LEXINGTON — Nearly midway through May, a good portion ofKentucky basketball's 2026-27 roster is complete. But coachMark Popeand the rest of his staff still have more work to do.
As of May 11, theWildcatshave filled 13 of their 15 scholarships for next season.
The first order of business: Learning what rising sophomore centerMalachi Morenowill do.Moreno on April 6 announcedhe would go through the NBA draft process while maintaining his college eligibility. If he takes his name out of the the draft,Moreno said he'll return for another season at UK.
What he'll do is still uncertain.
Kevin O'Connor, who writes for Yahoo Sports,reported May 11that "Moreno has garnered intrigue from teams in the mid-late first round range." The deadline to withdraw from the draft is 11:59 p.m. ET May 27.
Moreno aside, four players from last season's roster will be back in 2026-27: forwardsBraydon Hawthorne,Trent NoahandReece Potteralong with guardKam Williams.
UK is adding a pair of high school signees (Zyon HawthorneandMason Williams) and an international big man (Ousmane N'Diaye).Kentuckyalso has signed five players out of thetransfer portal— three in the backcourt (Zoom Diallo,Jerone MortonandAlex Wilkins) and two in the frontcourt (Franck KepnangandJustin McBride).
Six players from last season's squad transferred:Collin Chandler,Mouhamed Dioubate,Brandon Garrison,Andrija Jelavić,Jasper JohnsonandJaland Lowe.
The two seniors from the 2025-26 club,Denzel AberdeenandOtega Oweh, are out of eligibility; Aberdeen put his name into the portal despite requiring an NCAA waiver to play next season.
Keep this page bookmarked throughout the offseason to see how Kentucky's 2026-27 roster is shaping up.
Which Kentucky Wildcats will return next season?
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Forward Braydon Hawthorne: After redshirting during the 2025-26 campaign, Hawthorne announced April 21 he'll be back in blue next season. He will be a redshirt freshman.
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Forward Trent Noah: A superstar as a high school player at Harlan High, Noah announced April 12 that he'll be back at UK for his junior campaign.
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Forward Reece Potter: A Lexington native who spent his first two college seasons at Miami-Ohio, Potter redshirted in 2025-26 after joining Kentucky. Potter announced April 15 he'd be back with the Wildcats in 2026-27.
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Guard Kam Williams: A rising junior, Williams reportedly reached an agreement April 7 to be part of the UK roster next season.
Incoming Kentucky basketball transfers
Zoom Diallo
A 6-foot-4 guard,Zoom Diallowas a dynamic playmaker for Washington the past two seasons. He averaged 11.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists as a freshman in 2024-25. Diallo improved on all those figures last season (15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists). He ranked among the Big Ten's top 10 in field goal percentage and assists per game during the 2025-26 campaign.Diallo committed to UKon April 15
Franck Kepnang
The upcoming season will beKepnang's seventh in the college ranks. The 6-foot-11, 225-pound native of Cameroon started his career atOregonin 2020-21, a year in which the NCAA paused the eligibility clock for all athletes amid the coronavirus pandemic. After appearing in 35 games (with five starts) in 2021-22, Kepnang transferred toWashington. He spent four seasons with the Huskies. Last season, he started 25 times (in 27 games), averaging 6.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.07 blocks in 22.9 minutes per outing. Kepnang finished third in the Big Ten in total blocks (55) and blocks per game (2.07) in 2025-26.He committed to UK on May 9.
Justin McBride
Kentucky will be thefourth school in four yearsfor well-traveled forward Justin McBride. He began his college career atOklahoma Statein 2023-24. McBride then spent a season atNevada(2024-25) andJames Madison, respectively. During his one-year stint with JMU, McBride averaged team highs in points (15.3) and rebounds (5.6) per game.He committed to UKon April 28.
Jerone Morton
It's a return home for Morton, whocommitted to Kentucky on April 29. He graduated fromGeorge Rogers Clark HighSchool before playing two seasons atMorehead State, where he appeared in 62 games, averaging 5.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 20.1 minutes. Morton played atWashington Statein 2025-26, playing in 32 games (29 starts). His 84 assists were second-most on the team. Morton averaged 7.8 points and 1.9 rebounds per game for the Cougars.
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Alex Wilkins
Alex Wilkinsdidn't stay long at Furman. In fact, he only played one season for the Paladins. But it was a standout freshman campaign for the Massachusetts native. He was first on the team in points (17.4) and assists (4.7) per game. Wilkins also was efficient from the field, knocking down 46% (220 for 478) of his tries. He made 117 of his 142 free-throw tries, a conversion rate of 82.4%.Wilkins committed to UK on April 18.
Which high school recruits have signed with Mark Pope and UK basketball?
Mason Williams
The son of new assistant coach and NBA veteranMo Williams,Mason Williamsis a four-star guard. He was the first — and as of April 6, only — commitment in the 2026 class for the Wildcats. The younger Williams is theNo. 12 point guard in the countryin the 247Sports Composite rankings. Williams is theNo. 3 prospect in Tennessee.
Zyon Hawthorne
The younger brother of rising redshirt freshman forward Braydon Hawthorne,Zyon committed to UKon April 21. A 6-1 combo guard, Zyon had offers from Arkansas State, Bethune-Cookman, La Salle and Wichita State,per Rivals/On3.
International additions
Ousmane N'Diaye
A 6-foot-11, 210-pound forward from Senegal,N'Diaye committed to UK on April 24. N'Diaye competed in Lega Basket Serie A — a professional league in Italy — last season. He played for Vanoli Cremona, averaging 10.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game.
Which UK basketball players declared for 2026 NBA Draft?
Malachi Moreno
A freshman from nearby Georgetown,Malachi Morenoannounced April 6 he'd go through the NBA draft process while maintaining his college eligibility. He said if he doesn't remain in the draft, he'll be back for Year 2 in Lexington. Moreno played in all 36 games (30 starts) for Kentucky last season, pacing the team in rebounds (6.3) and blocks (1.47) per game as well as double-doubles (three) and field goal percentage (58.2; 96 for 165).
Jayden Quaintance
After an abbreviated season in Lexington in which he appeared in only four games, forwardJayden Quaintancedeclared for the draft April 14. His short on-court stint with Kentucky centered aroundan ACL injurythat ended his freshman campaign atArizona Statein February 2025. When he finally took the floor for UK, Quaintance ensured his debut was a memorable one: He had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks off the bench ina 78-66 win over St. John'sin December. But Quaintance played in only three more games after that before his college career ended for good. He averaged 5 points and 5 rebounds per outing in his sole season in Lexington.
Kentucky basketball outgoing transfers
Collin Chandler
Collin Chandlerentered the transfer portal with a do-not-contact tag April 8 after two seasons with the Wildcats. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He led UK by shooting 41% (73 for 178) from 3-point range. As expected when he announced his transfer, Chandler is heading back to Utah, his home state. He committed to BYU on April 11,revealing the move on his personal Instagram account. Chandler hadsigned with BYU in high school, when Pope still was the Cougars' coach.
Denzel Aberdeen
Denzel Aberdeenhas an uphill battle to play another college season. He's already played four years, and though he was on the floor only 41 minutes (in 12 games) in his freshman season at Florida, he didn't receive a redshirt for an injury at any point as a collegian. He'll hope the NCAA is forgiving and grants him a fifth season. In his lone season at UK, Aberdeen dished out a team-high 3.4 assists per game. His 13.5 points per contest ranked second only to Oweh's 18.6. If Aberdeen's successful, he plans to head back to Gainesville, Florida. On April 10, Aberdeen announced his commitment to the Gators ina post on his personal Instagram account.
Andrija Jelavic
A starter for Kentucky's final 20 games of the season, 6-foot-11 forwardAndrija Jelavićdecided to see what else might be out there for him, entering the portal April 7. In two seasons forMega Superbet(a Serbian team that competes in theAdriatic League), he averaged nearly one triple per outing, sinking 52 3s in 53 games. That accuracy wasn't on display for the Wildcats, as Jelavić converted only 27.1% (21 for 76) of 3s last season. He'll try to showcase his long-range shooting just north of the Bluegrass State:Jelavić committed to Ohio State on April 10, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Mouhamed Dioubate
Transfer No. 4 for UK this offseason,Mouhamed Dioubatehad an up-and-down season. He started the first five games before missing nearly a month. Dioubate then moved back into the lineup for five contests in the middle of December through the early portion of January. He returned to the bench, appearing as a reserve in the Wildcats' final 20 games. Dioubate led UK in rebounding eight times and in blocks on eight occasions. He ended the 2025-26 campaign averaging 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal per game. Dioubate stayed in the SEC,announcing his commitment to LSUon April 20.
Brandon Garrison
Brandon Garrisonwas the third player from UK's 2025-26 squad to enter the portal, putting his name in April 3. Garrison never was able to live up to the lofty expectations that accompanied him after arriving in Lexington. He wasa McDonald's All-American in 2023, then had a promising freshman season at Oklahoma State in 2023-24, averaging 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. But in two seasons at UK, he started just five times in 71 appearances. Garrison averaged5.3 points, 4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per gamein his career as a Wildcat. Hecommitted to Alabamaon April 12.
Jasper Johnson
The second player to portal for Kentucky this offseason,Jasper Johnsonhad a disappointing freshman campaign. Aiming to be a one-and-done NBA draft pick, Johnson struggled to find points or consistent playing time. Though he had a reputation as a bucket-getter in high school, that didn't immediately translate to the college level. In 35 games for the Wildcats in 2025-26, Johnson reached the 10-point mark only five times. He ended his lone season in Lexington averaging 4.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per outing. He's the son ofDennis Johnson, who had a stellar stint as a defensive lineman for Kentucky's football program a quarter century ago. Johnson committed to Oregon on April 18,revealing the move on his personal Instagram account.
Jaland Lowe
The first player to reveal intentions to transfer,Jaland Lowewas supposed to be Kentucky's starting point guard last season. But hewent down with a shoulder injuryin the Blue-White preseason scrimmage in October. The injury lingered into the season, limiting him to just nine games beforeundergoing corrective surgeryin January, after which Lowe didn't take the court again. He averaged 8.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists in 18.4 minutes per game in his brief stint with the Wildcats.Lowe committed to Georgetown Universityon April 13.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal:Kentucky basketball transfer portal moves, Mark Pope recruiting news
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