Kentucky lost out on Jeremiah Wilkinson while waiting on other star transfer, per report
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Kentucky is trying to build its roster back next season for a shot at bigger things under Mark Pope, but those chances aren’t being helped by what’s going on in the postseason transfer portal right now.
According to a report by Field of 68 college basketball insider Jeff Goodman, Kentucky lost out on what could’ve been a very crucial piece to next season’s team while it waited on a decision from another top transfer. Goodman posted on his social media on Wednesday afternoon that the Wildcats could have snatched prize transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson, which would’ve been a huge boost in adding at the expense of an SEC rival.
But while the Georgia transfer is reportedly staying in the SEC, he’s not heading to Lexington. Instead, the scoring sensation is taking his talents to John Calipari’s machine at Arkansas, so Kentucky missed out on Wilkinson and that’s not even the worst part.
According to Goodman, Pope’s program missed out on Wilkinson because it was waiting on a decision from another top transfer in guard Robert Wright III. Earlier Wednesday, Wright decided to turn down Big Blue Nation to instead return to BYU, so Kentucky in effect lost out on both top transfers because it was waiting on Wright.
Instead of getting possibly both players or at least grabbing Wright, he’s going back to BYU while Wilkinson is heading to an SEC rival in Arkansas that Kentucky is going to have to deal with next season.
Talk about a double whammy, and we’re not even discussing an in-season loss. This report by Goodman just throws salt in the wound of Kentucky missing out on both Wilkinson and Wright.
The Wildcats will still have chances to rebuild their roster, but this isn’t what Pope or those passionate Kentucky fans wanted during the heat of the transfer portal battle.
While Kentucky struggles through the transfer portal process, the Wildcats are still trying to build a roster that can compete for a national championship as early as next season. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the top teams in the mix to be the last one standing next April:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
