Braydon Hawthorne signs with Kentucky

Braydon Hawthorne signs with Kentucky

Just like head coach Mark Pope, new Kentucky men’s basketball commit Braydon Hawthorne understands the assignment: he’s coming to Lexington to hang banners.

 

Growing up in West Virginia as a Kentucky fan, Hawthorne is about to live out his dream in college. Initially committed to the hometown Mountainteers, a coaching change reopened his recruitment in March. Pope, along with assistant coach Jason Hart, quickly engaged with the 6-foot-8 wing to measure his interest. A couple of months later, Kentucky won out over the likes of Duke, Virginia Tech, Pitt, and WVU.

 

Once ranked outside of the top 100 national player rankings, he’s now considered a four-star prospect and top 40 recruit in the nation. On3 ranks him 35th overall in the class of 2025 rankings.

 

“It’s a blessing, to be honest with you,” Hawthorne said of his recent rise on the Wired to the Game podcast. “From having nothing and putting my head down and working. At first it was unbelievable, but I’m thinking like ‘I earned this, bro.’ I played great this year, I worked hard, nothing is given, so if you work hard, you can go get it.”

 

Pope was a hugely important piece in Kentucky landing Hawthorne. Pope, who already knew about Hawthorne before he committed to West Virginia, even went and saw him play back in February. Pope made the short trip to Versailles, KY to watch future Wildcat commit Jasper Johnson and Overtime Elite’s RWE take on Hawthorne and Huntington Prep (WV) at Woodford County High School.

 

“Coach Pope was the only head coach out of my top (schools) that was actually watching me,” Hawthorne said of that game.

 

It’s one he remembers vividly too, a 71-70 defeat that came down to the final seconds. He even called it the craziest game he’s ever experienced while playing at Huntington Prep. Over 2,000 people filled Woodford County’s brand-new gym, mainly to watch Johnson, but Hawthorne recalls performing quite well on his own.

 

 

Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope talks about his roster during a press conference on May 13, 2025, in Lexington.

The group of newcomers that Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope is bringing to Lexington this year has gotten considerable buzz from all corners of the college basketball world.

 

As way-too-early preseason projections continue to be discussed, it seems to be a near consensus that UK will be a borderline top-10 team to start the 2025-26 season, Pope’s second as the Kentucky head coach.

 

That would be significant progress from last year, when Pope’s first Kentucky team — which didn’t feature a single returning scholarship player and only one player who had previously played for Pope — debuted at No. 23 in the preseason AP poll.

 

While we’re still several months away from the release of the preseason AP poll, two projections that are currently available highlight why prognosticators are so bullish on the Wildcats for next season.

 

247Sports has Kentucky ranked in the top 15 of both the list of the best incoming transfer portal classes and the list of the best incoming freshman recruiting classes. UK is one of only two schools — along with BYU, Pope’s previous head coaching stop — to hold this distinction.

 

On the transfer portal front, Pope has put together one of the best classes in the country for a second straight year. UK is bringing in six players from the portal this offseason, and 247Sports has this group of transfers ranked as the fifth-best in the nation for next season. Kentucky only trails St. John’s, Michigan, Louisville and Kansas State on this ranking.

 

Following Kentucky (fifth) in the top 15 of these 247Sports transfer class rankings are Southern California, Iowa, Florida, Auburn, Indiana, Oklahoma, Creighton, North Carolina State, BYU and LSU.

 

Per the 247Sports rankings, Kentucky will be welcoming a trio of top-50 transfers to Lexington: Jayden Quaintance (No. 12), Jaland Lowe (No. 38) and Kam Williams (No. 44).

 

When it comes to incoming freshman players, 247Sports ranks Kentucky as having the 11th-best incoming group of first-year college players. UK is just outside the top 10 of these rankings, which includes (in order) Duke, Houston, Arizona, UConn, Notre Dame, Arkansas, SMU, North Carolina, BYU and Syracuse. Rounding out the top-15 list of incoming freshman classes after Kentucky (11th) is Mississippi State, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Alabama.

 

It’s also worth noting that Kentucky would be higher in these rankings, but only three of Kentucky’s incoming freshmen — guard Jasper Johnson, small forward Braydon Hawthorne and center Malachi Moreno — are factored in. There is no 247Sports ranking for Andrija Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 Croatian big man who will arrive at UK as a 21-year-old with previous professional playing experience in Europe.

 

All of this adds up to a unique blend of incoming talent and proven — to an extent — college production that will form the core of Pope’s second Kentucky squad.

 

During his first press conference of the offseason earlier this month, Pope was asked to describe Kentucky’s group of newcomers in three words.

 

“Competitive. Deep. Skilled,” are the words Pope chose.

 

 

“I think the guys that have chosen to be here are guys that are just starving to come test themselves every single day in practice, to come get better,” Pope elaborated. “I got hungry, hungry, hungry guys. I got guys that have really unique, distinguishable skill sets that fit us really well. … I’m excited about this crew. This is going to be a really special crew.”

 

Former Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate will play for Kentucky next season after spending the first two seasons of his college career with the Crimson Tide.

Former Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate will play for Kentucky next season after spending the first two seasons of his college career with the Crimson Tide. Mouhamed Dioubate on X

Returnees will also be key to the 2025-26 UK basketball roster

Of course, there’s also the returnees to discuss.

 

In addition to this wealth of talent that UK is poised to have from the freshman and transfer portal buckets, the 2025-26 Wildcats are also expected to have four key returning players back in the fold.

 

Rising sophomores Collin Chandler (guard) and Trent Noah (forward), rising junior Brandon Garrison (center) and rising senior Otega Oweh (guard) are all expected to be holdovers from last season’s team.

 

Of course, Oweh’s inclusion on the 2025-26 UK team isn’t set in stone just yet. He declared for the 2025 NBA draft and is still going through the draft process. This included participating in the NBA Combine and conducting interviews and workouts with NBA teams. Oweh, and other college players in his position, have until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday to pull out of the draft and retain their NCAA eligibility. This is expected to be the course of action for Oweh, who isn’t widely projected as an NBA draft selection.

 

When you combine the statistics of these four players from last season, Kentucky will be returning 44.2% of its steals, 30.8% of its points, 27.7% of its rebounds and 26% of its assists from a season ago. Those might not be eye-popping numbers, but it’s certainly more than the flat 0% that UK returned from John Calipari’s final UK team to Pope’s first group.

 

“The thing that sticks out the most to me is, like, our guys make a massive jump from year one to year two,” Pope said. “… Year two is so fun because year one is just this onslaught of learning decision making. I mean, as a broad brush, you’re just overwhelmed with learning decision-making. Learning decision-making takes time, right?”

 

“… So guys coming in second year for me, almost without fail, they take massive leaps. So we expect all these returners to be much, much better than they were last year, which is saying a lot, because they were really good last year.”

 

This also speaks to the culture of roster continuity that Pope is hoping to build at Kentucky. The 10 newcomers to Lexington this offseason are part of that mission.

 

Of the 10 new arrivals to the UK program, nine are projected to have college eligibility beyond the 2025-26 season. Only Denzel Aberdeen — a former three-year guard at Florida who won the national championship with the Gators earlier this year — will run out of NCAA eligibility following the 2025-26 season.

 

To be clear, all of these newcomers aren’t expected to be multi-year players at UK. Quaintance, who played his freshman season at Arizona State, is projected as a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA draft. Johnson, Kentucky’s highest-ranked freshman for 2025, isn’t far behind him in 2026 mock drafts.

 

But strong potential still exists for Pope’s program to carry over more players from next season’s team into the 2026-27 roster. And that figures to play well as college basketball’s “get old and stay old” philosophy continues to produce results in the NCAA Tournament.

 

This sentiment was reiterated by Evan Miyakawa — a leading voice in the college basketball analytics world — during an interview with the Herald-Leader earlier this month.

 

“Bigger picture, one of the big things that I harp on a lot is the importance of roster continuity. A lot of the teams that have won titles in the last four years — and even what we saw in the Final Four this year, unless you just have extreme talent on your team like Duke did — it’s really, really important, if you have championship aspirations, to keep the key players from your team from the season before and then raise the talent level by getting new pieces in alongside them,” Miyakawa explained.

 

“Kentucky last year only could do so much in terms of the guys they were recruiting and figuring out who they had a multi-year plan for because they had to fill an entire roster basically in a month, right? A lot of the guys they got were just going to be one-year guys, and that was sort of a stepping stone for upcoming seasons.”

 

Now, Pope and the Wildcats are in position to blend together a group of talented returnees with transfer portal and freshman talent that should elevate UK’s March Madness ceiling.

 

As a freshman at Kentucky last season, Collin Chandler averaged 2.7 points in 10.4 minutes played across 30 games for the Wildcats.

As a freshman at Kentucky last season, Collin Chandler averaged 2.7 points in 10.4 minutes played across 30 games for the Wildcats.

 

 

 

A big season is on the horizon for the Kentucky football program. Head coach Mark Stoops has decided to lock up one of his top assistants heading into the final year of his contract.

 

Offensive line coach Eric Wolford has signed a one-year contract and received a $100,000 dollar pay bump in July, according to Kentucky’s Office of Legal Counsel. Wolford will make $900,000 in 2025 and $925,000 in 2026.

 

The 54-year-old was a member of the Kentucky football staff in 2021 before leaving to become the offensive line coach at Alabama. Eric Wolford spent two years in Tuscaloosa but became a free agent after the 2023 season when Nick Saban retired. Kentucky quickly agreed to terms with the Youngstown native that offseason. Wolford earned $350,000 from UK in 2024. That low number was due to the amount of money Alabama still owed the SEC veteran.

 

 

 

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope gives direction during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss.

Feb 4, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope gives direction during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss.

Mark Pope had a solid season in year one as the head coach at the University of Kentucky, taking the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the pandemic.

 

While year one was a great success, Coach Pope has put together a roster for year two that is going to be special and could lead to a national title.

 

Knowing how special this season could be, let’s take a look at some bold predictions about this 2025-26 season.

 

Three Bold Predictions About the 2025-26 Kentucky Basketball Season

1) Kam Williams will average 15+ points a game

One player who could be an absolute star for the Kentucky Wildcats is Tulane transfer Kam Williams. As a true freshman, he shot 41.2% from three on 4.6 attempts per game. Williams is a lights out shooter and has a shot to be a star in Lexington. NBA Mock Drafts already have Williams going in the first round. There is a world where Williams could average double figures, and it would be huge for this team.

 

2) Andrija Jelavic’s upside is a top five PF in college hoops

The real wildcard on this Kentucky team is Andrija Jelavic, who is coming over from Europe. The 6’11 power forward’s upside is through the roof, but if it hits, he can be special. He will be starting the offseason fighting for a starting spot but he very well could win the job. If Jelavic finds this upside, Kentucky will be the best team in college basketball.

 

3) Mark Pope wins National Coach of the Year

Many believe Mark Pope’s name should have been in the running last season for National Coach of the Year, but it was not. His roster this season is good enough to win the SEC and the National Championship. If the Wildcats have the great season many experts predict them to have Pope should win this award.

 

 

 

A more mature BG could mean trouble for the rest of the SEC.

 

 

Drew Brown Big Blue Drew has been covering University of Kentucky Basketball and Football for SB Nation’s A Sea Of Blue since 2017.

Brandon Garrison provided the Kentucky Wildcats with extraordinary benefits along with some much-needed front-court debt in his first season in Lexington.

 

Despite all of his great qualities and undeniable likability, I’m not sure that many folks would describe him as a beacon of emotional maturity.

 

 

 

Mark Pope had some big-time praise for Garrison during his recent meeting with local media, calling attention to his evolving transformation as an off-court leader thanks in large part to Amari Williams.

 

“He’ll be the first to tell you that Amari Williams was a life-changing mentor for him. He’s excited to help some other guys come along.”

 

Pope would follow that comment up by specifically mentioning Garrison’s proactive approach on speaking with incoming transfers about how this Kentucky coaching staff operates.

 

In the transfer portal era, getting reliable, unsolicited feedback about your new coaching staff from a player who’s been there and done that is a huge benefit.

 

When taking into consideration all of the great qualities that Garrison brings to the table, I don’t think many people would have mentioned the word leadership or mentor, so it’s incredibly encouraging to hear Coach Pope point to BG’s growth off the court.

 

Pope later expanded on what he hopes to see from BG in Year 2 during an interview with KSR.

 

“Brandon Garrison showed me some signs in the last month, and certainly this summer, where he is just — like he is growing up, man. It’s so cool to see, it’s the best thing to see as a coach,” Pope said. “He’s talking about what he wants to be. It’s no longer kind of what he is and who he is and how he acts, but it’s what he wants to become.”

 

After averaging 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game a year ago, Garrison is expected to take on a much bigger role in 2025-26. For anyone who watched Kentucky basketball last season, you were able to see first-hand the flashes of brilliance from the 6-foot-10 Oklahoma City native.

 

The potential is evident, and based off Pope’s recent comments, it sounds like #10 could be taking major steps off the court to contribute to UK’s success.

The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team has unveiled a compelling non-conference schedule for the 2025–26 season, featuring a blend of historic rivalries, marquee matchups, and intriguing new opponents. Under the leadership of head coach Mark Pope, the Wildcats aim to challenge themselves early and often, preparing for a rigorous Southeastern Conference (SEC) slate and a deep postseason run.

 

 

A highlight of the upcoming season is the revival of the storied Kentucky-Indiana rivalry. The Wildcats will host the Hoosiers on December 13 at Rupp Arena, marking Indiana’s first visit to Lexington since the 2010–11 season. This game is part of a renewed series that will see the teams face off annually through 2028, alternating between Lexington, Indianapolis, and Bloomington .

 

Kentucky will also continue its series with Gonzaga, facing the Bulldogs on December 5 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. This neutral-site game is the fourth installment in a six-year series between the programs, which is currently tied 2–2. The Wildcats secured a thrilling 90–89 overtime victory in their most recent meeting in Seattle .

 

Another significant matchup is against Michigan State on November 18 at Madison Square Garden as part of the Champions Classic. This annual event features four of college basketball’s premier programs, and the Wildcats will look to improve upon their 2–2 record against the Spartans in this showcase .

 

 

 

Kentucky’s non-conference home schedule includes several notable games. On November 21, the Wildcats will host Loyola University Maryland, a team they last faced during the 2011–12 season. Five days later, on November 26, Kentucky welcomes Tennessee Tech, led by former Wildcat and Kentucky Athletics Hall of Famer John Pelphrey. The Wildcats hold a 5–0 all-time record against Tennessee Tech .

 

December 9 brings a first-ever meeting with North Carolina Central University (NC Central) to Rupp Arena. The Eagles, a Division I program since 2011, have made four NCAA Tournament appearances and finished the previous season with a 14–19 record .

 

On December 23, Kentucky will face in-state opponent Bellarmine University. This marks the second meeting between the programs, with the Wildcats winning the initial matchup 60–41 during the 2022–23 season. Bellarmine enters a new era under head coach Doug Davenport, following the retirement of his father, Scott Davenport .

 

Additional Noteworthy Matchups

 

The Wildcats’ non-conference schedule also features a road game against archrival Louisville on November 11 at the KFC Yum! Center. This early-season clash marks only the third time the teams have met in November, adding intensity to an already fierce rivalry .

 

On December 20, Kentucky will participate in the CBS Sports Classic, facing St. John’s at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. This neutral-site game adds another high-caliber opponent to the Wildcats’ challenging schedule .

 

Additionally, Kentucky is slated to participate in the SEC/ACC Challenge, with details regarding the opponent and date to be announced. This event pits teams from the SEC against those from the Atlantic Coast Conference, providing another opportunity for the Wildcats to test themselves against top-tier competition .

 

Conclusion

 

Kentucky’s 2025–26 non-conference schedule reflects a commitment to facing formidable opponents and reigniting historic rivalries. With a mix of home games, neutral-site contests, and road challenges, the Wildcats are poised to build a strong résumé ahead of SEC play. Coach Mark Pope’s strategic scheduling aims to prepare his team for the demands of the season and position Kentucky as a contender on the national stage.

 

 

 

 

Here Comes the Boom returns to discuss Braydon Hawthorne‘s commitment and how he chose Kentucky. UK wasn’t the favorite until late, but closed the deal when it mattered.

 

Jacob Polacheck lays out how the recruitment went down. How did Kentucky gain momentum over West Virginia and land the fast-rising guard?

 

Polacheck also breaks down the latest live period. Who are Kentucky’s top targets, and who is starting to emerge? He discusses the latest with Tyran Stokes, Jason Crowe Jr., Jordan Smith Jr., and Christian Collins, among others. He also breaks down the new names Kentucky is looking at.

 

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Pick Your Favorite Target on FanStake

Click here to head over to FanStake and place a stake for your favorite UK target. FanStake is offering a 10x boost for stakes up to $100.

 

 

 

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.

 

 

 

Depth will be key for the Wildcats this year. With the signing of Braydon Hawthorne last night, Kentucky basketball now boasts arguably the deepest roster in the nation. Hawthorne would start on half the teams in the SEC, but opted to learn under Mark Pope at Kentucky and complete a dream team in Lexington.

 

Obviously this problem is resolved if either superstar guard Otega Oweh or Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe declare for the NBA Draft. While at this point both seem unlikely, it would bring Kentucky’s roster total down to 13, meeting NCAA requirements.

 

What’s more likely is that one of the fourteen players on Kentucky’s roster takes a redshirt. But which player would opt for that?

 

Oweh and Lowe absolutely won’t if they return. Both will be key starters for the Wildcats if they do stay in Lexington this fall.

 

The same goes for new transfers Kam Williams (Tulane), Mo Dioubate (Alabama), and Denzel Aberdeen (Florida). They didn’t come to Lexington to not play, nor did Andrija Jelavic, who left professional basketball in Europe to play for the Wildcats.

 

Center Brandon Garrison and guard Collin Chandler are both back for the Wildcats. They’ll be key bench depth for Pope behind those starters.

 

The same likely goes for four-star combo guard Jasper Johnson, who is Kentucky’s most high-profile recruit in the 2025 class. He figures in as key depth alongside Garrison and Chandler.

 

Jayden Quaintance, a high-profile recruit from Arizona who could end up as a superstar with Kentucky, could opt for a medical redshirt as he comes off of a torn ACL. He just had surgery in March to repair the tear, so it is a possibility.

 

However, Pope has made it sound like Quaintance will be playing again at some point this year, saying:

 

“We’ll see. The one thing I know about him, he’s an incredible talent and we’re going to go as fast as we can with the absolute most caution that we can.”

 

Even if he misses time, Quaintance could figure in the same way that Micah Handlogten did for the Gators during their championship run after suffering a major leg injury the prior season.

 

That leaves returning guard Trent Noah, Miami (OH) transfer center Reece Potter, and recruits Hawthorne and Malachi Moreno. Out of that crop, each is unlikely to play major minutes this year, and if they do it will be in blowout situations.

 

Out of those four, each can also be considered developmental. They’re more likely to feature significant minutes when they’re upperclassmen and increase their workload year by year.

 

Any (and possibly all) of the four could be the one to take that redshirt this year, which would alleviate Kentucky’s roster problem.

 

Kentucky lands a top-50 recruit to round out its 2025 class.

 

 

 

The Kentucky Wildcats are on the board again for next season, this time securing a commitment from 4-star small forward Braydon Hawthorne, who announced his pledge to the Wildcats on Tuesday.

 

Hawthorne made the call during a ceremony that was streamed by 247 Sports. He’s ranked 33rd overall in the 2025 class by 247 Sports, 35th by On3, 81st by ESPN, and is an unranked 4-star prospect at Rivals.

 

The 6-foot-8, 175-pound wing out of Beckley (WV) was previously committed to the Mountaineers before reopening his recruitment. After taking visits and evaluating several high-major programs, Hawthorne has decided to begin his college career at Kentucky, joining a 2025 class that includes high 4-star recruits Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

 

His final five schools included Kentucky, Duke, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. He visited Kentucky in mid-April and was considered a serious target for Wildcats head coach Mark Pope. Virginia Tech also hosted Hawthorne soon after, making a late push for the prospect.

 

Ultimately, his decision was viewed as a Kentucky vs. West Virginia battle, and the Cats won out thanks to the efforts of Mark Pope and Co.

 

Here’s a brief scouting report of Hawthorne from On3’s Jamie Shaw.

 

Braydon Hawthorne is a unique player. A definite late-bloomer, someone who is already producing on the national stage, but his best basketball is still clearly in front of him. Currently in the 6-foot-8, 6-foot-9 range, Hawthorne has true wing skills.

He can put the ball on the floor in the half-court to self create an opportunity. Athletically, he still needs to add strength. While he is fluid in his movements, he has average pop. However, what he does have is length and instincts, which he uses to an advantage.