Kentucky's Braydon Hawthorne will return in 2026-27

Kentucky will not have a none-and-done in Lexington — but the Wildcats will have a dynamic freshman with superstar upside suiting up in the blue and white in 2026-27. That was made official on Tuesday, as Braydon Hawthorne has decided to return following his redshirt season.

The former four-star recruit, who committed to the Wildcats over Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, will not be exploring his options in the portal following his first year in college. On the final day of the transfer window, set to close at midnight ET, Hawthorne announced he had signed a return deal with the Wildcats. He was rated as the No. 35 overall prospect and No. 9 small forward in the class of 2025, according to On3.

After getting his hands on him over the course of the summer and into the fall, Mark Pope compared the 6-8, 190-pound freshman to former Kentucky legend Tayshaun Prince and said he was showing the early signs of greatness.

“This Braydon Hawthorne — he is one of the most unique kids I’ve ever coached. I don’t know what his ceiling is, but if I was going to compare him to a player right now — and I’m doing this in incredible humility — there is so much of some type of Tayshaun Prince vibe in him,” Pope said before the season. “It is — this kid, I don’t know how soon it’s going to happen, but I think this kid has a chance to be special.

“He just might have the goods, man. Like, it’s very cool to watch it.”

Hawthorne is long and skilled with superstar upside, but could not find his way into the rotation in year one, instead using the season to bulk up and turn that raw potential into true production in year two. As his redshirt campaign came to a close, he told reporters the plan was to return to Kentucky.

Now, just hours before the portal is officially shut for good, the Beckley, WV native has decided to run it back with the Wildcats in 2026-27.

Time to see what all of the hype is about with the former four-star prospect.