Mark Pope has added Hofstra transfer guard Cruz Davis to the long list of players visiting campus this week, looking to smartly add depth at the guard position.

The 6-foot-3 junior averaged 20.1 points per game in the 2025-26 season, ranking as the 29th highest scorer in college basketball. He also dished out 4.7 assists per game for the Pride, leading their offense in both categories.

A former three-star recruit out of Huntington, West Virginia, he now hails as the 28th overall prospect in the portal and as the No. 8 point guard available. He made stops in Iona for the 2022-23 season, where Davis averaged 6.5 points per game as a freshman.

Transferring to St. John’s for his sophomore stint, the Plano, Texas native only played in four games for the Red Storm, receiving an extra year of eligibility. His past two seasons were spent with head coach Speedy Claxton in New York, now leading to a potential chapter in Lexington.

Davis is an isolation scorer who drops buckets primarily off of pull-up jumpers. Although that may not sound efficient or pretty to the Big Blue Nation at first, it can be noted that he shot 44% from the field and 40% from deep last year, proving he isn’t just an inconsistent, shot-chucking guard.

Colorado forward Sebastian Rancik and Furman guard Alex Wilkins, who are both currently on campus, will just miss Davis as he will take an in-person visit sometime later this week according to On3’s Joe Tipton. He will likely clash with Utah guard Terrence Brown, who will visit Kentucky on Friday, April 17 per Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman.

As the portal season is in full swing, these players’ decisions will be crucially watched in the coming days for Pope and his staff.

Mark Pope has officially landed his first pickup of the offseason out of the transfer portal, earning a commitment from Washington guard Zoom Diallo on Wednesday, April 15.

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 15.7 points per game in the 2025-26 season, adding on 3.9 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game on 48.9% shooting from the field. Although his shooting percentages from three and the free-throw line were not pretty his freshman year, Diallo took a major jump in his second stint with the Huskies, taking a near 13% jump in both categories.

A former McDonald’s All-American, Diallo was once recruited by former head coach John Calipari out of high school, although an official offer was never in place. He played at Prolific Prep in California his senior year, once a teammate of Kentucky target Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class.

Diallo ranks as the 26th-best transfer in the class and as the seventh-best guard in the portal, inserting his name back on April 3 with a decision to return to Washington still open. Now, just over a week later, the eventual junior will continue his career in Lexington.

As the John Wall “BOOM” post circulated around Twitter (X), Diallo shared a message to his social media after his life-changing commitment. “253 ➡️ 859 #BBN”

With all hands on deck and a quiet approach from the Kentucky staff, the transfer guard will remain as the Wildcats’ first pickup from the portal and as the 2026-27 squad’s best option to run the one.

Leroy Blyden Jr., the No. 15 point guard in the transfer portal rankings and the No. 66 overall prospect, is set to have a Zoom video call with Kentucky this week.

Blyden Jr. averaged 16.4 points per game to go along with 4.0 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game in his freshman season at Toledo, shooting 46.1% from the field. The 6-foot-1 guard was second on the team in terms of total points and assists, winning the MAC Rookie of the Year award and joining an elite list of mid-major studs in the portal.

The Detroit native inserted his name into the transfer portal on March 28, first reported by Jonathan Givony per agents Brandon Grier and Rob Murphy. He’s garnished high-major interest since the portal has opened, with Mark Pope and his staff inserting their name with the other teams eager to land depth at the guard position.

A former three-star recruit, this is an example of a guard who is good in transition and can make plays in a fast-paced offense, boasting a 2.75 assist to turnover ratio. He shot 40.3% from deep this past season, with his splits rounding out with an 85% clip at the line.

Kentucky will keep their eye on one of the best young guards in the portal.