Plenty of UK players hit the portal this offseason. Where did they transfer?
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- Seven players from the 2025-26 UK basketball team hit the transfer portal this offseason.
- All of these players have committed to new schools out of the portal.
- These players include guards Jaland Lowe and Collin Chandler, and forward Andrija Jelavic.
The NCAA transfer portal closed for men’s college basketball entries on Tuesday night.
Players who entered the portal by that deadline can take as long as they want to commit to a new school for next season. But, all seven Kentucky basketball players who hit the portal this offseason have already announced their next college stops.
As Mark Pope and the Cats continue to build a roster ahead of the 2026-27 season, these seven outgoing players are turning the page and focusing on the next steps in their respective basketball journeys.
You may have forgotten exactly where each ex-Cat ended up in the craze of portal madness.
Here’s a look back at each of the seven Kentucky players that entered the portal this offseason, and where they’ll be playing college basketball in the 2026-27 season.
Players are listed in chronological order of when they committed to a new school.
Denzel Aberdeen heads back to Florida
Among ex-Cats, Denzel Aberdeen was the first domino to fall in the transfer portal this offseason.
Aberdeen had been a surprise entrant in the portal after averaging 13.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 30.6 minutes per contest this past season as a senior for Kentucky. Aberdeen had played four seasons of college basketball, but he didn’t give any indications during the season that he planned on trying to play a fifth year.
Regardless, Aberdeen hit the portal and quickly committed to Florida, where he spent his first three college seasons. Aberdeen was the sixth man on the Gators’ 2025 national championship team.
The 6-foot-5 Aberdeen would need to be granted a waiver by the NCAA to have a fifth year of eligibility. Additionally, Aberdeen would also stand to benefit from a potential change to current NCAA eligibility rules.
Andrija Jelavic will play in the Big Ten next season
Andrija Jelavic’s stay in Lexington lasted only one season.
The 6-11 forward from Croatia became a starter over the final two months of the season for the Cats, but he still elected to hit the portal this offseason. Jelavic — who averaged 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game across 32 appearances for UK this past season — committed to Ohio State from the portal.
Jelavic arrived at Kentucky with previous professional playing experience in Europe, and was classified as a sophomore by the NCAA. This means Jelavic has two seasons of college eligibility left.
Jelavic will turn 22 years old in May and joins an Ohio State team that was an 8 seed in this past season’s NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes could be a program to watch next season after also adding California sophomore guard Justin Pippen (14.2 points and 4.6 assists per game) from the portal.
Ohio State is also bringing in five-star high school recruit Anthony Thompson, who had been a major recruiting target for Kentucky.
Collin Chandler will finally play for BYU
As a four-star high school prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, Collin Chandler signed to play for Pope at his previous coaching stop, BYU.
Chandler then took a two-year Mormon mission following his prep career, and Pope was hired by Kentucky to replace departing coach John Calipari in April 2024.
Chandler opted to follow Pope to UK, but after two seasons that partnership came to an end. Chandler entered the portal and will finally take the floor for the Cougars after committing to Kevin Young’s BYU program.
The 6-5 Chandler averaged 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals for Kentucky this past season as a sophomore. He led the Cats with 73 3-pointers made and with a 41.0% 3-point shooting percentage.
Chandler will be paired alongside junior point guard Robert Wright III in the BYU backcourt. Wright was a major transfer portal target for Kentucky this offseason, and Wright took a recruiting visit to Lexington before deciding to return to Cougars.
Brandon Garrison is staying in the SEC for his senior year
Brandon Garrison is another two-year Pope player at Kentucky who elected to enter the transfer portal this offseason.
A 6-11 post player who began his college career at Oklahoma State, Garrison averaged 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game as a junior for the Cats this past season. Garrison was a bench presence for Pope’s program over the past two seasons, and he appeared in 71 of Kentucky’s 72 games over this period.
Garrison — who played a major role this past postseason in UK’s wins over LSU in the SEC Tournament and over Santa Clara in the NCAA Tournament — is set to finish his college career in the SEC. He committed to Nate Oats’ Alabama program out of the transfer portal.
Garrison is one of four players that have announced a transfer portal commitment to Alabama this offseason, along with Boise State junior center Drew Fielder, North Carolina State small forward Cole Cloer and Mississippi State freshman forward Jamarion Davis-Fleming.
Jaland Lowe commits to a Big East school
Jaland Lowe arrived in Lexington last year as a celebrated offseason addition from the portal after he spent his first two college seasons as a consistent, regular starter at Pittsburgh.
That reputation didn’t extend to his time with the Cats, though.
The 6-1 Lowe only appeared in nine games during the 2025-26 season for Pope’s program due to a series of right shoulder injuries that necessitated season-ending surgery in January. Officially, Lowe averaged 8.0 points and 2.4 assists per game as a junior at UK this past season.
Lowe will start fresh after committing to Georgetown for the 2026-27 season. Georgetown defeated Kentucky in Rupp Arena during an exhibition game ahead of the 2025-26 season, but Lowe didn’t play in that game.
The Hoyas haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2021.
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Jasper Johnson heads West for his sophomore year
Jasper Johnson’s freshman season at Kentucky was a struggle.
After arriving as a celebrated five-star high school recruit with local ties, Johnson averaged just 4.9 points and 1.6 assists in 12.0 minutes per game during his first college season.
Johnson, who came off the bench in all 35 of his UK appearances this past season, struggled with the physicality and speed of the college game. This was especially apparent after Johnson was thrust into a reserve point guard role following the season-ending injury suffered by Lowe.
The 6-5 Johnson — who did manage to shoot 34.1% from 3-point range as a freshman — entered the transfer portal and committed to Oregon.
The Ducks have also received portal commitments from San Diego State sophomore forward Pharaoh Compton, Boise State junior forward Andrew Meadow and San Francisco sophomore guard Tyrone Riley IV. Riley had been a UK portal target in the past two offseasons.
Oregon is still in the mix for top-ranked high school recruit Tyran Stokes, who also has Kansas and Kentucky among his top options.
Mouhamed Dioubate will close his college career in the SEC
The final outgoing UK player to make their portal commitment this offseason was Mouhamed Dioubate, a 6-7 forward who previously played two seasons at Alabama.
Dioubate brought a physical edge to Kentucky, but at times struggled to mesh with the offensive style of play that Pope’s teams have been known for. Dioubate averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Cats during the 2025-26 season.
Like Garrison, some of Dioubate’s top performances for Pope’s program came in the postseason. Dioubate had 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in a season-high 32 minutes during Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament win over Santa Clara.
Dioubate will be staying in the SEC for a fourth college season. He committed to LSU out of the transfer portal. This means Dioubate will suit up next season for Will Wade, who is back in Baton Rouge after previously serving as LSU’s head coach from 2017 to 2022.
