When Mark Pope accepted the job at Kentucky last offseason, he entered a situation where the Wildcats had zero returning scholarship players on their roster for the 2024-25 season after John Calipari took the vacant job at Arkansas. Pope got to work quickly and built his roster primarily via the transfer portal, which resulted in UK reaching the Sweet 16 in Year 1 of his tenure.
Year 2 for Pope and his staff should be less chaotic than last spring, but this is still a critical offseason for him and his staff as Kentucky looks to make another deep run in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky made one of the biggest splashes in the transfer portal earlier this month by adding former five-star big man Jayden Quaintance via the transfer portal. Quaintance was previously committed to Kentucky, but he backed off that pledge shortly after Calipari’s exit.
Quaintance played last season at Arizona State and is a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Jayden Quaintance commits to Kentucky: Wildcats add key piece in projected top-five 2026 NBA Draft pick
Cameron Salerno
All eyes will be on star guard Otega Oweh during the next month. Oweh declared for the 2025 NBA Draft earlier this week but will maintain his college eligibility. Oweh transferred last spring from Oklahoma to UK and was one of Pope’s best players during the 2024-25 campaign.
CBS Sports is tracking the status of the Kentucky roster and recruiting class in real time. Here’s where every current Kentucky player and commit currently stand.
Incoming transfers
Jayden Quaintance | F/C | Fr. (Transfer from Arizona State)
GP: 24 | PPG: 9.4 | RPG: 7.9 | APG: 1.5
Quaintance originally committed to Kentucky to play for John Calipari but backed off that pledge after the former UK coach took the vacant job at Arkansas last offseason. The former No. 9 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle by 247Sports committed shortly after to Arizona State and became the highest-ranked recruit in its program’s history. Quaintance is a potential top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Mouhamed Dioubate | F | So. (Transfer from Alabama)
GP: 37 | PPG: 7.2 | RPG: 5.9 | APG: 1.1
Dioubate was Alabama’s glue guy this past season. He is one of the most underrated returning players in the sport and should play a key role for Pope this upcoming season.
Jaland Lowe | G | Soph. (Transfer from Pitt)
GP: 31 | PPG: 16.8 | RPG: 4.2 | APG: 5.5
The former Pitt star will play for Kentucky this upcoming season. Lowe was the second player to commit to Kentucky out of the portal. He is the No. 30 ranked prospect in the 247Sports Transfer Portal Rankings.
Kam Williams | G | Fr. (Transfer from Tulane)
GP: 33 | PPG: 9.3 | RPG: 4.5 | APG: 1.3
Williams started 28 games for Tulane this past season and averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds. Williams connected on 41.2% of his 3-point attempts and should provide backcourt depth.
Kentucky players yet to announce future plans
Otega Oweh | G | Jr.
GP: 36 | PPG: 16.2 | RPG: 4.7 | APG: 1.7
Oweh is doing the smart thing but entering his name in the NBA Draft while also keeping his college eligibility. It would be wise for Oweh to return to Kentucky to improve his draft stock further. If Oweh does return, it would be a massive win for Pope and company.
Travis Perry | G | Fr.
GP: 21 | PPG: 2.7 | RPG: 0.8 | APG: 0.6
Perry was one of the original members of Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class. He elected to stay committed to his pledge to Kentucky despite Calipari leaving for the job at Arkansas. Perry averaged 2.7 points in 9.8 minutes per game.
Kentucky players not returning in 2025-26
Jaxson Robinson (Out of eligibility)
GP: 24 | PPG: 13.0 | RPG: 3.5 | APG: 1.7
Robinson played for Pope at BYU and followed his coach to Lexington. Robinson’s missed nearly the last two months of the season after suffering a wrist injury. Robinson had season-ending surgery and missed the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Koby Brea (Out of eligibility)
GP: 36 | PPG: 11.6 | RPG: 3.2 | APG: 1.3
Brea finished the season as Kentucky’s top 3-point shooter. Brea connected on 43.5% of his attempts from distance and finished as UK’s third-leading scorer.
Lamont Butler (Out of eligibility)
GP: 27 | PPG: 11.4 | RPG: 2.9 | APG: 4.3
Butler was the heart and soul of this Kentucky team. Butler dealt with a nagging shoulder injury throughout the season but still elected to play with a brace. Butler, the former San Diego State star, averaged 11.4 points and 1.6 steals per game in his final college season.
Andrew Carr (Out of eligibility)
GP: 35 | PPG: 10.3 | RPG: 4.7 | APG: 1.7
The former Wake Forest forward was a key player for Pope. Carr started 29 games for the Wildcats and averaged 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Ansley Almonor (Out of eligibility)
GP: 36 | PPG: 5.3 | RPG: 1.6 | APG: 0.5
Almonor transferred to Kentucky last offseason after spending three years at Fairleigh Dickinson. Almonor started seven games this past season. He made 35 total appearances for Kentucky and averaged 5.3 points and 1.6 rebounds.
Amari Williams | C | Sr. (Out of eligibility)
GP: 36 | PPG: 10.9 | RPG: 8.5 | APG: 3.2
The three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year became a valuable piece for Pope in Year 1 of his tenure. Williams averaged a team-high 1.2 blocks per game and started all 36 games for the Wildcats.
Kerr Kriisa | G | Sr. (Committed to Cincinnati)
GP: 9 | PPG: 4.4 | RPG: 2.4 | APG: 3.8
The former Arizona and West Virginia guard will play for his fourth team during the 2025-26 season after appearing in only nine games this season. Kriisa will spend the 2025-26 campaign with Cincinnati.
Kentucky players returning in 2025-26
Brandon Garrison | F | Soph.
GP: 35 | PPG: 5.9 | RPG: 3.9 | APG: 1.9
Garrison confirmed earlier this month that he will be returning to Kentucky next season. The former McDonald’s All-American made 35 appearances off the bench for Kentucky this past season.
Collin Chandler | G | Fr.
GP: 30 | PPG: 2.7 | RPG: 1.0 | APG: 2.7
Chandler was technically part of the 2022 recruiting class, but after spending two years on a Mormon mission, the Utah native played his first year of college basketball last season. Chandler averaged 2.7 points off the bench in 10.4 minutes per night. Chandler followed Pope from BYU to Kentucky and his role should increase in Year 2. He announced his intention to return on Thursday.
Trent Noah | F | Fr.
GP: 24 | PPG: 2.7 | RPG: 1.9 | APG: 0.4
Noah signed with Kentucky out of the 2024 recruiting cycle and averaged 11.1 minutes per game in his first season with the Wildcats. Noah averaged 2.7 points in 24 appearances. He announced his intention to return on Friday.
Kentucky’s incoming recruiting class
Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class has three players set to arrive this fall. The headliner is four-star combo guard Jasper Johnson, the No. 20 ranked player in the class. Four-star center Malachi Moreno and Andrija Jelavic from Croatia are also in the incoming recruiting class. Four-star point guard Acaden Lewis recently decommitted from Kentucky.
No. 20 Jasper Johnson
Johnson is the highest-ranked signee in Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class. Johnson committed to Kentucky over the likes of North Carolina, Illinois, Alabama and Auburn. The Atlanta native will provide valuable scoring.
No. 28 Malachi Moreno
The Georgetown, Kentucky native committed to the Wildcats over Arkansas, Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio State. The McDonald’s All-American is a skilled big man who will potentially compete for significant minutes.
Andrija Jelavic
Jelavic is Kentucky’s most recent addition in its 2025 recruiting class. The 21-year-old is one of the top European prospects in the country. He made 52 3-pointers in 53 games while playing for Serbian-based KK Mega Basket.
