Kentucky players C.J. Frederick and Daimion Collins entered the transfer portal Friday morning, adding to Lexington’s roster volatility.
The two departures leave John Calipari with just three certain returnees to be on the team next season, with Ugona Onyenso the current top returning scorer at 2.5 points per game.
Frederick spent the first two seasons of his career at Iowa, earning a spot on the Big Ten’s All-Freshman team and shooting 46.6% from 3 in 52 games with the Hawkeyes. His two seasons at Kentucky were filled with injuries, missing all of the 2021-22 season with a torn hamstring and then dealing with finger and rib injuries this past season.
He appeared in 27 games this season, averaging 6.1 points.
Collins, a former McDonald’s All American in the Class of 2021, struggled to make an impact in his two seasons with the Wildcats. The 6-foot-9 power forward averaged 7.7 minutes, 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 52 games.
Frederick and Collins join Sahvir Wheeler as former Kentucky players on the transfer portal, while Cason Wallace, Jacob Toppin, Oscar Shibway, Antonio Reaves and Chris Livingston all entered their names in the NBA draft. Tshiebwe, Reeves and Livingston retain their college eligibility and have until May 31 to withdraw from the draft and return to college.
Calipari is bringing in the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class led by three top six prospects in the 2023 class: Justin Edwards, DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw.