Kentucky basketball's Collin Chandler reportedly in transfer portal

LEXINGTON — Collin Chandler was Mark Pope's first commitment after the latter took over as Kentucky basketball's coach.

But for the first time in Chandler's college career, he'll reportedly play for a new coach next season.

Chandler put his name into the transfer portal, according to multiple published reports.

A 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard, Chandler will be a junior in 2026-27.

He ended last season averaging 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 assists per game. His loss will be felt on the perimeter: Chandler was the Wildcats' most accurate 3-point shooter, connecting on 41% (73 for 178) of his attempts. His 73 makes also were a team high.

But Chandler wasn't simply a shooter. He won the dunk contest at the team's annual Big Blue Madness event each of the past two years. And his one-handed slam over Nicholls forward Grant Sanders was one of the highlights of UK's season. (The dunk earned the No. 1 spot in SportsCenter's rundown of the top-10 plays of the day in sports for Nov. 4.)

Chandler began the season as a starter, in the lineup for the first 14 games. He came off the bench during a five-game stretch in January before returning to the starting five against Ole Miss on Jan. 24. Chandler never left the lineup again after that.

The best game of his career was in Kentucky's home win over Vanderbilt on Feb. 28, when he scored a personal-best 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field (6 for 8 on 3s).

Chandler's role last season far exceeded what was asked of him during his freshman campaign in 2024-25.

On a senior-laden roster, Chandler played in 30 games without a start. But his contributions picked up as the season progressed: After logging 10-or-more minutes only seven times in his first 21 appearances, he played double-digit minutes in eight of the final nine games.

Chandler originally signed with BYU out of high school, when Pope still was the Cougars' coach. Chandler then went away on a two-year mission before flipping his commitment and enrolling at Kentucky in 2024.

He was a four-star prospect in the 2022 cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite, clocking in at No. 37 nationally and No. 6 at his position (combo/shooting guard). The composite rankings tabbed him Utah's top recruit in 2022.

Chandler was a three-time first-team all-state selection and won the 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Utah after averaging 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball's Collin Chandler reportedly in transfer portal