Kentucky Lands First Transfer Commitment
Kentucky coach Mark Pope landed his first transfer portal commitment of the offseason over the weekend when Drexel star forward Amari Williams committed to the Wildcats. Williams, a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year, is the second newcomer UJ has landed since Pope’s arrival after Collin Chandler flipped his commitment from BYU to Kentucky.
Chandler, a member of the 2022 recruiting cycle, spent the last two years on a Mormon mission. He was Pope’s highest-rated signee (No. 33 overall) during his tenure at BYU.
With Kentucky star freshman Reed Sheppard and Joey Hart transferring to Ball State, the Wildcats have zero returning scholarship players remaining. Four-star guard Billy Richmond decommitted from the Wildcats’ once-heralded recruiting class a few hours after Chandler committed to the Wildcats.
Building a Roster for Next Season
With most of Kentucky’s 2023-24 roster either out of eligibility, in the transfer portal, or headed to the NBA Draft, his first order of business is building a roster for next season.
Transfer Portal Updates
– Amari Williams: Committed to Kentucky from Drexel
– Collin Chandler: Committed to Kentucky from BYU
– Reed Sheppard: Transferred to Ball State from Kentucky
– Joey Hart: Transferred to Ball State from Kentucky
– Billy Richmond: Decommitted from Kentucky
Departures to NBA Draft
– Shaedon Sharpe
– TyTy Washington Jr.
– Oscar Tshiebwe
Roster Outlook
Kentucky will have zero scholarship players returning on the roster from last season. Under Calipari, Kentucky finished with a top-five recruiting class every cycle since 247Sports started tracking team rankings in 2010. The Wildcats landed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2020, and 2023 under his watch.
But in an era when age and experience rule the day in college basketball, relying so heavily on one-and-done prospects began to hurt Kentucky in recent seasons.
Incoming Recruiting Class
– Travis Perry: No. 6 point guard in the 2024 cycle
– Reed Sheppard: No. 33 overall in the 2022 cycle
– Cayden Quaintance: No. 14 overall in the 2025 cycle
– Kobe Knox: No. 42 overall in the 2024 cycle
– Billy Richmond: No. 51 overall in the 2024 cycle
– Isaiah Fland: No. 67 overall in the 2024 cycle
– TJ Cyril: No. 78 overall in the 2024 cycle
Pope has his work cut out for him in rebuilding Kentucky’s roster, but the addition of Williams and Chandler is a good start.
