The transfer portal is back in style, and Kentucky Basketball is open for business.
According to Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader, NC State forward Darrion Williams is a name to monitor for Kentucky.
Kentucky has not officially reached out to Williams, who’s also previously played at Texas Tech, but he is someone the school would reportedly be interested in if granted a fifth season of eligibility.
“There was some buzz last month that Kentucky would be interested in Williams as a potential candidate for the 15th roster spot, and now that his path to a fifth season of eligibility has cleared, the Cats could be among his suitors in the transfer portal,” wrote Roberts.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Williams primarily plays at the 4 spot, which also happens to be the biggest question mark for the 2026-27 Wildcats. While internationl prospect Ousmane N’Diaye and James Madison transfer Justin McBride have flashed potential, neither of them is a proven commodity in a Power Four league like Williams, who has been an all-conference player in two different leagues. He also led the 2024-25 Red Raiders to the Elite Eight, where they narrowly fell to eventual national champion Florida in the final seconds.
This past season, Williams averaged 14 points on 41.4% shooting (40.4% from deep), 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, earning honorable mention All-ACC honors. His best year came in the 2024-25 season with Texas Tech, averaging 15.1 points on 43.9% shooting (34.0% from deep), 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest, earning First-Team All-Big 12 honors.
It should be noted that Williams’ head coach last season was Will Wade, who is now at LSU and in dire need of bodies to fill out the roster.
Another key note here is that Williams did enter the transfer portal back in April in hopes of securing a fifth season, according to CBS Sports’ Austin Massey. That’s important, as the recent court ruling that granted all class of 2022 players a fifth year has a stipulation that anyone leaving their school for a new one has to have entered the portal during the spring window.
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