Jaron Pierre is one of the hottest names on the board on Kentucky’s transfer portal shortlist, and for good reason. The 6-5, 190-pound transfer from Jacksonville State is one of the most prolific scorers in the country, scoring a nation-high 777 points last season.

KY Insider first reported on Tuesday that Kentucky had contacted Pierre, and that Pierre was “definitely” interested in the Cats. Tonight, we can report that a Zoom has been scheduled for Pierre and Kentucky for Friday.

Talking with Pierre and his agent, Kentucky is making a strong push. Mark Pope and associate head coach Alvin Brooks visited Pierre in Dallas immediately following his visit to SMU on Wednesday, before the recruiting dead period hit (April 3rd-10th), selling them on the “Mecca of college basketball.”

Per the NCAA, a dead period is that period of time when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution’s campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus.

The two coaches were fresh off a visit to Minnesota where they visited Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe, and discussed with Pierre about the two potentially playing together, among other players. This is interesting, as some believed that it would be one or the other. It also says that Kentucky is looking to have Pierre play more off the ball if he were to come to Kentucky.

According to Pierre and his agent, April 7th is a date that they are keeping an eye on as the NIL landscape could completely change, and they could make a decision as soon as this weekend. However, they do not want to rush this process.

More updates to come.

There are more than a thousand players in the transfer portal, meaning names are flying left and right. As of April 1st, Kentucky has one commitment in Kam Williams (Tulane), and is projected to land top 25 transfer Magoon Gwath (San Diego State).

That said, the Kentucky staff has been in contact with more than a dozen players, and there is another notable player to add to that list.

KY Insider can report that Kentucky has contacted Jaron Pierre from Jacksonville State. Pierre is currently a four-star transfer prospect and ranked as the 34th ranked prospect in 247Sports‘ transfer portal rankings.

At Jacksonville State last season, Pierre scored more points than anyone else in college basketball (777 points), averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 38.2% from 3-point range (9.0 attempts per game). He scored 30 points or more in six games, and only had one game where he did not score in double digits. His impressive play earned him Conference USA Player of the Year honors.

Pierre also had prior stops at Southern Miss and Wichita State, where he spent two years at each school, and will be going into his sixth season of college basketball. Pierre has also declared for the NBA Draft, but is not currently projected on any mock drafts.

While still early in his recruitment, Pierre tells KY Insider that he is “definitely” interested in Kentucky, but no Zoom meeting or visit has been scheduled.

“I love it Big Blue Nation,” Pierre said of the Kentucky program. He also really liked what Mark Pope was able to do in his first season in Lexington. “He was able to pick up right where it left off.”

The level of competition is always a question when evaluating a mid-major talent, but Pierre’s athleticism jumps off the page and a 38.2% clip from three on nine attempts per game is nothing to slight at.

While all the attention is on Kentucky’s matchup with Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen, the transfer portal officially opened on Monday and the staff has been hard at work.

Already tossing a wide net, reaching out to nearly a dozen guys in the past few days, the Cats have reeled in their first commitment from Top 25 ranked (247Sports), four-star transfer Kam Williams from Tulane.

With a 6-8, 190-pound frame, Williams has good size. What caught the staff’s eye is his ELITE shooting ability, shooting better than 41 percent this past season and that includes 17 threes made beyond 25 feet. He excels best in catch-and-shoot situations, where he ranks in the 94th percentile.

Williams received interest from many schools in addition to Kentucky, such as Florida, Louisville, and St. John’s among others. Why did Williams commit to Kentucky so quickly?

“Not many people get opportunities like this, so I wanted to pull the trigger fast,” Williams told ESPN. “More people are waiting to fill that spot, so I had to take advantage.”

“My dream is to play in the NBA. Kentucky’s culture and background shows that they care about their players, especially developing them into the best players they can be.”