Collin Chandler will enter the college basketball transfer portal after spending the past two years at Kentucky, a major blow to Mark Pope’s plans for the 2026-27 season.
Chandler — a 6-foot-5 guard from Farmington, Utah — originally committed to play for Pope at BYU and was on a two-year Mormon mission when the head coach accepted the top job at Kentucky in April 2024, quickly bringing in Chandler as his first commitment at UK.
He will enter the portal with a “do not contact” tag, according to a report from ESPN. That means coaches cannot initiate contact with Chandler, but he can contact schools.
A highly touted high school recruit, Chandler struggled to acclimate to the college level as a freshman after two years away from the game, though he closed the 2024-25 season on a high note, emerging as a dangerous 3-point shooter and coming up with some big plays in Kentucky’s run to the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
As a sophomore this past season, Chandler solidified himself as one of UK’s most important players.
He started in 31 of the team’s 36 games, averaging 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals. Chandler was the third-leading scorer on the team behind senior guards Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen, with Oweh labeling the trio the “three-headed GOAT” following a 91-77 win over Vanderbilt in which the sophomore went 6 for 8 from 3-point range.
Chandler finished the season shooting 41.0% on 178 long-range attempts — both team highs — despite struggling from the perimeter down the stretch. He still ranked sixth in the SEC in 3-point percentage and could be one of the best perimeter shooters in the country for the 2026-27 season.
Following UK’s season-ending loss to Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last month, Chandler noted that he had known Pope since he was 15 years old and implied then that he expected to be back in Lexington for another year.
“I know what he can do, what he can be, the type of person he is,” he said. “And a type of person like that finds success. And so I’m riding with Coach Pope. … I love him.”
At the same time as Chandler was speaking from the locker room, Pope was asked in his postgame press conference about roster retention plans for this offseason, and he made it clear that keeping Chandler would be a major part of his plans for the 2026-27 campaign.
Instead, he’ll look at other options for his third season of college basketball.
His departure is another blow to Kentucky’s backcourt situation.
Oweh and Aberdeen, seniors during the 2025-26 season, will both be leaving UK this spring. Oweh is a potential NBA draft pick, and Aberdeen has entered his name in the transfer portal, though he would need a waiver from the NCAA to be granted a fifth year of eligibility under the current rules.
Junior point guard Jaland Lowe, who was limited to nine games last season due to injury, and freshman guard Jasper Johnson have also entered the transfer portal.
Kam Williams — a 6-8 guard — will return to UK for his junior year, giving Pope a 3-point threat with positional size in the backcourt. Pope will be looking to add more shooting in the transfer portal.
Kentucky has a commitment from four-star high school point guard Mason Williams — son of NBA All-Star Mo Williams, who has been hired as UK’s newest assistant coach — but Pope is still searching for a starter at the position for next season.
UK center Malachi Moreno has also announced this week that he will return to Kentucky for his sophomore year if he withdraws from the NBA draft by the May 27 deadline, which remains the most likely scenario.
College players have until April 21 to enter their names in the transfer portal, but they will be permitted to choose a new school at any point after that date, as long as they’re officially in the portal before the deadline.
Kentucky guard Collin Chandler was third on the team in scoring with 9.7 points per game during the 2025-26 season. Ryan C. Hermens [email protected]
This story was originally published April 8, 2026 at 7:16 PM.
Ben Roberts
Lexington Herald-Leader
Ben Roberts is the University of Kentucky men’s basketball beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He has previously specialized in UK basketball recruiting coverage and created and maintained the Next Cats blog. He is a Franklin County native and first joined the Herald-Leader in 2006.
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