Report: Kentucky, Arkansas, St. John's 'among the leaders' for Duke transfer Jeremy Roach

The suitors are lining up for Jeremy Roach after he entered the transfer portal Tuesday. Three schools – Kentucky, Arkansas and St. John’s – are “among the leaders” for him, according to NJ.com’s Adam Zagoria.

Roach declared for the 2024 NBA Draft Tuesday afternoon and also maintained his eligibility thanks to the COVID-19 waiver. The battle for his services is getting interesting since John Calipari and Rick Pitino are squarely in the mix, according to Zagoria, while Mark Pope – the new Kentucky coach who replaced Calipari – is also emerging as a frontrunner.

Kentucky has been active in the portal since Pope officially took the reins late last week. The Wildcats reached out to multiple players on Tuesday, On3’s Joe Tipton and KSR+’s Jacob Polachek reported on KSBoard. UK is off to a fast start under its new coach, who’s also still working to fill out a staff.

As for Calipari and Arkansas, they got on the board with former Kentucky big man Zvonimir Ivisic. He entered the portal on Saturday and committed to the Razorbacks on Monday, giving Calipari his first high-profile pickup in Fayetteville.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

Jeremy Roach declares for NBA Draft, enters portal

Roach spent the last four seasons at Duke and is coming off the best season of his career. He averaged 14 points and 3.3 rebounds, both of which were new career-highs, as the Blue Devils made a run to the Elite Eight. Roach still has one more year of eligibility if he wants it thanks to the blanket COVID-19 waiver during the 2020-21 season.

“Duke Nation, thank you for a special four years,” Roach wrote in a post on Instagram. “My experience at Duke has been unforgettable and made me a better person, leader and player. To Coach K, Coach Scheyer and all of my other coaches, teammates, managers and support staff: Thank you for believing in me, pushing me, and helping me become the best version of myself. I am forever grateful to be part of The Brotherhood.

“To the Cameron Crazies, thank you for making Duke a special place to play. Some of the best memories of my life are because of you all, so thank you. With all that being said, I’ll be declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility and entering the transfer portal. Thank you again for everything. I’ll always be a Blue Devil and am so grateful to have been able to call Duke home for the last four years.”