Kentucky has wrapped up the core of its 2025-26 roster with the addition of Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen, multiple sources tell KSR. Previously exploring other portal and international options, Mark Pope is comfortable with the 13-man group — including five transfer commitments, one international addition, five potential returnees and two incoming freshmen — as it is currently constructed.
That includes Otega Oweh, who is currently testing the draft waters and has until May 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET to pull his name out. The ongoing expectation remains that the Wildcats’ leading scorer and All-SEC Second Team member from Pope’s debut season will return to Lexington as an early SEC Player of the Year favorite, sources tell KSR.
Players must file their transfer portal paperwork by Tuesday, April 22, meaning we still have until tomorrow night at midnight before outgoing players are finalized across the entire college basketball landscape. As things stand, though, all five players with remaining eligibility are expected back alongside the eight new additions to hold firm at 13.
The caveat? Those 13 players will make up the scholarship pieces set to contribute in 2025-26, but Kentucky is not ruling out any outside additions among those comfortable with end-of-bench development roles, potentially as redshirts. That includes players like 2025 four-star wing Braydon Hawthorne, who took an official visit to Lexington last week. The Wildcats love the top-50 recruit and would certainly take his commitment as a long-term addition with serious upside, but other schools can offer immediate playing time that is currently unavailable considering the minutes tied up elsewhere.
Point being, Kentucky is in a comfortable spot on April 21 — the same day Amari Williams became the first portal addition for Pope in Lexington last year, ironically. As the process was just beginning for the Wildcats this time last go-round, it’s come to a close for the staff, allowing them to turn their attention toward the 2026 recruiting cycle and beyond. They earned that luxury, too, considering what it took to wrap up this 2025-26 roster with Aberdeen. After the Florida transfer announced he’d be exploring his options on April 18, the Wildcats did extensive research on him and his potential fit in Lexington next to the likes of Jaland Lowe and Oweh, preparing their pitch for when his name officially popped in the portal.
Once the legal contact period opened for Aberdeen on April 20, the Kentucky staff quickly set up a Zoom meeting to begin their pitch. That back-and-forth on Easter Sunday extended into the early hours of Monday morning, sources tell KSR, where Lexington quickly emerged as the likely landing spot for the guard just weeks removed from winning a national championship with the Gators.
The rising senior made that official early Monday afternoon, making the SEC jump from Florida to Kentucky. With that move, the Wildcats put a bow on the core group for 2025-26 — one that is undoubtedly a contender to make a Final Four run next April.
Kentucky Basketball 2025-26 Roster Tracker
Here is a running list of who’s coming, going, or being contacted by the staff as the 2025-26 roster comes together.
HIGH SCHOOL TARGETS (1)
COMMITS (6)
- Kam Williams – G – Tulane – 9.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 48.5% FG, 41.2% 3PT | Committed 3/28
- Jaland Lowe – G – Pittsburgh – 16.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.2 RPG, 37.6% FG, 26.6% 3PT | Committed 4/5
- Mouhamed Dioubate – F – Alabama – 7.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 61.7% FG, 46.2% 3PT | Committed 4/7
- Jayden Quaintance – F – Arizona State – 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 52.5 FG% | Committed 4/8
- Andrija Jelavic – C – Mega Basket — 10.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 50.3% FG, 32.3% 3PT | – Committed 4/12
- Denzel Aberdeen – G – Florida – 7.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 41.8 FG%, 35 3PT% | Committed 4/21
RETURNING / INCOMING (7)
- Otega Oweh – G – Rising Senior – 16.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 49.2% FG, 35.5% 3PT | Going through NBA Draft process
- Brandon Garrison – C – Rising Junior – 5.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 50.9% | Confirmed return on 4/12
- Collin Chandler – C- Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 36.1% FG, 34.7% 3PT | Confirmed return on 4/17
- Travis Perry – PG – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 31.3% FG, 32.1% 3PT
- Trent Noah – F – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 45.1% FG, 33.3% 3PT | Confirmed return on 4/18
- Malachi Moreno – C – Incoming Freshman – Great Crossing (Georgetown, KY)
- Jasper Johnson – SG – Incoming Freshman – Overtime Elite (Lexington, KY)
DEPARTURES (1)
- Kerr Kriisa – G – Senior – 4.4 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2.4 RPG, 27.9% FG | Entered Portal 3/31, Committed to Cincinnati
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