Top Transfer Guard Lamar Wilkerson Visits Kentucky as Wildcats Eye Final Roster Addition

One of the most sought-after guards in the NCAA transfer portal, Lamar Wilkerson, has touched down in Lexington for an official visit with Mark Pope and the Kentucky basketball program.

Wilkerson — a 6-foot-5 senior guard from Arkansas who lit up the scoreboard at Sam Houston — began his Kentucky visit on Sunday and is expected to remain through Monday night. He and Pope were seen together enjoying the afternoon at Keeneland racetrack, a classic Lexington stop for recruits.

Wilkerson, ranked No. 39 overall in the portal by 247Sports, is taking his time before deciding on a landing spot. He visited Indiana on Saturday, with trips to Auburn and Ole Miss lined up following his Kentucky stay.

The numbers speak for themselves: Wilkerson averaged 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists last season while shooting 47.7% from the field and a blistering 44.5% from beyond the arc. He knocked down 109 three-pointers — the 13th-most in Division I — and is an elite 82.6% shooter at the free-throw line.

Remarkably consistent, Wilkerson was one of only five D-I players to score at least 10 points in every game last season, joining the likes of Kam Jones (Marquette) and ex-Wildcat Devin Askew. A two-time First Team All-Conference USA pick, Wilkerson has shown he’s more than ready for a high-major leap.

What’s Next for Kentucky’s 2025-26 Roster?

With 12 scholarship players already projected for next season, Pope and his staff are eyeing just one more addition — and Wilkerson could be the perfect fit. Returning players include Collin Chandler, Travis Perry, Trent Noah, Brandon Garrison (who confirmed his return), and Otega Oweh.

So far, UK has reeled in four transfers this offseason:

• Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama)

• Jaland Lowe (Pitt)

• Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State)

• Kam Williams (Tulane)

Despite losing prized recruit Acaden Lewis last week, Kentucky still has a strong incoming class. Joining the fold are:

• Jasper Johnson: Five-star, lefty guard, No. 18 nationally

• Malachi Moreno: McDonald’s All-American center

• Andrija Jelavic: A 6-foot-11 Croatian big man recently committed after two seasons with Mega Basket in Serbia

UK is also in the mix for five-star forward Nate Ament, who is down to Kentucky, Duke, Tennessee, Louisville, and Arkansas.

With one guard spot likely left to fill, Wilkerson could be the final piece to Pope’s puzzle — an elite shooter, experienced scorer, and tough two-way guard who can make an immediate impact in the SEC.

Brandon Garrison is coming back to Kentucky, a boost for Mark Pope’s front court

The return of Brandon Garrison to Kentucky will strengthen Mark Pope’s frontcourt.

The Wildcats will retain the lone post player from Mark Pope’s original Kentucky squad who has eligibility left for the 2025–2026 campaign. Despite speculation that he would leave the program after a year, either to the NBA draft or the transfer portal, Brandon Garrison has chosen to remain with the Cats for his junior season.

He announced his decision with a post on Instagram on Saturday night. Garrison, who operated primarily as the backup to fifth-year center Amari Williams on the 2024-25 roster, projects to step into a possible starting role at Kentucky, which will lose Williams and power forwards Andrew Carr and Ansley Almonor this offseason. But Kentucky’s coaching staff has spent a good deal of time and energy looking for talented frontcourt players in the transfer portal to play alongside Garrison next season. UK has landed 6-foot-10 post player Jayden Quaintance — projected as a future NBA lottery pick — as well as 6-7 forward Mouhamed Dioubate and 6-8 wing

Kam Williams to bolster the team’s length and physicality out of the portal. The Wildcats also landed a Saturday commitment from Croatian forward Andrija Jelavic, 6-11 player who averaged 10.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in the Adriatic League this past season. And they’ll be bringing in McDonald’s All-American center Malachi Moreno — Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball and the MVP of the Sweet 16 — coming aboard for the 2025-26 season.

Even though UK’s coaches have been busy in the transfer portal, Pope spoke highly of Garrison and his developmental path over the course of the 2024-25 season. He averaged 5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 17.3 minutes per game in his first year in Lexington, coming off the bench in all 35 of his appearances for the Wildcats. Garrison — a former McDonald’s All-American from the Oklahoma City area — started 29 of 32 games for Oklahoma State as a freshman, though the Cowboys went 12-20 that season. He will have two remaining years of eligibility at the college level. Garrison, who turned 21 years old last month, came to Kentucky with the knowledge that Williams was likely to be the team’s starting center. He joined the UK roster as an understudy, of sorts, with the expectation of jumping into a larger role on Pope’s team down the road. While Garrison did show signs of improvement over the course of the season, he struggled with consistency. In Kentucky’s final game — a loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament — the sophomore big man tallied three points, one rebound and one assist in 18 minutes.

But there were definite signs of progress. Garrison, who attempted zero 3-point shots at Oklahoma State, went 12-for-40 in his first season playing within Pope’s five-out offense. That’s not a great rate (30%) but Garrison projects to improve as an outside shooter with more experience. He also showed flashes of the passing skill that Pope covets in his big men, and his physicality will be needed in the SEC. Following UK’s loss to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament, Garrison said he would huddle with his family and his agent before making a decision on his future. He also said that night that he felt Kentucky was on the path to even more success in the future. “It’s going in the right direction,” he said of Pope’s program. “I feel like everybody doubted us going into this, so I feel like we opened up a lot of eyes