen struggled at Kansas but was a highly productive player for Alabama as a sophomore in 2023-24.

High School Targets (1)

Braydon Hawthorne – SF – Huntington Prep (WV)

A four-star small forward from the 2025 recruiting class, Braydone Hawthorne plans to take an official visit to Kentucky on Wednesday, April 16. Clocking in at 6-foot-8, 185 pounds, he decommitted from West Virginia following Darian DeVries departure to Indiana. Hawthorne, ranked No. 48 overall in his class, will visit the new West Virginia staff and is also in talks with Virginia Tech and Michigan.

Portal targets committed elsewhere (19)

Donovan Dent – New Mexico – 20.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 6.4 APG, 49 FG%, 40.9 3PT% | Committed to UCLA on 3/28
Treysen Eaglestaff – North Dakota – 18.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 41.6% FG, 35.9% 3PT | Committed to South Carolina on 3/30
Nick Davidson – Nevada – 15.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 50.0% FG, 37.1% 3PT | Committed to Clemson 4/2
Adrian Wooley – Kennesaw State – 18.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 51.2% FG, 42.2% 3PT | Committed to Louisville on 3/31
Dedan Thomas – UNLV – 15.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 4.7 APG, 41.3% FG, 35.3% 3PT | Committed to LSU on 3/31
Dailyn Swain – Xavier – 11 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 53.2 FG%, 25 3PT% | Committed to Texas on 4/1
Morez Johnson – Illinois – 7.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 64.2 FG% | Committed to Michigan on 4/1
Magoon Gwath – San Diego State – 8.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 0.7 APG, 50.6% FG, 37.8% 3PT | Returning to San Diego State on 4/1
Keyshawn Hall – UCF – 18.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 42.7% FG, 35.4% 3PT | Committed to Auburn 4/2
Silas Demary Jr. – Georgia – 13.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 39.6% FG, 37.4% 3PT | Committed to UConn on 4/3
Taylor Bol Bowen – Florida State – 8.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 47.7 FG%, 41.4 3PT% | Committed to Alabama on 4/4
Ja’Kobi Gillespie – Maryland – 14.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, 45.3% FG, 40.7% 3PT | Committed to Tennessee on 4/4
Yaxel Lendeborg – UAB – 17.7 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, 52.2 FG%, 35.7 3PT% | Committed to Michigan on 4/5
Tyrone Riley IV – San Francisco – 9.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 50.2 FG%, 32.2 3PT% | Withdraws from Transfer Portal on 4/6
Reed Bailey – Davidson – 18.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.8 APG, 47.7 FG%, 41.5 3PT% | Committed to Indiana on 4/6
Vyctorius Miller – LSU – 8.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 44.7 FG%, 31.8 3PT% | Committed to Oklahoma State on 4/7
Abdi Bashir Jr. – Monmouth – 20.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 37.7% FG, 38.3% 3PT | Committed to Kansas State on 4/7
Alex Steen – Florida Southern (DII) – 17.9 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.5 BPG, 56.2 FG%, 28.6 3PT% | Committed to Florida State on 4/7
Frankie Collins – TCU – 11.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.4 APG, 42.2 FG%, 26.1 3PT% | Committed to Vanderbilt on 4/10
Alvaro Folgueiras – Robert Morris – 13.8 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 54.4 FG%, 41.5 3PT% | UK no longer in contention

Returning players/incoming freshmen (7)

Otega Oweh – G – Rising Senior – 16.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 49.2% FG, 35.5% 3PT
Brandon Garrison – C – Rising Junior – 5.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 50.9%
Collin Chandler – C- Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 36.1% FG, 34.7% 3PT
Travis Perry – PG – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 31.3% FG, 32.1% 3PT
Trent Noah – F – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 45.1% FG, 33.3% 3PT
Malachi Moreno – C – Incoming Freshman – Great Crossing (Georgetown, KY)
Jasper Johnson – SG – Incoming Freshman – Overtime Elite (Lexington, KY)