Kentucky 2024-25 roster: Who’s in, out for Wildcats after Mark Pope takes over for John Calipari
Tracking what UK’s roster will look like in 2024-25 in Pope’s first season
The commitments in the transfer portal keep coming for new Kentucky coach Mark Pope after the Wildcats landed BYU transfer Jaxson Robinson on Thursday just hours after the sharpshooter withdrew from the 2024 NBA Draft. Robinson spent two seasons playing under Pope with the Cougars but opted to return to college to finish his career a Wildcat under his long-time coach, giving UK yet another major addition from the transfer portal.
Robinson joins a growing list of transfers set to join BBN led by Koby Brea, Kerr Krissa and Brandon Garrison, all of whom should upgrade the UK roster with depth and experience.
Kentucky also landed Oklahoma’s Otega Oweh and Wake Forest’s Andrew Carr from the transfer portal last weekend and added San Diego State star guard Lamont Butler to the 2024-25 roster from the transfer portal last week.
Butler, the 2023-24 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, was the second transfer portal commitment Pope landed this month. Earlier this month, Drexel star forward Amari Williams committed to the Wildcats. Williams, a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year, was the second newcomer UK 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 declaring for the NBA Draft 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. Chandler’s commitment comes after several members of UK’s 2024 recruiting class re-opened their recruitments following the departure of coach John Calipari for Arkansas. Travis Perry remains committed to UK, but four top 50 prospects formerly pledged to the
Wildcats are now on track to play elsewhere next season.
Pope, who spent the past five seasons as BYU’s coach, played at UK under Rick Pitino from 1994 to 1996 and was a key part of the program’s 1996 national title run. 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.
CBS Sports is tracking the status of the Kentucky roster and recruiting class in real time. Here’s where every current UK player and commit currently stand.
