Watch for these players as UK basketball’s offseason roster rebuild begins
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UK basketball’s offseason is underway after a second-round loss in the NCAA Tournament.
- Mark Pope is looking to rebuild his Kentucky roster for the 2026-27 season.
- Pope is entering his third offseason as the UK basketball coach.
Kentucky basketball’s offseason is underway.
Mark Pope’s program was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in St. Louis, as the Cats were on the wrong end of an 82-63 loss to Iowa State in the second round of March Madness.
The past few days have already featured ample discourse about the Cats’ roster outlook — players who should be staying and those who should be going — ahead of what will be a critical third season for Pope as the head coach of his alma mater.
It’s also featured plenty of talk about how UK can boost its talent level this offseason.
The Cats have plenty of avenues to pursue players. Kentucky will be active again in the NCAA transfer portal, which doesn’t officially open this year until April 7. UK is pursuing several prospects in the 2026 recruiting class, although it is yet to secure a commitment from a high school senior.
Changes to the college basketball landscape mean other pathways are also available to Pope. A major storyline during the 2025-26 season was NBA G League trying to play at the NCAA level for the first time. Kentucky is interested in players who are pursuing this route.
Even though the portal is still more than a week away from opening, potential player additions for the Cats are being discussed. On his radio show Monday night, Pope said Kentucky will be seeking “creators” with its roster moves this offseason.
These are some difference-making players that Pope’s program might have legitimate interest in as its roster retool begins. More names will emerge in the coming days and weeks.
Miles Byrd
Byrd — a 6-foot-6 junior guard from Stockton, California — has already spent four college seasons at San Diego State.
He’s started 63 of SDSU’s 64 games over the past two seasons and has been one of the best guards in the Mountain West Conference during that timeframe.
Byrd is classified as a fourth-year junior and is expected to graduate from San Diego State this spring.
During the 2024-25 season, Byrd averaged career-bests across the board with 12.3 points, 2.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He was named to the Mountain West All-Defensive Team and was selected as a Second-Team All-Mountain West honoree that season.
This season, Byrd put up per-game numbers of 10.4 points, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals for the Aztecs, who went 22-11 overall and narrowly missed making the NCAA Tournament. Byrd was named the Mountain West’s Defensive Player of the Year this season after averaging 2.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per conference game.
Byrd, who has yet to announce his intention to enter the transfer portal, has played in 101 total college basketball games. Byrd became a starter at San Diego State following the departure of guard Lamont Butler, who spent the 2024-25 season playing for Pope’s first Kentucky team as a graduate transfer.
Byrd is a career 30.5% shooter from 3-point range on 400 total attempts from deep. He’s recorded more than 80 assists in each of the past two seasons.
Allen Graves
Just last week, Graves was top of mind for Kentucky fans and players as he nearly led Santa Clara to an upset win over the Cats in the NCAA Tournament.
Graves — a 6-foot-9 redshirt freshman forward from Louisiana — had 17 points and seven rebounds in the Broncos’ matchup with UK. It was Graves who made a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left to seemingly give Santa Clara a win before Otega Oweh hit a buzzer-beating shot to force overtime, where UK would keep its season alive.
Graves averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.8 assists per game this season, primarily in a reserve role. Graves shot 41.3% from 3-point range on 2.6 attempts per game.
The 19-year-old Graves was particularly effective in conference play for the Broncos. He averaged 13.5 points per contest against West Coast Conference foes and was named that league’s Freshman of the Year.
Graves, who is viewed as a potential first-round pick in this summer’s NBA draft, also is yet to announce his intention to enter the transfer portal.
Jackson Shelstad
One of the top players who has already announced his intention to enter the transfer portal is Jackson Shelstad, a former five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class who spent the past three seasons at Oregon.
A 6-foot-1 point guard originally from West Linn, Oregon, Shelstad made 77 starts and appeared in 79 games for the Ducks. He boasts career averages of 13.6 points and 3.0 assists per game.
Shelstad will hit the portal following an injury-plagued junior year. He was averaging a career-best 15.6 points, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals per contest through 12 games before his season ended early due to a right hand injury which included tendon and ligament damage. Prior to the start of the 2025-26 season, Shelstad broke his right hand.
Shelstad was an All-Big Ten third-team selection following the 2024-25 season after averaging 13.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He was a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honoree for the 2023-24 season after averaging 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
Oregon reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Shelstad’s freshman and sophomore seasons.
Shelstad announced his intention to enter the transfer portal Tuesday. As of Thursday morning, 247Sports has Shelstad listed as the third-best player in the transfer portal. Arizona is being viewed as an early contender for his commitment, though he’s expected to garner interest from several high-major programs.
Maximo Adams
Pope and the Cats missed on Maximo Adams — a five-star prospect in the 2026 recruiting class — in the fall. Now, UK may get a second chance to secure his commitment.
In November, Adams — a 6-foot-7 small forward who is ranked as the No. 21 overall recruit in the 2026 class by the 247Sports Composite — committed to North Carolina over Kentucky, Michigan State and Texas.
That commitment could be in flux after North Carolina fired Hubert Davis this week following a five-season run as the Tar Heels’ head coach.
Adams was named a McDonald’s All-American this year. That game will take place Tuesday night in Glendale, Arizona.
Adams, who visited Kentucky in September, also has family ties to the UK program.
Those connections come via Adams’ older brother, Marcus, who played for Pope at BYU during the 2023-24 season. Marcus is planning to hit the transfer portal for a third time next month after spending this past season as a bench contributor at Arizona State, where a back injury limited him to only 14 games as a junior. He averaged 16.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore for Cal State Northridge last season.
Dink Pate
Kentucky appears ready to dip into the domestic pro basketball ranks in pursuit of game-changing talent.
The Cats have been linked in recent weeks to Dink Pate, a 6-foot-8 guard who has spent the past three seasons playing in the NBA G League. Originally from Dallas, the 20-year-old Pate was one of the top high school prospects in the country in the 2023 recruiting class.
Instead of going the college route, Pate turned pro and joined the now-defunct G League Ignite team, a developmental squad that was led by now-former UK assistant coach Jason Hart. Earlier this week, news broke that Hart is leaving Kentucky to become the associate head coach at SMU.
The morning after UK lost its final road game of the 2025-26 season on March 3 at Texas A&M, Pope flew to Philadelphia to visit with Pate before a G League game. Pate, who has never played college basketball, is viewed as a high-upside possibility for the Cats. He’s expected to be ruled eligible to play by the NCAA.
This season with the G League’s Westchester Knicks, Pate is averaging 15.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He’s knocking down 36.9% of his 3-point tries and plays more than 30 minutes per contest.
Westchester’s season ends Saturday.
Tyran Stokes
Tyran Stokes has long been considered the top prospect in the 2026 high school recruiting class. As of Thursday morning, the 6-foot-7 Stokes is one of only two five-star recruits in the 2026 class yet to make a college choice.
A Louisville native, Stokes’ college recruitment has been a drawn-out affair. At different junctures he’s been considered likely to commit to Kentucky and Kansas, although no decision has been made.
Hart was Kentucky’s lead recruiter for Stokes, so his departure for SMU is worth noting, but UK is expected to remain a top contender for his commitment. Stokes took a visit to Lexington last summer. Earlier this month, ESPN reported that he is planning to take another visit to UK.
Kentucky’s coaches kept close tabs on Stokes during his senior season. Stokes began his final prep year in California before transferring to Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School.
UK doesn’t have a commitment from any high school player in the 2026 recruiting class.
Like Adams, Stokes will be playing in next week’s McDonald’s All-American Game.
Mason Williams
Stokes isn’t the only class of 2026 recruit Kentucky is pursuing.
The Cats are making a late play for Mason Williams, a 6-foot-2 point guard from the Tennessee Collegiate Academy near Memphis. He’s ranked by the 247Sports Composite as a four-star prospect and the No. 125 recruit in the 2026 class.
Mason — whose father, Mo, is both a former SEC basketball star at Alabama and a former NBA All-Star — was previously committed to Jackson State before reopening his recruitment in December. Mo just finished his fourth season as Jackson State’s coach.
Mason visited Kentucky on Wednesday.
During his initial college recruitment, Mason had offers from Memphis and Ole Miss, among other programs. After reopening his recruitment, Mason reported an offer from Texas Tech.
