Since the Kentucky Wildcats recently hired Kenny Brooks, we’ve seen a host of former Virginia Tech players join him in Lexington.

Look for something similar to happen with the men’s team now that former BYU Cougars head coach Mark Pope is leading the charge.

The big fish to watch for is Jaxson Robinson, a 6-foot-7 guard who would immediately become one of the best players in the transfer portal ‘if’ he decides to enter it.

Robinson is not currently in the portal, but the buzz for him entering has been building since Thursday night, and we now have this from KSR’s Matt Jones, who thinks this could move quickly.

Robinson is actually very familiar with Kentucky and the SEC. He began his career as a class of 2020 signee of Texas A&M who transferred to Arkansas after one year before landing at BYU, where he’s spent the last two years.

This season, Robinson averaged 14.2 points on 42.6% shooting from the field and a 35.4% clip from 3-point range on 6.9 (nice) attempts per game. He hit 8/16 attempts from deep in a 90-74 win over Denver on December 13th, so he’s not afraid to let it rip from deep.

While Robinson is not yet in the portal, one of his teammates already is.

Per On3’s Jamie Shaw, BYU point guard Dallin Hall is in the portal.

Originally a class of 2020 recruit, Hall served a two-year Mormon mission before officially joining the BYU program for the 2022-23 season. That year saw him average 7.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 41.2% from the field and 36.7% from deep.

This season, the 6-foot-4 Hall averaged 9.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per outing while shooting 42.2% from the field and 35.9% from 3-point land.

In BYU’s win over the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse, Robinson and Hall combined for 36 points on 11/23 shooting in the 76-68 victory.

In the Cougars’ NCAA Tournament loss to Duquesne, those two combined for 36 points on 11/21 shooting in the 71-67 defeat. Hall chipped in a game-high six assists and four steals.

Robinson would have one year of eligibility remaining, while Hall would have two.

And just as I was about to post this, BYU had another player go portaling.

Per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Cougars center Aly Khalifa is going into the portal with a ‘Do not contact’ tag, meaning he likely already knows where he’s going.

The 6-foot-11, 270-pound native of Egypt was originally a class of 2020 signee of Charlotte, where he spent three years while redshirting in his first year.

After a limited role in 2021-22, Khalifa became one of the top players for a 49ers team that won the CBI in the 2022-23 season. He averaged 11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on 51% shooting from the field and 38% shooting from 3-point range that season.

After going into the portal last offseason, Khalifa landed at BYU, where he averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 38.6% from the field and 31.5% from 3-point land this season.

At first glance, Robinson and Hall look like two potentially solid additions for Kentucky if they come to pass. Not quite sold on Khalifa, but he still has some potential. If nothing else, he could be a quality big man off the bench who can also space the floor.

I would anticipate Kentucky adding at least a couple of players from BYU, not just to fill out the roster but also to help implement Pope’s system. I don’t think we’re going to see the entire BYU roster of eligible players in Lexington next season, but there are absolutely going to be multiple additions to help usher in the Mark Pope era of Kentucky Basketball.

What are your thoughts about Kentucky potentially adding one of these players to the roster for next season? Let us know in the comments section!

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