Kentucky Basketball's Jordan Burks Shakes Up the Game: Why He's Suddenly Entering the Transfer Portal After a Stellar Season

Even though the transfer portal deadline has passed, we’ve seen several major entries announced as late as Thursday, one being former Kentucky Basketball player Jordan Burks.

Burks, a 3-star prospect in the class of 2023, signed with Kentucky out of high school when John Calipari was still running the show. After sparingly playing as a true freshman and watching Calipari leave town, Burks entered the portal and wound up at Georgetown.

After a year with the Hoyas, the 6-foot-9, 205-pound Burks re-entered the portal and ended up playing for UCF, where he had a breakout 2025-26 campaign. In 33 games (all starts), the Alabama native averaged 13.3 points on 45.5% shooting (37.3% from deep), 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 0.7 assists per game. He primarily played the 3 but logged minutes at the 4, so he’s another guy who could give a team like Kentucky depth at multiple spots.

Burks played well in many of the Knights’ biggest games of the season. He scored 21 points in a win at Texas A&M, 14 in a home win over Kansas, 17 in a home win vs. Texas Tech, 24 in a win at BYU, and 22 in a Round of 64 loss to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.

There’s been no public report as to who is jumping into the mix for Burks, but with Kentucky lacking in the frontcourt, he’s an intriguing option for Mark Pope and Co. to consider.

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