Tuesday night finally marked the end of this maddening transfer portal. Mark Pope’s Kentucky squad seemed like it had finally rounded out its roster by adding Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen. We saved a late NBA draft defection by Otega Oweh and with that, the rest of the Kentucky roster seemed pretty much locked in. But you know what? The Wildcats got hit with a last-minute plot twist. 

Just hours before the portal slammed shut, freshman guard Travis Perry pulled a surprise move and entered the portal himself. After just one season in Lexington, Perry is now entering the portal. He joins Kerr Kriisa as the only two UK scholarship players to dip into the portal. But don’t worry, Otega Oweh, Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler, and Trent Noah are all set to return for the 2025-26 campaign. While Oweh is leaning toward coming back, he has until 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 28 to make a final decision on his future. 

The 6-foot-1, 188-pound guard from Lyon County didn’t exactly light up the stats sheet last season, but he did get a fair amount of playing time. In 31 games, with four starts, Perry averaged 2.7 points per game on 31.3% shooting (32.1% from three), 0.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.4 steals in just under 10 minutes per game. 

Not exactly flashy numbers, but things could’ve been different if he’d gotten more consistent minutes in the coming years. Why are we putting so much trust in him?

Well, because Perry is actually the state’s all-time high school points leader, not to mention last year’s Kentucky Mr. Basketball. He committed to Kentucky back in the fall of 2023 when John Calipari was still at the helm. But when Pope took over, Perry stayed loyal and reaffirmed his commitment to the Wildcats during Pope’s introductory press conference at Rupp Arena. 

He was one of Pope’s first big recruits, and there was hope he could make an impact on the floor for Kentucky. To be fair, he did get more playing time than expected, thanks in part to the fact that the Kentucky backcourt was dealing with injuries all season long. Starting point guard Lamont Butler was out with a shoulder issue that kept him sidelined for much of the second half of the season.

Kriisa and Jaxson Robinson, Pope’s backup guards, also finished the year on the bench due to injuries. So the freshman ended up making four starts, filling in whenever Butler, Kriisa, or Robinson couldn’t go.

Now, with Perry’s decision to leave, it’s likely that Kentucky will now have to make another move to shore up its backcourt. A high school recruit? We never know. For the time being while this decision from Perry might seem sudden, did any Kentucky fan really expect anything different at this point? Seems like they all saw this one coming a mile away.

Kentucky fans understand Mark Pope’s freshman guard’s decision to move on

Ky SportsHost Matt Jones kicked off the conversation saying, “I hope Travis Perry crushes it wherever he goes next…ultimately his role at Kentucky was probably not going to be what many around him hoped, so this ended up being the result.” He acknowledged that, given Kentucky’s stacked roster, Perry’s role at the Wildcats was never going to live up to the Bluegrass legend hype many had hoped for. To be honest, Perry would’ve been a solid candidate for a redshirt season, but with the expectations around him, that wasn’t in the cards. 

Then came the injuries, and with Kentucky scrambling to fill spots, Perry went from barely seeing the floor to becoming a starter for several SEC games. Those injuries and the resulting need for unprepared players like Perry to step up were a big part of why Kentucky has been so active in the transfer portal lately—ensuring depth won’t be an issue moving forward.

As a result, Perry’s role seemed destined to shrink with the new arrivals, which ultimately led him to decide it’s time for a fresh start somewhere else. Another fan chimed in, saying, “Not surprised this was expected to happen, wouldn’t see the floor this upcoming season.” 

When you look at Kentucky’s recent haul of talent, it’s easy to see why. The latest commitment from Florida’s Denzel Aberdeen capped off a highly-rated class packed with diverse talent. Head coach Mark Pope has done an amazing job with the transfer portal, and On3’s rankings show Kentucky boasts the best transfer class in the country, sitting at number one with an index score of 38. 

Names like Jayden Quaintance, Jaland Lowe, Mouhamed Dioubate, Kam Williams, and Aberdeen make up a formidable group. With all these new additions, it was clear Perry’s minutes were going to be hard to come by next season. One fan said, “I understand why he would transfer, but really hate to see him go.”

 It’s tough for fans who had already started to think of him as a fixture for the Wildcats. Even though it wasn’t a huge shock, Perry was expected to return after Kentucky’s season-ending loss to Tennessee. He’d even hinted at his plans to come back for his sophomore year, and the buzz was all about his return.

Another fan shared, “He lived his dream of being a Wildcat, now he can go live the dream of being a great college basketball player.” Perry, a Kentucky native, always dreamed of playing for his home state, and he had his moments in the spotlight, like when he started at point guard against Alabama. In that game, Perry scored 12 points, grabbed 1 rebound, dished out 1 assist, and made 4 steals on the defensive end. Not too bad for a guy who wasn’t expected to be in the starting lineup.

This just goes to show the potential Perry has, even though being at Kentucky didn’t allow him to fully showcase it. Now, with a mid-major program, he could really thrive.

Another fan tossed out a potential destination for Perry, saying, “I would love nothing more than for him to go put the Hilltoppers on his back.” WKU, a team in Conference USA (C-USA), could be the perfect spot for him to shine. The Hilltoppers are a historically strong program, though they’ve been classified as a mid-major recently, and they went 17-15 last season. If Perry made his way there, his previous experience at Kentucky would definitely help him contribute to their success.

And while it’s yet to be seen where Perry actually ends up, Kentucky’s stacked roster gives fans hope. Sure, bringing in the best doesn’t always guarantee success, but it definitely keeps the fans excited for what’s next.