Kentucky reportedly “could be in the mix” for a top transfer from Florida State
Another potential portal target has popped on the radar.
According to The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Kentucky “could be in the mix” for Florida State transfer wing Jamir Watkins. A 6-foot-7, 210-pound native of New Jersey, Watkins averaged 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals in 30.9 minutes per outing during the 2024-25 season with the Seminoles. He shot 42.7 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from deep, and 74.7 percent from the free throw line.
UK is among a handful of schools Goodman says could show some serious interest in Watkins, who is considered the 5th-best player to enter the portal this offseason by On3.
“Can I give one update on a player that no information has been out there?” Goodman said on Wednesday. “And this is not guessing, but this is a little bit of like ‘I don’t feel great on these’. But I got one source that told me Jamir Watkins, some of his schools… Three schools that I’m told could be in the mix for Jamir Watkins: Louisville, Kentucky, Illinois. Duke, I don’t know if it’s going to work at Duke. But he’s gonna go to the highest level schools.”
Watkins entered his name into the transfer portal on April 9 with a “do not contact” tag. He also declared for the NBA Draft but has one year of eligibility remaining if he ends up returning to college.
Turning 24 years old in July, Watkins started his college career at VCU in 2020-21, which allowed him a free year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then sat out the entire 2021-22 season due to a knee injury before returning for the Rams in 2022-23. Watkins then elected to transfer to Florida State and stayed with the Seminoles for the last two seasons.
Watkins has steadily improved his game across all four of his seasons on the floor. At VCU, he went from averaging 7.2 points per game as a freshman to 9.5 points per game as a redshirt sophomore. At Florida State, his production skyrocketed to 15.6 points per game before taking another leap in 2024-25. His 18.4 points per contest last season led Florida State and ultimately landed him a spot on the All-ACC Second-Team.
Keep in mind that Goodman did not explicitly state Kentucky was heavily recruiting Watkins. He was careful in saying the Wildcats “could” be involved. But Watkins is a name we’ll be monitoring moving forward as Mark Pope looks to add another piece or two to his 2025-26 roster.
Kentucky Basketball 2025-26 Roster Tracker
COMMITS (5)
Kam Williams – G – Tulane – 9.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 48.5% FG, 41.2% 3PT | Committed 3/28
Jaland Lowe – G – Pittsburgh – 16.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.2 RPG, 37.6% FG, 26.6% 3PT | Committed 4/5
Mouhamed Dioubate – F – Alabama – 7.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 61.7% FG, 46.2% 3PT | Committed 4/7
Jayden Quaintance – F – Arizona State – 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 52.5 FG% | Committed 4/8
Andrija Jelavic — C — Mega — 10.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 50.3% FG, 32.3% 3PT | – Committed 4/12
RETURNING / INCOMING (7)
Otega Oweh – G – Rising Senior – 16.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 49.2% FG, 35.5% 3PT
Brandon Garrison – C – Rising Junior – 5.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 50.9%
Collin Chandler – C- Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 36.1% FG, 34.7% 3PT
Travis Perry – PG – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 31.3% FG, 32.1% 3PT
Trent Noah – F – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 45.1% FG, 33.3% 3PT
Malachi Moreno – C – Incoming Freshman – Great Crossing (Georgetown, KY)
Jasper Johnson – SG – Incoming Freshman – Overtime Elite (Lexington, KY)
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