Kentucky men’s basketball roster tracker: Looking ahead to the 2025-26 Cats

As Kentucky men’s basketball closing the door on its 2024-25 season with a Sweet Sixteen loss to Tennessee, all eyes turn toward the transfer portal and what things will look like for Head Coach Mark Pope and the Cats next season.

With the Cats making the second weekend of the big dance for the first time since 2019 in Pope’s first season and a senior-heavy roster, expectations are high for the 1996 National Champion to bring Kentucky back to the forefront of the sport in year two.

As Pope hopes to build his second ever roster in Lexington and the modern college basketball world continues spinning at 100 miles per hour, keeping track of everything can be challenging.

Because of this, the Kentucky Kernel men’s basketball team sought to organize everything in one clear spot.

Who’s Gone?

Andrew Carr: exhausted eligibility

Ansley Almonor: exhausted eligibility

Jaxson Robinson: exhausted eligibility

Lamont Butler: exhausted eligibility

Amari Williams: exhausted eligibility 

Koby Brea: exhausted eligibility

Kerr Kriisa: outgoing transfer

The first non-eligibility related domino to fall for Kentucky came when veteran point guard Kerr Kriisa announced his intentions to re-enter the transfer portal.

Kriisa, after receiving a medical redshirt, will have one year of eligibility remaining to play his sixth season of college basketball.

Hailing from Tartu, Estonia, Kriisa was UK’s back-up point guard for the first half of the season before suffering a season-ending foot injury in December.

Prior to his injury, Kriisa backed up veteran point guard Lamont Butler and averaged 4.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per night in 17.3 minutes on the court.

Who’s New?

Malachi Moreno: freshman commit

A freshman hailing from Great Crossing High School just up the road in Georgetown, Moreno was graded a four-star prospect by 247Sports.

The Warhawk big man had received interest from numerous major programs around the country including Arkansas, led by former Kentucky head coach John Calipari, Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio State, but Moreno opted to instead stay home and join Pope in Lexington.

Standing at 6-foot, 11-inches and weighing in around 230 pounds, 247Sports’ Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein spoke highly of Moreno in his report.

Jasper Johnson: freshman commit

Mark Pope landed his second recruit from the class of 2025 on Thursday afternoon as five-star shooting guard Jasper Johnson announced that he would be committing to Kentucky.

The highly touted 6-foot, 4-inch scorer had over 20 Division-I offers including some from top-tier programs like Kansas, Illinois and Baylor, however, on July 24, he chopped his list down to five schools including Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisville and North Carolina.

Johnson began his high school career at Woodford County High School in Kentucky before transferring to Link Academy. For his senior season, Johnson declared for the Overtime Elite Draft, following in the footsteps of former Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham.

In terms of scoring, 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein described Johnson as “a southpaw scoring guard who has spurts of extreme tough shot-making when he gets hot.”

Acaden Lewis: freshman commit

Mark Pope’s third major recruit for the class of 2025, Acaden Lewis, committed and signed with Kentucky in mid November. He was recruited by assistant coach Jason Hart.

A highly-regarded 6-foot-2 point guard out of Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C., Lewis chose Kentucky over other major programs like Duke, North Carolina, UConn and Michigan.

Graded a four-star prospect by 247Sports, Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein described Lewis as “a lefty lead guard who is extremely talented with the ball.” Finkelstein continued by saying “He has soft hands and natural touch that are the foundation of a very advanced skill-set.”

Kam Williams: incoming transfer, Tulane

Tulane’s Kam Williams became the first player in 2025 to transfer to Kentucky and join Pope’s squad in Lexington, doing so just before the Sweet Sixteen began for the Cats.

A 6-foot-8 rising sophomore, Williams averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per night. He had also heard from the likes of Louisville, Florida, St. John’s, Texas Tech, Mississippi State and plenty more.

At just 19 years of age, Williams was on the AAC All-Freshman team and shot 41% from beyond the arc, something else that made him a hot commodity for Pope’s coaching staff.

The news of his commitment was broken on Friday morning, the day of Kentucky’s Sweet Sixteen contest against Tennessee, by Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Williams entered the transfer portal earlier in the week after one season in New Orleans and quickly heard from Pope’s coaching staff, telling KSR’s Jacob Polacheck that he believed Kentucky could “win the entire thing.”

With plenty of eligibility remaining and real NBA upside and ambitions, Williams is sure to be a big get for the Wildcats as they move forward in building their transfer class for 2025.

Jaland Lowe: incoming transfer, Pittsburgh

It’s official, Mark Pope and Kentucky men’s basketball earned its second commitment from the transfer portal for the 2025 cycle with Pittsburgh point guard Jaland Lowe.

Lowe posted his commitment on Instagram with the caption, “Excited and grateful for this opportunity BBN! Let’s goooo!”

The former Panther will seemingly carry the expectation of being UK’s starting point guard, replacing San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler, who, with an injured shoulder and leg, led UK to its first Sweet Sixteen since the turn of the decade.

At Pittsburgh, Lowe averaged 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per night with the Panthers, despite a rougher 37.6% from the field.

He entered the transfer portal with a “do not contact” tag — meaning either that the player has an idea where they’re going or they simply wish for all contact to go through their agent — and UK was quickly involved. He is a 6-foot-3 sophomore from Texas.

Lowe is a strong passer with good size for the position and, perhaps most enticingly, has multiple years of college eligibility remaining, something that could be valuable as Pope looks to find consistency year to year.

Who’s Being Targeted?

Mackenzie Mgbako: Indiana

A major name in the transfer portal, it was reported that Indiana’s Mackenzie Mgbako has heard from Kentucky after entering the transfer portal to leave Bloomington.

Mgbako, a sophomore forward from New Jersey, averaged 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds a night in Bloomington but entered the portal following the end of the season and Head Coach Mike Woodson’s departure. Indiana was left with zero scholarship players after the end of the season, declining any kind of postseason after missing the NCAA Tournament.

Mgbako is expected to test the NBA draft waters as well, but put his name into the transfer portal with SportsIllustrated reporting that the 6-foot-9 star has no intentions of returning to IU. He was a former five-star recruit.

The former Hoosier visited Kentucky on Wednesday.

Tyrone Riley IV: San Francisco

Per Dushawn London of 247Sports, Kentucky is one of the programs that has met with San Francisco transfer Tyrone Riley IV.  

Riley IV, a rising sophomore, is ranked as a four-star transfer, sitting No. 94 overall in 247Sports’ overall transfer portal rankings. 

The 6-foot-6 guard earned a spot on the All-WCC freshman team this past season, averaging 9.6 points, six rebounds and one assist per game, finishing with an overall field-goal percentage of 50.2% and an overall 3-point field-goal percentage of 32.2%. 

According to a report by London, Riley IV has either met with or conducted Zoom calls with USC, Arizona, Creighton, Texas, Washington, Arkansas and Grand Canyon. 

London also reports that the California native has also been in contact with Miami (FL), Arizona State and Ohio State.

Xaivian Lee: Princeton

Per Jacob Polacheck of KSR, Kentucky is reportedly involved with Princeton point guard transfer Xaivian Lee. 

Lee, a rising senior, spent three seasons with the Tigers in New Jersey and earned a spot on the first-team All-Ivy League in both 2024 and 2025. 

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged a small 4.8 points his freshman year, however, following that, he quickly transitioned into an offensive threat, averaging a team-high 17.1 points his sophomore year and a team-high 16.9 this past season as a junior.

This season, Lee also manufactured an average of 6.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals per night on 43.9% shooting from the field and 36.6% shooting from downtown. 

The Toronto native displayed ten 20-plus point games this season and put up double-digits in 27 of the 30 games that Princeton competed in.

Mouhamed Dioubate: Alabama

Another in-conference target, Kentucky is said to have interest in Alabama’s Mouhamed Dioubate.

Dioubate is an interesting case, having not entered the portal when it opened, but only doing so after Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide earned the commitment of Taylor Bol Bowen, another Kentucky target.

Dioubate, a 6-foot-7 sophomore out of Queens, averaged 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per night in Tuscaloosa, shooting 61% from the field.

He scored 13 in Bama’s win over Kentucky in the SEC Tournament, shooting 83% from the field and making his lone 3-point attempt, while combining for 12 in the Tide’s regular season sweep of Pope’s Cats.

Jaron Pierre Jr.: Jacksonville State

A later addition to Kentucky’s transfer board, Jaron Pierre Jr. entered the transfer portal out of Jacksonville State.

A senior guard out of New Orleans, Pierre Jr. averaged 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per night while shooting 42.4% from the field in Alabama.

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported that Pierre Jr. is currently on a visit to SMU but has plans to visit Ole Miss and Kentucky in the near future.

Vyctorius Miller: LSU

Another in-conference transfer Kentucky has expressed interest in, LSU’s Vyctorius Miller has plenty of potential.

Standing at 6-foot-5 as a freshman, Miller logged 8.9 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 44.7% from the field.

247Sports National Basketball Analyst Travis Branham reported that Miller had a zoom with Kentucky and Georgia Tech, while also receiving interest from the likes of Memphis, Iowa, USC and UCLA.

Rodney Rice: Maryland

Another Maryland transfer in the portal after Kevin Willard’s departure for Villanova, Rodney Rice reportedly heard from Kentucky along with a laundry list of schools.

Rice is also being courted by the likes of Indiana, Washington, Miami (FL), Virginia, UConn, Villanova, NC State, Michigan, Louisville and Ohio State.

He averaged 13.8 points per night with 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 43.4% from the field.

A sophomore guard, Rice is an interesting prospect for whichever school ultimately ends up landing him.

Alvaro Folgueiras: Robert Morris

Robert Morris’ Alvaro Folgueiras is another massive target in the transfer portal after averaging 13.9 points and nine rebounds per night while also shooting 41% from beyond the arc. He is also 6-foot-9.

The Horizon League Player of the Year helped lead his squad to the NCAA Tournament and a near upset of Alabama in the first round as a sophomore out of Spain.

There is less solid evidence for Kentucky in the race for Folgueiras, but multiple reports suggest the Wildcats’ coaching staff has been involved with the former Colonial.

Kentucky reportedly held a zoom meeting with Folgueiras on Monday.

Abdi Bashir Jr.: Monmouth

Monmouth’s Abdi Bashir Jr. quickly jumped up on plenty of transfer portal big boards after his entering.

Bashir Jr., who’s brother is at Auburn, averaged 20.1 points per game and was the leading scorer for his entire conference. The 6-foot-7 sophomore from Omaha was also the nation’s leader in 3-pointers made last season with 127, something that surely enticed Pope and his staff.

Bashir Jr. has spoken on record about Kentucky, telling KSR’s Jacob Polacheck, “It’s Kentucky. It’s the bluest of blue bloods.” He has also reportedly set up a zoom meeting with Kentucky.

Bashir Jr. has heard from plenty of high major programs including Kansas, UK, Arkansas, Alabama, Oregon, USC and more, but, interestingly, told Polacheck he had not heard from Auburn.

Lamar Wilkerson: Sam Houston State

One of the more veteran targets in the transfer portal, Sam Houston State’s Lamar Wilkerson entered his name in as a graduate transfer.

Wilkerson averaged 20.5 points and four rebounds a night for the Bearkats, shooting 45% from beyond the arc with eight threes attempted per game.

Wilkerson will also test the NBA draft waters, but expectations are currently that he will return to college for a final season.

Kentucky is confirmed to be interested and in the mix for the 6-foot-5 guard that started in all 32 games for SHSU last season.

Latest reports indicate that Wilkerson has completed zooms with Auburn and Kansas while he is set to go on an in-person visit with Ole Miss and SMU.

Frankie Collins: TCU

ESPN College Basketball Insider Jeff Borzello reported that Kentucky was one of several schools to reach out to TCU transfer guard Frankie Collins.

Collins, a 6-foot-2 senior from Sacramento, averaged 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and assists on 42.2% shooting from the field with the Horned Frogs.

He is also fielding interest from St. John’s, SMU, USC and Vanderbilt, with the latter hosting Collins for a visit in the latest update on the veteran. Collins is also expected to visit SMU, just down the road from TCU in Dallas.

Elyjah Freeman: Lincoln Memorial (D-II)

A unique name in the list of targets for a school the size of Kentucky, Division-II standout Elyjah Freeman out of Lincoln Memorial, just on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, has received interest from Kentucky. Freeman, who grew up watching Kentucky, intends to leave the Lions after the controversial firing of his head coach, Jeremiah Samarrippas.

Freeman averaged 18.6 points and 8.7 rebounds as a somewhat late-blooming freshman. He averaged 30 points per night in his conference tournament.

He confirmed to KSR’s Jacob Polacheck that he has heard from Kentucky.

Standing at 6-foot-8, Freeman will be a heavily-sought-after name in the portal for plenty of high major programs.

Alex Steen: Florida Southern (D-II)

The second non NCAA Division-I transfer Kentucky is eyeing is Florida Southern’s Alex Steen.

Standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing 225 pounds, Steen was a monster at the D-II level, averaging 18.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game at Florida Southern. He is a two-time conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Upon entering the transfer portal, Steen quickly drew Division-I attention, including from the likes of Western Kentucky, USF, Utah Valley, Grand Canyon, UK and Alabama.

Elijah Moore: Syracuse

Syracuse freshman guard Elijah Moore received interest from Kentucky per KSR’s Jacob Polacheck. Moore cited Kentucky’s culture as a plus to the program.

As a true freshman, Moore averaged 5.2 points a night and shot 39% from the field, earning the nickname “Choppa.” He is a 6-foot-4 guard from The Bronx and was a former four-star recruit. His peak in Syracuse came against Tennessee when he dropped 24 points on the Volunteers. He missed the end of the Orange’s season due to injury despite being the starting point guard for part of the year.

Rylan Griffen: Kansas

Kansas’ Rylan Griffen was another name Kentucky has reportedly reached out to in the transfer portal.

Griffen, a junior guard from Dallas, averaged 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists during a poor year for the Jayhawks. He averaged 11.2 points per game in 2023-24, shooting 45.4% from the field and nearly 40% from beyond the arch.

KSR’s Jacob Polacheck confirmed that Kentucky is expected to be among the schools interested in Griffen.

Who’s Returning?

Collin Chandler: sophomore

Despite being a late bloomer after two years away from basketball, Collin Chandler truly came into his own by the end of the season, being a reliable presence when the Cats needed Lamont Butler to take a rest or a big 3-pointer. This was exemplified with his deep three just before halftime in UK’s Sweet Sixteen loss.

He played 43 minutes of NCAA Tournament basketball during Kentucky’s run.

When asked about his future following the loss, Chandler offered the following:

“We were blessed as young guys, having great guys to learn from. We realize its our job to continue to keep their DNA in this program and we’re ready to pass that on and bring that onto the next guys that are coming.”

Nothing is certain in the modern college basketball landscape, sure, but that sounds like a young guy who intends to be back at Kentucky next season.

Travis Perry: sophomore

Trent Noah: sophomore

One of two in-state freshmen on Kentucky’s roster last season, Trent Noah’s journey was unique as he originally committed to South Carolina before Pope took charge and brought him home to UK. Noah hails from Harlan County and played against Travis Perry’s Lyon County in high school.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 220 pounds as just a freshman, Noah has high potential on a Wildcats squad losing a lot of veterans, especially such as Andrew Carr.

While there was little doubt about Noah’s willingness to return to UK, growing up as a Wildcat fan, Pope seemed to confirm things on his Monday radio show, stating that the staff intends to help Noah to add 18-20 pounds of muscle that will help him be a stronger and more confident player for the Cats… next season.

Suffice to say, Noah will be back in blue and white for 2025-26.

Otega Oweh: senior

Brandon Garrison: junior

Who Chose Somewhere Else?

Donovan Dent: New Mexico, transferred to UCLA

Despite Kentucky being a frontrunner for New Mexico star point guard Donovan Dent, the former Lobo instead chose to commit to UCLA and Head Coach Mick Cronin while Kentucky was still on the court against the Vols in the NCAA Tournament.

Dent, a guard out of Riverside, California, averaged 20.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists per night with the Lobos, helping lead Richard Pitino’s squad to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Dent had several star-making performances across the season, scoring 40 against VCU in December, 34 at UNLV in January and 33 at Nevada in early March. In fact, he scored 20+ in seven of the Lobos’ last eight regular season games and eight of the Lobos’ last 10 on the season.

Regardless, Dent chose to commit to Cronin and UCLA, going back to his home state of California and moving to Los Angeles.

Treysen Eaglestaff: North Dakota, transferred to South Carolina

Kentucky men’s basketball lost a second target on its transfer target board on Sunday morning when former North Dakota junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff committed to an SEC rival in South Carolina.

On3’s Joe Tipton confirmed the news on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Eaglestaff was one of Kentucky’s very first targets in the 2025 portal due to his quick entry into it as the Cats battled with the likes of Michigan, St. John’s, Kansas, LSU and Alabama.

He averaged 18.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per night while shooting 41.6% from the field. This includes a statement 51-point showing in the Summit League Tournament against South Dakota State. He also scored 40 against Alabama earlier in the season.

Looking for a new home for his senior season, Eaglestaff had been targeted by Kentucky but the Wildcats quickly seemed to take a backseat as they pushed for other targets and other schools pushed harder for the Fighting Hawk. With South Carolina hosting Eaglestaff for an official visit just before his commitment, it became clear that the fit was there, bringing the Bismarck native into the SEC albeit not with Kentucky.

Adrian Wooley: Kennesaw State, transferred to Louisville

Another one of Kentucky’s former transfer portal targets found a home other than Lexington as Kennesaw State’s Adrian Wooley committed to Pat Kelsey in Louisville.

Wooley made a public post confirming his commitment on social media with the caption being just red and black hearts.

Wooley averaged 18.8 points per game with 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists a night, shooing 51% from the field with the Owls.

Unfortunately for Kentucky, while Wooley was still a target for Pope and his staff, the freshman, who hails from Tuscaloosa, seemingly cut his list down to just four schools: Louisville, Alabama, Auburn and Kansas, taking a visit to Louisville prior to his commitment.

Kentucky and Louisville have an annual meeting every season, so the Wildcat faithful are destined to see Wooley next season even if its not in blue and white like they’d hoped.

Dedan Thomas Jr.: UNLV, transferred to LSU

Kentucky men’s basketball took its second transfer portal loss of the day as point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. of UNLV committed to LSU.

NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony first reported the news on social media after a report from Thomas’ agent, while CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein soon confirmed the report with word from Thomas’ father.

Standing at 6-foot-1, the point guard from Las Vegas averaged 15.6 points, two rebounds and 4.7 assists per night for the Rebels this past season. He also shot 41.3% from the field and was a member of the Mountain West All-Conference team.

Instead of Lexington, Thomas Jr. will head to Baton Rouge to join Head Coach Matt McMahon and a Tigers squad that, after being one of just two SEC teams not to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament, is looking to increase its NIL support for the basketball team and get back to competing in conference.

Dailyn Swain: Xavier, transferred to Texas

One of the quicker misses of this transfer portal season, Xavier’s Dailyn Swain was in the transfer portal for about the same time it would take someone to cook pasta al dente.

Averaging 11 points and 5.5 rebounds a night for the Musketeers, Swain, a 6-foot-8 sophomore guard, helped lead Xavier to the NCAA Tournament First Four where it beat Texas before falling to Illinois in the first round of the big dance. Shortly after that, Xavier Head Coach Sean Miller departed for Texas and Swain entered the transfer portal.

Despite reportedly having a visit scheduled at Kentucky and working to set up one with Arkansas and former UK Head Coach John Calipari, Swain decided to forgo both of those visits and join his former coach, Miller, at Texas.

Hardly one that can be put on the shoulders of Pope and his staff, but the crew was involved, so Swain stays on the list.

Magoon Gwath: San Diego State, returned to San Diego State

Kentucky men’s basketball and Head Coach Mark Pope suffered a disappointing defeat in the transfer portal late Tuesday night when San Diego State big man Magoon Gwath chose to exit the portal and return to SDSU.

One of the hottest transfers in the 2025 portal, Gwath, a seven-footer from San Diego State averaged 8.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game with the Aztecs. His 2.6 blocks per game also helped him to secure Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Kentucky was quick to get in the race for Gwath as soon as he made his intentions to transfer public, finding itself in a three-way race with Michigan and Gwath’s previous school, San Diego State.

Despite confidence Gwath would choose Kentucky from plenty of major sources, Gwath proved everyone wrong on Tuesday when he opted to return to San Diego State and his Head Coach Brian Dutcher.

Nick Davidson: Nevada, transferred to Clemson

Another former Kentucky transfer contact, Nevada’s Nick Davidson, if officially off the board, committing to Clemson on Wednesday. On3’s Joe Tipton confirmed the commitment after being informed by Davidson’s agent, KJ Smith.

Kentucky had contacted Davidson early in the portal cycle per Tipton, being one of dozens of schools to express interest in the 6-foot-10 junior.

After finishing last season averaging 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per night on 50% shooting, Davidson has heard from the likes of UK, North Carolina, St. John’s, Louisville, Arizona, Virginia, Purdue, USC, Xavier, Illinois and plenty more. Virginia, in particular, pushed heavily for Davidson with new Cavaliers Head Coach Ryan Odom hosting him on campus.

While UK was not heavily pushing for Davidson prior to his commitment to Clemson, it is another name off the board nonetheless.

Keyshawn Hall: UCF, transferred to Auburn

UCF’s Keyshawn Hall garnered plenty of interest from the Wildcats in the portal, with KSR’s Jacob Polacheck reporting that the Cats had a zoom meeting with him.

Hall, a 6-foot-7 junior guard from Cleveland, averaged 18.6 points, seven rebounds and 2.4 assists per night with the Knights and quickly garnered interest from plenty of major players, including Auburn and Kansas. He was an All-Big 12 guard with UCF.

Ultimately it was Auburn that ended up locking down Hall, the No. 1 small forward in the portal, after he said he wished to play for Bruce Pearl. Hall referred to Pearl as “the best coach in the country.”

Silas Demary Jr.: Georgia, transferred to UConn

Another day, another target off Kentucky basketball’s transfer board. Today’s target? Silas Demary Jr.

On3’s Joe Tipton confirmed on Thursday afternoon that Demary Jr. had instead committed to Dan Hurley and UConn.

A sophomore, Demary Jr. helped lead the Bulldogs to two postseasons during his time at UGA, being a freshman when the Dawgs went to the NIT and being a key contributor in a late-season push that earned them an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Averaging 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists, Demary Jr. scored 15 in the Bulldogs’ first-round loss to Gonzaga.

KSR’s Jacob Polacheck reported that the Kentucky’s home visit went very well, with Demary Jr. being offered a full-ride scholarship to commit to Kentucky.

In spite of all of this, however, Demary Jr. opted to keep his options open and visit other schools, including UConn, which ended up nabbing the potential soon-to-be star point guard.

Taylor Bol Bowen: Florida State, transferred to Alabama

Kentucky men’s basketball lost another target off its transfer board Friday afternoon as Florida State small forward Taylor Bol Bowen committed to Alabama.

On3’s Joe Tipton confirmed the news.

Bol Bowen was a Kentucky target for over a week, with the Cats hosting the former Seminole on campus for a visit on April 1 before the recruiting dead period.

KSR’s Jacob Polacheck had previously reported that UK Assistant Coach Jason Hart had been in contact with Bol Bowen shortly after he entered the transfer portal from Tallahassee.

Bol Bowen averaged eight points and 5.2 rebounds per night with the Seminoles and former Kentucky assistant Leonard Hamilton, who announced his resignation at the end of the season.

Standing at 6-foot-10, the sophomore shot 47% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc and quickly became a hot target for a plethora of high-level programs having plenty of power five experience under his belt.

Instead of Kentucky, however, Bol Bowen opted to join Alabama Head Coach Nate Oats in Tuscaloosa.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie: Maryland, transferred to Tennessee

Just minutes after Florida State small forward Taylor Bol Bowen announced his commitment to Alabama, another former Kentucky target, Maryland’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie, also chose to commit elsewhere in the SEC.

On3 confirmed the news on social media.

Gillespie was quick to receive interest from UK after entering the portal from Maryland after Head Coach Kevin Willard departed for Villanova. KSR’s Jacob Polacheck confirmed that fact, citing that it was UK Head Coach Mark Pope who reached out directly.

Gillespie averaged 14.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 45.3% from the field for a Terps squad that seemed primed to make a deep NCAA Tournament run before running into No. 1 Florida during the fiasco with Willard.

It would be a stretch to consider the loss of Gillespie as a true loss for Pope and his staff considering contact between the two had ceased and UT was the clear favorite, but, nonetheless, the former Terrapins’ commitment takes another name off UK’s contact board as portal season continues to rage on.

Yaxel Lendeborg: UAB, transferred to Michigan

A major target off UK’s target board, Yaxel Lendeborg committed to Michigan on Saturday while rumors continue to swirl regarding whether or not he’ll return to college at all as the NBA draft draws near.

On3’s Joe Tipton confirmed that Lendeborg had heard from Kentucky along with other major schools like Arkansas, Auburn, BYU, Michigan, Alabama and Ole Miss after entering the portal, earning the distinction of being the No. 1 overall transfer in the portal.

This past season, Lendeborg soared to new heights, once again averaging a double-double, totaling an average of 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, while also totaling an average of 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals a night. In comparison to his first season at UAB, Lendeborg shot a slightly more efficient 52.2% from the field and a vaguely higher 35.7% from downtown.

Pope himself is reported to have met with Lendeborg in Chicago, but, nonetheless, Lendeborg chose Michigan and Head Coach Dusty May. As mentioned, however, plenty expect that he, a legitimate NBA prospect, won’t be playing in college at all if a guaranteed professional contract is offered.

Duncan Powell: Georgia Tech, transferred to Georgetown

Another target Kentucky had already broken contact with by the time they committed, Georgia Tech’s Duncan Powell committed to Georgetown on Saturday.

Powell had reportedly head from Kentucky, along with Providence, Ole Miss, Memphis and TCU, after entering the transfer portal.

A junior forward from Dallas, Powell averaged 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and shot 44% from the field for the Yellow Jackets.

Despite the initial contact, Kentucky never made a strong push for Powell and the former Yellow Jacket is instead heading to the nation’s capital to play for Ed Cooley as a Hoya.