Mark Pope reveals likelihood of burning Braydon Hawthorne redshirt

Kentucky basketball has had no shortage of injuries during Mark Pope’s two seasons in Lexington. Most recently, Kentucky lost two of their most reliable bodies in Jaland Lowe and Kam Williams.

With Lowe out for the year and Williams out indefinitely, Kentucky has space in their lineup for another player. One that many have considered is true freshman Braydon Hawthorne.

The former four-star recruit has yet to play a minute for the Wildcats this season. That’s not by design, as Hawthorne is currently dealing with a calf injury, the UK headman said after Saturday’s 72-63 win over Ole Miss in Lexington. However, there is a real possibility he takes the court once he’s 100 percent.

“It’s something that has certainly been in discussion,” Pope said during the post-game press conference. “There’s so many dynamics there. Most importantly, right now he’s not healthy. So, we can’t burn the redshirt now because he’s not healthy. But, certainly he is an incredibly talented player that could really help us down the road. He’s gotta get healthy first.”

Hawthorne came to UK as the top overall player out of West Virginia in the 2025 Rivals Recruiting Rankings, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 64 overall recruit and 16th highest-rated small forward in last year’s rankings.

Pope didn’t give a timeline for his return, so it remains to be seen if he’s able to suit up at all this season. In the current state of college athletics, getting any player back for a second season isn’t guaranteed.

With the injuries piling up on the Wildcats, however, players like Andrija Jelavic and Jasper Johnson have benefitted from extended minutes in Pope’s lineup. During the win against Ole MIss, Jelavic cracked the starting lineup and while he contributed just six points, he grabbed seven rebounds and logged three assists. Meanwhile, Johnson played 17 minutes on the bench and made three 3-pointers during his time on the floor.

It’s unlikely Hawthorne will be ready for Tuesday’s matchup at No. 15 Vanderbilt, but the Wildcats will be chasing their sixth SEC win in a row after an 0-2 start. The Commodores snapped a three-game skid with a 32-point win over Mississippi State on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN.