Early predictions on the Kentucky Basketball players who will stay in Lexington
Predicting who I think comes back to Lexington.
Jan 21, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Andrija Jelavic (4), guard Jasper Johnson (2), guard Collin Chandler (5) and center Malachi Moreno (24) react after guard Otega Oweh makes a free throw during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Mark Pope is knee deep in player meetings right now. All the players have already spoken about their plans directly after the Iowa State loss, but plans change.
When the Transfer Portal opens up on April 7th, Kentucky could be getting as few as 3-4 players or as many as 10. This next week will be huge in the roster-building portion of the offseason. With that said, I do think there is a pretty clear line about who stays and who goes.
Where will Kentucky’s roster be in 2 weeks? We know Otega and DA are gone, Zach Tow and Walker Horn are also out of eligibility. Jayden Quaintance made it clear he wasn’t likely playing in college any longer.
Reece Potter and Braydon Hawthorne have announced their intent to return (if Kentucky will accept them). But everyone else is still uncommitted. I am going to give you a percentage chance of them being on the roster next year, and then let you know which players I think ultimately return.