The Kentucky Wildcats got shocking news on Sunday night with reports saying head coach John Calipari is leaving the program to go to the Arkansas Razorbacks and their vacant job. Calipari had been with UK since 2009-10, leading the program to four Final Fours and one National Championship. The Wildcats haven’t had much success since the mid 2010’s and with a shift in college basketball towards NIL and the transfer portal, Calipari had lost his luster in Lexington. So with Coach Cal headed to Arkansas, how might this news impact Kentucky’s roster for the 2024-25 season? We take a look.
Kentucky Wildcats roster
NBA Draft
Big man Justin Edwards has already declared for the NBA Draft and we know that guards Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and Antonio Reeves are all expected to be drafted as well. So that basically means the Wildcats were going to lose most of its core anyway to the NBA.
Transfer Portal
Swingman Adou Thiero opted to enter the transfer portal. He played in 25 games this past season for UK, averaging 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in just over 21 minutes per contest. There’s a chance Thiero follows Coach Cal to Arkansas, joining the Razorbacks for the upcoming season. Don’t be surprised if we see more players enter the portal from Kentucky this week.
Forward Tre Mitchell should be out of eligibility and will have to leave. That would leave freshman guard D.J. Wagner as the only player who hasn’t really decided on his future with the Coach Cal news coming down. Wagner could enter the portal and either go elsewhere or go to Arkansas. There’s also 7-foot-2 freshman Zvonimir Ivisic, who played in 15 games this past season.
Recruits
Kentucky was boasting a very good recruiting class led by PF Jayden Quaintance and PG Johnuel Fland, both five-star recruits. Both were signed by UK along with C Somto Cyril and PG Travis Perry. Two recruits who are committed to the Wildcats are G Karter Knox and SF Billy Richmond. We’ll see if UK can keep this class intact. It could come down to the next head coach, but whoever that is will likely be high-profile.
To put things bluntly, Kentucky may need to bring in an entirely new roster in the transfer portal and recruiting this offseason. The search for the new head coach should be swift. Bruce Pearl is at the top of the list and could bolt from Auburn to Kentucky. That’s what many believe will happen. If so, the turnaround for the program shouldn’t be long. Pearl could bring in a new group of players, some from Auburn, to fill out the roster for 2024-25. If that’s the case, UK could be back competing in the NCAA Tournament next season. This is the most appealing job in college basketball, so don’t be surprised if any name takes the job. From there, we’ll have a better idea of how the Wildcats’ roster will be impacted.
