KSR's Recruiting Big Board: Transfer Edition

There are a select few names left on the board in terms of high school prospects with Kentucky interest and offers, namely five-star standouts such as Jaden Hardy, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Hunter Sallis and Trevor Keels, but the expectation is that John Calipari and the UK coaching staff round out the 2021-22 roster with high-level talent on the transfer market.

Kentucky’s season has only been over for two weeks, but the staff has already been busy reaching out to players in the transfer portal, along with monitoring the situations of those who may become available in the coming weeks and months.

Who are the biggest available names on the board with confirmed or rumored Kentucky interest?

Justin Powell (Auburn)

Powell, a 6-foot-6 guard originally out of Prospect, KY, averaged 11.7 points on 42.9% shooting and 44.2% from three to go with 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest for the Tigers in 2020-21. His freshman campaign was limited to just ten games due to a concussion that held him out of competition since January 2, missing the team’s final 17 games of the season.

Out of high school, the former three-star prospect chose Auburn over offers from Cincinnati, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Xavier, along with interest from Kentucky, Ohio State, Purdue and Syracuse. He was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN and a three-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals.

As a senior at North Oldham, Powell was tabbed all-state and all-league after averaging 24.7 points on 59% shooting to go with 8.7 rebounds per game.

Recruitment: Kentucky was among the first schools to reach out to Powell, joining the likes of Louisville, Gonzaga, Virginia, UCLA, Memphis and Georgia Tech to express early interest. UK is seen as one of the top contenders to land the former Auburn guard.

Kellan Grady (Davidson)

Entering the portal just this week, Davidson star guard Kellan Grady is expected to receive serious interest from high-majors as he looks to choose his next school for his final year of eligibility.

A four-year starter who earned First-Team All-Atlantic 10 honors in 2020-21, Grady averaged 17.1 points per contest and shot 38.2% from three last season. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound combo guard has shot 36.2% from three on 644 total attempts over the course of his four years at Davidson and has averaged at least 17.1 points 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists per contest throughout his entire career, never dipping below 45% shooting overall and 34.1% from three.

Recruitment: Just entering the transfer portal on Monday, reports of confirmed contact and interest are limited as of now, though David Sisk of Cats Illustrated was the first to report that UK is in contact with the dynamic scorer.

Walker Kessler (North Carolina)

Like Grady, North Carolina center Walker Kessler also put his name in the transfer portal on Monday, with a long list of high-majors expected to be in contact.

As a freshman, the former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American averaged only 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest, but finished the season strong, scoring in double figures in five of the Tarheels’ last ten games, including a 16-point, 12-rebound, 8-block performance vs. Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament. The 7-foot-1 center was ranked No. 22 overall in the 2020 recruiting class (247 Sports Composite) and originally chose UNC over Duke, Auburn, and Michigan.

Recruitment: While early speculation indicated that Kessler could wind up in Lexington with his good friend Justin Powell – Kyle Tucker and Brendan Marks of The Athletic and UNC beat writer Brendan Marks both said it was “not crazy” to think a package deal could come to fruition – Gonzaga is also seen as a top contender for his services.

On that note, Marks doubled-down on the Kentucky and Gonzaga interest in his own column this week, adding that Auburn is also “in the mix” for the 7-foot-1 standout.

“Per sources, Auburn, Gonzaga and Kentucky will be in the mix for Kessler,” Marks said. “One of Kessler’s close friends, former Auburn guard Justin Powell, is also in the portal, and a package deal would be a desirable option for teams.”

Marcus Carr (Minnesota)

Considered one of the biggest names on the transfer market, Minnesota star guard Marcus Carr officially entered the portal on March 19 after averaging 19.4 points, 4.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds last season as a Golden Gopher.

A third-team All-Big Ten honoree scored, who scored 30 or more points four times this season and finished the year with ten games with at least three made 3-pointers, Carr is also expected to explore his professional options.

Recruitment: According to Travis Branham of 247Sports, Carr plans to test the 2021 NBA Draft waters and will only consider three schools – those have not yet been finalized – should he pull his name out of the draft. Should he return to school, sources tell KSR that Kentucky is monitoring his situation and could be a potential suitor. Michigan State is also considered a strong option for the former Minnesota guard.

Either way, Carr is prioritizing the professional ranks.

CJ Fredrick (Iowa)

Iowa guard CJ Fredrick, a former Covington Catholic standout and 2018 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year, has been rumored as a potential transfer option over the last month or so and should be a situation to watch.

Though he is not yet in the portal and no contact is legally allowed between either side, there have been strong rumblings of Fredrick’s interest in returning closer to home – he’s originally from Cincinnati, OH – and potentially suiting up as a Wildcat next season.

Fredrick, who started 27 games for Iowa this past season, finished the year averaging 7.5 points per game on 47.4% shooting overall and 47.4% shooting from three. As a freshman in 2019-20, the former Covington Catholic star averaged 10.2 points per contest and shot 46.1% from three on over four attempts per game.

It’s still very early and Fredrick still has to put his name in the portal before he even becomes an option, but it’s certainly a situation to monitor closely.

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With two full weeks remaining in the NCAA Tournament for the 16 teams remaining in contention, along with the 52 teams who just saw their seasons end this past weekend in the First Four, First Round and Round of 32, there are still plenty of big-name talents still deciding their future plans and may ultimately decide to enter the portal in the coming weeks and months.

Needless to say, Calipari and the UK coaching staff will have plenty of options to choose from when it comes time to rounding out next year’s roster.