Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: Jerone Morton joins the Backcourt

Jerone Morton is coming home to Kentucky. The Winchester native and former George Rogers Clark star signed with the Wildcats on Wednesday, becoming the 12th member of the 2026-27 roster. Morton started his college career at Morehead State, playing two seasons with the Eagles before transferring to Washington State. He has one season of eligibility remaining and will use it at Kentucky, the school he grew up cheering for just down the road.

Morton will be a depth piece in Kentucky’s backcourt, which features fellow transfer portal commitments Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins and high school signees Mason Williams and Zyon Hawthorne. Last season, Morton averaged 7.8 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game for Washington State, starting 29 of 32 games. His best was against Gonzaga on January 16, when he put up a career-high 16 points in the Cougars’ loss to the No. 9 Bulldogs.

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Morton is the fourth Kentucky native on next year’s roster. He was a star during his time at George Rogers Clark, leading the Cardinals to the state title in 2021-22 and a runner-up finish in 2022-23. As a senior, he averaged 19.6 points per game and won Sweet 16 MVP honors, finishing as the No. 2 overall player in the state of Kentucky in the 2023 class. He brings not only skill and experience to the Wildcats’ backcourt, but also a deep appreciation for the Kentucky jersey.

Twelve down, three to go. Who will be next? Maybe Marcio Santos, the Brazilian big man who Mark Pope watched play in Israel today?

While we wait for news, here is our roster tracker. For an in-depth rundown of who Mark Pope and the staff are pursuing in the portal, check our Transfer Portal Tracker, which will be updated regularly.

INCOMING

RETURNERS (5)

Malachi Moreno (7.8 PPG) – Testing NBA Draft waters
Kam Williams (6.0 PPG)
Trent Noah (3.0 PPG)
Reece Potter (DNP)
Braydon Hawthorne (DNP)

PORTAL ADDITIONS (4)

Zoom Diallo (Washington)
Alex Wilkins (Furman)
Justin McBride (James Madison)
Jerone Morton (Washington State)

INTERNATIONAL ADDITIONS (1)

Ousmane N’Diaye (Senegal)

HS SIGNEES (2)

Mason Williams (No. 124)
Zyon Hawthorne (N/A)

OUTGOING

GRADUATED (2)

Otega Oweh (18.6 PPG)
Denzel Aberdeen (13.5 PPG) – Pursuing another year at Florida, will require a waiver

NBA DRAFT (1)

Jayden Quaintance (5.0 PPG)

PORTAL (7)

Jaland Lowe (8.0 PPG) ➡️ Georgetown
Jasper Johnson (4.9 PPG) ➡️ Oregon
Brandon Garrison (4.7 PPG) ➡️ Alabama
Denzel Aberdeen (13.5 PPG) ➡️ Florida (Will require waiver)
Mo Dioubate (8.8 PPG) ➡️ LSU
Andrija Jelavić (5.5 PPG) ➡️ Ohio State
Collin Chandler (9.7 PPG) ➡️ BYU

IMPORTANT DATES

May 8-10: NBA G League Combine (Chicago)
May 10: NBA Draft Lottery
May 10-17: NBA Draft Combine (Chicago)
May 27: NCAA Division I Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline
June 13: NBA Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline
June 23-24: 2026 NBA Draft

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LATEST UPDATES

April 28: Jerone Morton signs with Kentucky

Averaged 7.8 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 rebounds at Washington State in 2025-26 on 44/39/82 shooting splits
Started career at Morehead State, playing two seasons for the Eagles before transferring to Washington State
Winchester, KY native who led George Rogers Clark to the 2022 state title and 2023 runner-up finish, winning Sweet 16 MVP honors

April 28: Tyran Stokes commits to Kansas

April 28: Justin McBride signs with Kentucky

Earned Third Team All-Sun Belt honors as a junior after averaging 15.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.5 APG per contest in 2025-26
“For the Kentucky fans, you’re getting a person that’s determined to win and buy in,” McBride told KSR+. “I want the fans to be there for us. I can’t wait to jump aboard and get ready to play there.”

April 24: Ousmane N’Diaye signs with Kentucky

22-year-old from Guediawaye, Senegal
Has played professionally since 2019, most recently with Cremona in the LBA, Italy’s top league, averaging 10.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game
Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft before withdrawing; declared again in 2025, and kept his name, going undrafted

April 21: Zyon Hawthorne signs with Kentucky

2026 combo guard from Huntington Prep
Held offers from Wichita State, La Salle, Arkansas State, and Bethune-Cookman, among others

April 21: Braydon Hawthorne returns to Kentucky

Redshirted his freshman season at Kentucky
4-star recruit in the 2025 class, rated as the No. 35 overall prospect and No. 9 small forward by On3. Chose Kentucky over Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia

April 18: Alex Wilkins (G, Furman) commits to Kentucky

3 years of eligibility remaining
On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 30 overall, No. 9 SG
Averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 29.7 minutes per game as a freshman at Furman
Had 21 points on 8-15 shooting and 4-8 from three with four assists, one rebound, and one steal in Furman’s 82-71 loss to No. 2 seed UConn in the NCAA Tournament

April 15: Zoom Diallo (PG, Washington) commits to Kentucky

2 years of eligibility remaining
On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 34 overall, No. 6 PG
Averaged 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game as a sophomore at Washington, starting 29 games
Was recruited by Kentucky under John Calipari out of high school.

April 15: Reece Potter returns to Kentucky

Redshirted his junior season, recovering from a “chronic health issue,” according to Mark Pope
Transferred from Miami (OH), where he averaged 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds as a sophomore.

April 12: Trent Noah returns to Kentucky

Averaged 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per game as a sophomore, playing in 27 games with three starts
As a freshman, Noah averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game

April 7: Kam Williams returns to Kentucky

Averaged 6.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 18.5 minutes per contest across 24 games played and seven starts
Broke his foot on January 21 and underwent surgery, returning to live action seven weeks later, playing in all five of Kentucky’s postseason games

April 6: Malachi Moreno signs return deal, will test NBA Draft waters

Moreno signed a deal that will keep him at Kentucky, but he will also test the NBA Draft waters. He has until May 27 to remove his name to retain his eligibility.
Earned SEC All-Freshman Honors after appearing in all 36 games with 30 starts, finishing with season averages of 7.8 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest

March 30: Mo Williams joins staff as assistant

Joining his son, Mason, in Lexington, filling one of the vacant assistant coaching positions
Head coach at Jackson State (2022-26) and Alabama State (2020-22), Assistant coach at Cal State Northridge (2018-20)

March 27: 4-star Mason Williams commits to Kentucky