In the era of the transfer portal, there is no such thing as the offseason.

Coaches all over the country are scrambling to inject as much talent into their programs as possible before the well runs dry.

When it comes to the Kentucky Wildcats, the Big Blue Nation has quickly learned that this new coaching staff moves in silence. There has been little information leaking and the commitments and decommitments have come abruptly, without warning.

Case in point: The Wildcats learned Thursday night that Acaden Lewis will not be part of the 2025 recruiting class after he decommitted.

Lewis was set to arrive in Lexington with the luxury of learning from Jaland Lowe and not being forced to do too much too early. It’s unclear why Lewis is now reopening his recruitment, but Kentucky will thankfully have other options to run the point next season.

With that, we’re beginning to get an idea of what the 2025-26 Kentucky basketball roster will look like. The final product is still a work in progress, but the foundation for Mark Pope’s second year has been laid.

Here is a quick look at the current roster with a projected starting line-up.

Jaland Lowe – Adding an experienced veteran to run the show came as welcomed news over the weekend. In two years at Pitt, Lowe played in a total of 64 games and will come to Lexington eyeing a breakout season playing in Pope’s scoring-friendly offense.

Travis Perry – There’s no denying that Perry will enter his sophomore season with a little added pressure to perform after struggling to carve out a role for himself in year one. He was asked to do a lot because of injuries, so you can expect a smoother approach in year two.

Jasper Johnson – The Woodford County product has as much upside as just about anyone in the country. His smooth left-hand game, paired with his fierce athleticism, makes for a combo that will have the NBA scouts closely following Johnson’s development.

Otega Oweh – Not much to say here. Otegatron returning to Lexington will be the foundation of this roster. His heroics fueled Kentucky’s run to the Sweet 16, capturing the hearts of the Big Blue Nation along the way. Next year’s season could be very much dependent on the contributions of #00, so long as he doesn’t go pro. He’s expected to test the waters but is widely projected to go undrafted.

Trent Noah – It’s not an unpopular opinion to think that Noah will have a monster sophomore season. His stature compliments SEC play well and he’s proven he can come in and make a big shot. Keep an eye on the Mountain Mamba next year.

Collin Chandler – Who knows where the Cats would have been without Chandler stepping up in the face of devastating injuries. His big-shot-making ability and defensive tenacity were put on display in some of the biggest moments of the season. Expect to see a lot of Collin Chandler next year, especially now that Lewis is out of the fold.

Brandon Garrison – Anyone who watched Kentucky basketball last season saw the potential in Brandon Garrison. Mark Pope could be relying on BG to play a much bigger role with the departure of Amari Williams.

Malachi Moreno – Many fans were introduced to Moreno after his strong showing in the McDonald’s All-American game. The 7-footer looks poised to contribute in his first year as a Wildcat.

Kam Williams – At 6-foot-8, Williams shot 41% from deep last season at Tulane and all signs point to him thriving in Mark Pope’s offense.

Mouhamed Dioubate – All signs are pointing to this being a huge commitment for Mark Pope and the Cats. The Alabama transfer is expected to bring versatility and the ability to stretch the floor. He fills a much-needed void in the front-court and is an offensive rebounding machine.

Jayden Quaintance – Kentucky’s latest pick up was a needle mover. The projected NBA lottery pick will be coming off of a torn ACL but all signs point to him being available for the start of the season. This was a monster commitment for Mark Pope and his staff.

Projected Starting Lineup

• PG: Jaland Lowe
• SG: Jasper Johnson
• PF: Otega Oweh
• PF: Mouhamed Dioubate
• C: Jayden Quaintance

Keep in mind the roster is not complete, and Mark Pope may still have some magic up his sleeve. Among the names Kentucky is still in the mix for are Robert Morris forward Alvaro Folgueiras and Sam Houston shooting guard Lamar Wilkerson.

Buckle up. We’re in for a busy couple of weeks and potentially months.

Last season, Brandon Garrison was the backup center behind Amari Williams, and at times, Garrison flashed a ton of upside for the Wildcats.

In his sophomore season playing for the Kentucky Wildcats, Garrison averaged 5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 50.9% from the field and 30% from three.

The former McDonald’s All-American is a player who Kentucky fans were very excited to see play another year in Lexington, but now there seems to be some concern with whether or not the 6’10 forward will return.

Garrison removed everything Kentucky-related from his social media bio, which has fans concerned. Sometimes, fans put too much into things like this with social media, but it is definitely something to monitor.

Mark Pope has brought in bigs Jayden Quaintance and Mouhamed Dioubate via the transfer portal, and five-star center Malachi Moreno will also be heading to campus for the 2025-26 season.

In his first season at Kentucky, Garrison showed a ton of upside while playing behind Williams as a big in the post and a three-point shooter. Garrison has the type of skillset that could make him an NBA player with a good season.

There has not been anything said from Garrison when it comes to his plans for next season, but this is something Kentucky fans need to monitor closely. It would be a big loss for Coach Pope and the Wildcats if Garrison hit the portal, and if this were to happen, they would have to get another big in the transfer portal.

Mark Pope appears to be inching closer and closer to putting the finishing touches on his second roster as Kentucky men’s basketball’s head coach.

Pope already has the Wildcats up to 12 scholarship players for the 2025-26 season. Considering he was still three days away from even taking the job this time last year, the offseason couldn’t be off to a better start. Pope has added pure talent with Jayden Quaintance and a handful of four-star freshmen, more physicality and athleticism with Kam Williams and Mouhamed Dioubate, and an established point guard with Jaland Lowe.

Assuming all five of Otega Oweh, Collin Chandler, Brandon Garrison, Travis Perry, and Trent Noah return for next season (which is not a given), there won’t be many glaring holes in the roster going into Pope’s second season. But if we had to nitpick, one area of need is another top-end outside shooter, or at the very least, someone who can stretch the floor.

Kentucky has reached out to a trio of guards who fit this mold: Wesley Yates (Southern California), Lamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston State), and Jaron Pierre Jr. (Jacksonville State). Keep in mind these likely aren’t the only three shooters the UK staff has eyes on, but they are all clearly on the Big Board and have been publicly confirmed as targets. There’s plenty to like about all three.

Wesley Yates (Southern California)

Yates’ relationship with cousin Quincy Pondexter might override any pitch Kentucky can make. Pondexter was an assistant coach at Washington during Yates’ redshirt freshman season before the two linked up at Southern California this past season. Pondexter won’t be back at USC in 2025-26 and signs are pointing toward a return to Washington’s staff, where it would not be a shock to see him bring Yates with him once again.

However, if that ends up not being the case and Kentucky manages to land Yates, he would instantly fill up the missing shooting role. As a redshirt freshman in 2024-25, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Yates averaged 14.1 points on 43.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc (3.7 attempts per outing). As a full-time starter for the Trojans over his final 24 games, he shot 48-101 (47.5 percent) from deep. Yates graded out as a top 40 three-point shooter in all of Division I hoops. Firing off long-range shots is his bread and butter.

If Yates is willing to come on board, he’d be an easy take for Pope and the Kentucky staff.

Lamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston State)

After starting his career at JUCO and spending the next three seasons at Sam Houston State, Lamar Wilkerson is looking to put his name in the national conversation. He’s earned it, too. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, Wilkerson averaged 20.5 points per outing on 44.5 percent shooting from deep (7.7 attempts per game) in 2024-25.

While considered more than just a shooter, his three-point capabilities appeal to a school like Kentucky. He could immediately fill the hole left by Koby Brea. You won’t find many better sharpshooting options in the portal this offseason than Wilkerson.

Jaron Pierre Jr. (Jacksonville State)

Jaron Pierre Jr. was a breakout star at Jacksonville State this past season, winning Conference USA Player of the Year in his debut season with the league. His next school will be his fifth in six seasons. Pierre was mostly inefficient his first three years in college, but a year-long break in 2023-24 led him to shine at Jacksonville State. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard led the CUSA in scoring last season at 21.6 points per outing on shooting splits of 42.4/38.2/81.

Across his first three seasons in a relatively high-usage role, Pierre shot just 37.2 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from deep. But something clicked in 2024-25. His 777 points were more than anyone else scored in the country. He shot 104-272 from deep on the season. Playing over 1,300 minutes as a full-time starter, the sample size is more than big enough to indicate this development is real.

The thing about Pierre though, more so than the two mentioned above, is he’s someone used to having the ball in his hands at all times. He ranked among KenPom’s top 50 players last season in percentage of possessions used and percentage of shots taken. Pierre is more than just an outside shooter: he’s an all-around pure scorer. While clearly talented, Kentucky might not be able to offer the touches and shots he desires, especially with how deep the roster already is. But there’s no denying his ability to get buckets from anywhere on the floor.

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