Kentucky
Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: And then there were none
Just like that, Mark Pope has a completely clean slate entering his debut season at Kentucky. Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell were already certainties, followed by Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and Ugonna Onyenso all entering the draft while Adou Thiero, Aaron Bradshaw, Joey Hart, Zvonimir Ivisic and DJ Wagner all hit the transfer portal.
That left just one player from the 2023-24 roster under John Calipari: Jordan Burks.
The former three-star recruit then made what we all expected official on Friday, entering the portal and exploring his transfer options, bringing that leftover total down to zero.
To take it a step further, Jayden Quaintance, Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, Billy Richmond and Somto Cyril are all free agents again after backing away from their Kentucky commitments, Travis Perry remaining as the lone signee for Pope. You feel good about him sticking around — “There is a good chance he will not jump into the portal,” the new head coach said of the state’s all-time leading scorer at his introductory press conference — but he still technically has a decision to make on his future.
The one guarantee? 2022 four-star guard Collin Chandler, who announced his commitment to Kentucky on April 16. The former top-40 prospect is coming off a two-year mission and will make his college debut in 2024-25.
Now it’s time for Pope to fill out the rest of the roster his way, bringing in his own talent from the transfer portal. The rest of Calipari’s pool is looking elsewhere.
GONE (GRADUATED/NBA DRAFT): Antonio Reeves, Tre Mitchell, Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham, Ugonna Onyenso, Reed Sheppard
TRANSFER PORTAL: Adou Thiero*, Aaron Bradshaw*, Joey Hart, Zvonimir Ivisic, DJ Wagner, Jordan Burks
* Also testing NBA Draft waters
IMPORTANT DATES
- April 27: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
- May 1: Transfer Portal Closes
- May 12: NBA Draft Lottery
- May 13-19: NBA Combine
- May 29: NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline (11:59 pm ET)
- June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET)
- June 26: NBA Draft 2024 First Round
- June 27: NBA Draft 2024 Second Round
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UPDATES
April 20: Kentucky contacts Duke’s Sean Stewart
- Kentucky joins Kansas State, Indiana, Arkansas, USC, Florida State, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Arizona State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Baylor, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Cal, Stanford, South Carolina, Washington, Howard, UCSB and Harvard to express interest
- Was the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle
- The 6-9 freshman out of Windermere, Florida averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in just 8.4 minutes per game this season for the Blue Devils
April 20: Drexel star Amari Williams begins official visit to Lexington
- The 6-10, 265-pound forward will make the trip to Lexington from April 20-22
- Kentucky is a finalist, joining St. John’s and Mississippi State
- Mark Pope met with Williams on Thursday
April 19: Jordan Burks enters the transfer portal
- Averaged 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.2 minutes per outing as a freshman
- Was a three-star recruit in high school out of Overtime Elite
- The 6-8 forward only saw at least 10 minutes in seven of his 20 games played
April 19: Adou Thiero cuts list to five, includes Kentucky
- Previously entering the portal on March 28, the 6-8 forward is now considering Kentucky, North Carolina, Pitt, Indiana and Arkansas
April 19: Kentucky makes final six for Villanova’s TJ Bamba
April 19: Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo hears from the Wildcats
April 18: Reed Sheppard declares or the NBA Draft
- The star guard is the No. 7 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available draft prospects
- He has decided to forgo the remainder of his college eligibility
- “I’m going all-in,” Sheppard told ESPN. “The opportunity I have is great. I’ve gotten really good feedback showing where I can be in the draft. I had an unbelievable year at Kentucky. It was such a fun year. It’s not easy leaving the fans and the school I dreamed of playing at. I need to do what’s best for me, and that’s heading to the NBA.”
April 18: BYU’s Aly Khalifa commits to Louisville over Kentucky
- The 6-11, 270-pound center out of Alexandria, Egypt announced three finalists on Sunday: Kentucky, Louisville and BYU
- Khalifa averaged 5.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game on 38.6/31.5/62.1 shooting splits
- Originally entered portal on April 12 with a ‘do not contact’ tag, visited Louisville this week
- He will be redshirting in 2023-24 while rehabbing a knee injury
April 18: Kentucky reaches out to Texas Tech’s Pop Isaacs
April 18: Former McDonald’s All-American Brandon Garrison plans visit to Lexington
April 17: Kentucky “will be involved” for Duke’s Jeremy Roach
- Roach has appeared in 130 games throughout his career at Duke, including 108 starts. He was a team captain as a junior and senior.
- He averaged 14 points, 3.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 32.7 minutes per outing this season on 46.8/42.9/84.4 splits
- Jeff Goodman reports Baylor is the favorite to land his commitment
April 17: Belmont’s Cade Tyson hears from Mark Pope
- One of the top shooters in the portal
- Averaged 16.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG on 49.3% FG, 46.5% 3PT this year
- Tyson previously heard from Kentucky’s staff under John Calipari
April 16: Utah State’s Great Osobor contacted by Kentucky
- On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Osobor has been in contact with the Wildcats
- Checks in at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds. Averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in 2023-24
- Was tabbed the Mountain West Player of the Year this past season
April 16: Oklahoma’s Otega Oweh hears from Pope
- Pope reached out to Oweh this week, according to KSR+’s Jacob Polacheck
- The 6-foot-4, 210-pound combo guard averaged 11.4 points and 3.8 rebounds, playing in 32 games for Oklahoma as a sophomore in 2023-24
- He started in 28 games and averaged 24.8 minutes per contest
- Oweh is set to visit Oregon on April 19 and Texas A&M on April 23
April 16: Kentucky contacts Dayton transfer Koby Brea
- Pope reaches out to Brea on Tuesday evening, the combo guard tells Jacob Polacheck of KSR+.
- 6-foot-5, 175-pound combo guard who averaged 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 33 games as a junior in 2023-24.
- Started four games while averaging 29.1 minutes per outing. Shot 49.8 percent from deep on 201 attempts this past season.
- Also heard from the likes of Kansas, UConn, Duke, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisville, and many more.
April 16: Pope reaches out to Stanford’s Andrej Stojakovic
- The son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic has heard from Kentucky, he told KSR+’s Jacob Polacheck
- Stojakovic averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 40.9% from the field and 32.7% from three as a freshman at Stanford
- He is currently scheduled to visit Cal this weekend
April 16: Collin Chandler commits to Kentucky
- The 6-4 scorer is rated as the No. 34 overall prospect and No. 6 combo guard in the final 2022 On3 Player Rankings
- Chandler spent two years on mission ahead of his college basketball debut in 2024-25
- 2022 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals as a senior in high school
- Committed to BYU over Arizona, Gonzaga, Oregon, Stanford and Utah, among others
April 15: Ugonna Onyenso declares for the NBA Draft
- “I’m ready to go to the next level,” Onyenso told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “I’m not thinking about coming back to play college basketball. I’m 100% focused on the NBA.”
- Onyenso averaged 3.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 19 minutes per contest this past season
- The 7-foot center is the No. 47 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available draft prospects
- He signed with an agent, but did not officially shut the door for a return to college, despite making it clear he has no interest in coming back to school
April 15: Zvonimir Ivisic transfers to Arkansas
- “I made the lifetime decision to come to college for a few reasons,” Ivisic announced. “Main one’s to win a national championship and go to the NBA. Monumental part of that decision was Coach Cal, and no one does both of those at the same time than him. That’s why I am excited to announce that I am committing to Coach Cal and the Arkansas Razorbacks!”
- Ivisic racked up 15 total appearances in Lexington, averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 57.7% from the field and 37.5% from three.
April 15: Aaron Bradshaw commits to Ohio State
- Bradshaw took an official visit to Columbus over the weekend and announced his commitment to open the week on Monday.
- The former top-five recruit was the first portal entry for the Wildcats to commit elsewhere
- He originally entered the transfer portal on April 8 while also testing the draft waters
- The 7-foot-1 freshman averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game this season while shooting 57.6% from the field.
April 15: DJ Wagner enters transfer portal
- The 6-foot-3 former five-star recruit averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game for Kentucky this past season
- 247Sports’ Travis Branham says Wagner will consider a return to Kentucky and meet with Mark Pope while also considering entering the 2024 NBA Draft
April 15: Northern Illinois transfer David Coit hears from the Wildcats
- Kentucky joins TCU, Louisville, Utah, Washington State and Oregon State as schools to reach out, according to The Portal Report
- Averaged 20.8 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game
- 40.7% FG, 33.7% 3PT, 88.5% FT
April 14: Kentucky schedules visit with Drexel transfer Amari Williams
- Williams is a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-CAA member in 2023-24
- He averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 22.9 minutes per game as a senior, shooting 51.7% from the field and 65.5% at the line
- He is considered the 18th-best available player in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings and will have one year of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer
April 14: Kentucky reaches out to Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small
- Kansas, Miami, Indiana, Texas and Louisville are other schools with mutual interest, sources tell KSR
- Averaged 15.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG, shooting 44% overall last season
- Set to take official visit to Miami this week
April 12: BYU’s Jaxson Robinson becomes name to know for Kentucky
- The 6-7 guard averaged a team-high 14.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 26.4 minutes per outing.
- He shot 42.6 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from deep (6.9 attempts per game), and 90.8 percent from the free throw line.
- KSR has learned Robinson is a potential portal addition with Kentucky seen as the likely destination should he enter, following Pope to Lexington
April 9: Rob Dillingham enters the NBA Draft, forgoes remaining eligibility
- Dillingham’s time in Lexington comes to a close with a season average of 15.2 points, 3.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 44.4% from three.
- He is currently the No. 4 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best-available players in the 2024 draft
April 8: Joey Hart enters the transfer portal
- The 6-5 sharpshooter out of Linton, IN plans to transfer as a redshirt freshman after playing just ten minutes in his debut season as a Wildcat.
- He scored three points in Lexington — a made 3-pointer in Kentucky’s win over Marshall back on November 24.
April 4: Justin Edwards enters the NBA Draft
- The former five-star wing becomes the first player to forgo his time at Kentucky and enter the NBA Draft
- He is currently rated as the No. 30 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available players in the draft pool, good for third on the team behind Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard
March 28: Adou Thiero enters transfer portal, will test NBA Draft Waters
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has been causing fear around the world, and a Lexington doctor is preparing in the event a case is found in Kentucky.
According to the CDC, there have been 49 deaths and over 300 confirmed cases across the two countries, with more suspected cases still being investigated.
UK Healthcare is working to become a Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center through the National Special Pathogen System, which would allow the facility to treat Ebola patients in-house.
Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels, an infectious disease physician at UK Healthcare, said the current outbreak is serious, but Kentucky residents are not at significant risk.
“Ebola scares people just because of the mortality, the death rate, associated with it and some of the long term consequences when you do survive. Fortunately, the strain that we’re seeing in Eastern (Democratic Republic of Congo) is thought to be not as deadly, but either way it’s a very serious disease. It carries a lot of stigma and fear,” Van Sickels said.
Here in Kentucky, however, is a very safe environment, Dr. Van Sickels said.
Currently, Dr. Van Sickels says UK Healthcare operates as an assessment hospital, meaning it can evaluate patients with symptoms who have traveled to regions with active outbreaks, coordinate testing with the state, and transfer patients to higher-level care centers if needed.
Once the Level 2 designation is complete, UK Healthcare will be the only facility in Kentucky with that capability.
“We’re the only facility in Kentucky that is able to have a level 2 designation once we finish this grant award and get approved,” Dr. Van Sickels said.
In January 2026, UK Healthcare received a grant from the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC), the governing body of the National Special Pathogen System.
“It’s approximately half a million dollars to transform our institution,” Van Sickels said.
The funding has been used to run simulation drills in coordination with Lexington Fire, EMS, and the state health department. The grant also enabled UK Healthcare to upgrade its protective outerwear, with all seam points covered to provide additional protection. Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids.
During a recent site visit and simulation, evaluators identified vulnerabilities in the facility’s previous protective suits.
“When we had our site visit and had our stimulation, for example, they said that the seams that we had on our old suits, you could pull and stretch, and that they were rather porous,” Van Sickels said.
Van Sickels had been working on the preparedness project since the beginning of the year.
Citing lessons learned from the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which spread to the U.S. and resulted in 4 cases and 1 death.
“Ebola 2014 taught a lot of hospitals in the US about high consequence infections, established what is now NETEC, the educating body for our country, uh, about high consequence pathogens,” Van Sickels said.
“We’re constantly wanting to push preparedness, uh, because that is the key to success in evading further outbreaks,” Van Sickels said.
UK Healthcare expects to complete its Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center designation by the end of summer.
The Kentucky Wildcats have had some fits with West Virginia over the past few days, as the baseball team was sent home by the Mountaineers on Monday night. Now, they have flipped a Wildcat commit.
Bryian Duncan Jr., a Cario, Georgia native, committed to the Wildcats in March and has now flipped to West Virginia. The 3-star running back had a recent visit to Morgantown, then announced his commitment to the Mountaineers.
Duncan, a 5-foot-9 player who can play out wide and at running back, is the No. 60-ranked ATH in the nation and the No. 89 player in Georgia, according to 247 Sports. He’ll play in the Big 12 with the Mountaineers, giving himself a good opportunity to become a true gadget guy with legit speed.
This isn’t a big disappointment for the Wildcats, as they’ll collect nearly 10 commitments as the summer rolls on and already have a pretty loaded RB room for the class of 2027. Kelsey Gerald and Mason Ball are two tailbacks who have already pledged their commitment to the program.
Head coach Will Stein and Co. have been stellar on the recruiting trail as they have the 13th-best class overall and the fourth-ranked class in the SEC, according to 247 Sports. Expect the Cats to pick up a few more commits here soon and rise in the rankings.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With the summer months now on the horizon and rosters across college football now firmly set in stone, Louisville Cardinals On SI will provide way-too-early previews for each opponent on their 2026 schedule.
Concluding our way-too-early preview series, we have the Cardinals’ Governor’s Cup matchup at Kentucky:
Kentucky Wildcats
2026 Meeting: Saturday, Nov. 28 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.
Last Meeting: Louisville won 41-0 on Nov. 29, 2025 at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
All-Time Series: Kentucky leads 19-17
It’s a new era in Lexington. Following a 13-year run that saw him become the winningest head coach in Kentucky history, Mark Stoops was fired following back-to-back losing seasons, including a 5-7 campaign this past year that ended with a 41-0 beatdown from the Cards. Oddly enough, taking over the Wildcats is Louisville native and former UofL quarterback Will Stein, who spent the previous three seasons on the west coast as the offensive coordinator at Oregon.
During his time with the Ducks, Stein developed a reputation as one of the top young offensive minds in the sport. He and new offensive coordinator Joe Sloan inherited an offense that ranked 103rd in the nation at just 341.1 yards per game, and they used the transfer portal to almost completely retool this unit.
There was hope that local product Cutter Boley would stay for the regime change. But after his transfer to Arizona State, Kentucky had to dip into the portal to land their quarterback, eventually landing Notre Dame’s Kenny Minchey. Considering that the Fighting Irish have had Sam Hartman, Riley Leonard and C.J. Carr during his time in South Bend, Minchey has exclusively been a backup, only going 23-of-29 for 212 yards through the air, with 96 yards and two scores on the ground. That being said, the former blue chip prospect has a high ceiling due to his talent level, and has a chance to thrive in his first opportunity as a starter. (Sound familiar?)
As far as Minchey’s cast of characters to throw to, Kentucky sports a good mix of transfers and returners here. Wide receiver Hardley Gilmore IV returns following a 28 reception/313 yards/one touchdown season, as does tight end Willie Rodriguez, who caught 23 passes for 310 yards and a score. LSU’s Nic Anderson (38 catches for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023 at Oklahoma) and Southern Utah’s Shane Carr (50 receptions for 744 yards and four touchdowns) also join the fold via the portal. Returner D.J. Miller (13/175/2) also has a chance to have a breakout season as well.
As far as the ground game, the Wildcats have potential here, albeit with a massive injury question. C.J. Baxter transferred in from Texas, and when healthy, has shown to be a special player when he touches the ball. However, following a true freshman campaign where he totaled 815 yards from scrimmage, he’s been limited to only nine games played over the last two seasons. Even if Baxter is healthy, expect Oklahoma transfer Jovantae Barnes to get some reps as well, as he rushed for 1,236 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first three years with the Sooners after taking a redshirt last season.
Putting a bow on this side of the line of scrimmage is an offensive line that, on paper, should take a step forward following a 2025 season where they allowed 2.42 sacks (105th in FBS) and 6.00 tackles for loss (103rd in FBS) per game. Tennessee LT Lance Heard, Ohio State LG Tegra Tshabola and Baylor C Colton Price are all regarded as four-star transfers, with Alabama RG Olaus Alinen also joining the fold and returner Malachi Wood stepping up at RT. Time will tell how they come together as a unit and how good they can be, but there’s no doubt that the UK offensive line should be much better.
The other side of the line of scrimmage is what Stoops had traditionally been known for, but Kentucky’s defense had a down 2025 season by their standards, giving up 374.2 yards (67th in FBS) and 26.4 points (75th in FBS) per game. Stein and new defensive coordinator Jay Bateman take over a defense that loses a lot of production and is relying heavily on multiple players stepping up, but does return a few impact guys.
The Wildcats were mostly mediocre in terms of their ability to get in the backfield last season, ranking 64th nationally in sacks (2.08 per game) and 52nd in tackles for loss, but do have some continuity on the defensive line. Sack leader Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace (31 tackles, 7.0 for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 fumble) is running it back, with fellow returners Lorenzo Cowan (13 tackles, 4.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 fumbles) and Sam Greene (25 tackles, 3.0 for loss) rounding out a good rotation at edge rusher. The middle of the line will mainly be anchored by Tavion Gadson (28 tackles, 4.0 for loss, 2.5 sacks), with Purdue’s Jamarrion Harkless (13 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and LSU’s Ahmad Breaux (19 tackles, 2.5 for loss) rounding out the primary rotation at tackle.
The middle of the field at linebacker is where Kentucky’s defense has the most questions. Sure, they do return Grant Godfrey, who was the ‘Cats’ seventh-leading tackler at 34 (along with 2.0 for loss). But returner Antwan Smith, plus Texas’ Elijah Barnes and Arkansas’ Tavion Wallace, combined for just 12 tackles last season at their respective schools. This trio will all have to take a collective step forward so that the burden at linebacker is not all on Godfrey.
The Wildcats struggled mightily when it came to defending the pass last season, allowing 239.9 passing yards per game for the 104th-ranked passing defense in the FBS. Heading into the 2026, their secondary should be able to hold their own despite losing a few impact players.
At cornerback, Nasir Addison (13 tackles in four games) Grant Grayton (16 tackles, 3 PBUs, 1 interception) and Terhyon Nichols (18 tackles, 5 PBUs) are all running it back, with Western Carolina’s Hasaan Sykes (49 tackles, 4.0 for loss, 2.0 sacks, 3 interceptions, 5 PBUs) entering the mix. Kentucky has a great one-two punch at safety in returner Ty Bryant (Team-best 76 tackles, 2.0 for loss, 4 interceptions) and Florida’s Jordan Castell (54 tackles, 2 interceptions), but much like at linebacker, their depth on the back end does not have a lot of production.
Overall, year one under Will Stein could have a high ceiling, but it also seems to have a low floor. Their offense will rely a lot on Minchey’s capabilities in his first year as a starter, and their defense is putting faith in a lot of guys to make progress in new and bigger roles. Louisville could either have a battle on their hands, especially with this game being in Lexington, or win their third straight blowout.
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(Photo of Will Stein: Michael Clevenger – Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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