Braydon Hawthorne can be 'really special,' while Walker Horn's leadership role is 'massively important'

Following the addition of Miami (OH) transfer Reece Potter, there was an assumption Otega Oweh‘s draft decision was the final moving part for Kentucky with Mark Pope ready to put a bow on the 2025-26 roster in year two.

You know what they say about assuming, though.

When asked if he was firm at 13 pieces, Pope said he liked how things looked at that point, but could be convinced to add more more if it made sense — and if the House settlement passed to set the roster ceiling at 15.

“I love our roster right now. We’ll see,” he said. “We could have a little bit of movement there, but I think we’re in a pretty good spot. There’s — can’t talk about that too much, but we’ll see.”

Both of those things happened, opening the door for Kentucky to add four-star wing Braydon Hawthorne  — a lifelong fan of the Wildcats and one of the fastest-rising prospects in the class of 2025, ranked No. 35 overall and No. 9 among small forwards by On3.

“I’m very excited because I was a part of that fan base growing up,” Hawthorne told KSR following his commitment in May. “It means everything to me to wear that Kentucky on my chest and represent them. I’m ready to win No. 9 and speak it into existence. That’s the biggest thing for me, I believe.”

Players with his talent and potential aren’t typically available that late, and it’s extremely rare they’re willing to accept the non-playing role he’s expected to see in year one — he’ll be given a chance to earn his reps, but he’s competing with a lot of established names. The likely scenario is he plays spot minutes as a freshman or redshirts to add weight before joining the rotation as a sophomore.

The when may be in question, but the what is not, in Pope’s opinion. He’ll get there, and when that time comes, a star talent will emerge.

“You talk about a guy with a ridiculous upside. Woof,” he told KSR in an exclusive one-on-one conversation in Colorado Springs this week. “He’s got a chance to be really special. He’s got a long way to go, but, man, you can see it in him. He has an incredible upside, and he brings a real skill set to us right now.”

There was No. 14 — then came a surprise No. 15, walk-on Walker Horn rejoining the team after entering the transfer portal back in April amid roster uncertainty with the House settlement at the time. No formal announcement or social media post confirming his return, just Horn back in his gear on the first day of camp season after June move-in like he never left.

Walk-on Zach Tow made a similar return without warning, showing up for the start of summer practice with the rest of his teammates. Those two additions were made possible by the plan to phase in roster limits with the final approval of the House settlement, athletes who had their positions cut eligible for reinstatement at schools’ discretion or grandfathered in at a new school if not retained. The distinction between scholarship players and walk-ons is gone forever — you get 15 spots no matter what moving forward — but for now, that’s Kentucky’s loophole to 16.

Tow earned a spot on the team during walk-on tryouts last summer and is living out his big blue dream as a Madisonville native, Pope joking he’s on permanent one-day-at-a-time status. As for Horn, he’s emerged as a locker room staple and crucial veteran with an irreplaceable role.

Making sure he pulled his name out of the portal was a top priority this offseason.

“Walker Horn is — I don’t know if I’ve had a guy in his position on a roster that has more leadership responsibility and capability than Walker Horn. His role on this team is massively important. If he does his role well, we’re going to win. If he doesn’t do his role well, we’re going to struggle. That’s a heavy burden on him, but we have high expectations for him this year.”