Ugonna Onyenso: The latest recruiting intel as a school emerges for the Kentucky center

Ugonna Onyenso entered the college basketball Transfer Portal on Tuesday, April 23. Immediately, schools started reaching out for the 7-foot-0 center from Kentucky. The first to reach out, as reported by On3, were Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgetown, Louisville, and Florida.

I was told by a source close to the recruitment that this process would not take very long, suggesting a decision to come within ten to fourteen days after entering the transfer portal. A source told me recently that Alabama, Oklahoma, and Louisville all made a push.

With the intel I currently have, I have placed an RPM for Kentucky transfer Ugonna Onyenso to ultimately choose Alabama.

Ugonna Onyenso

The three official visits Ugonna Onyenso took in high school were Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. The 6-foot-11 center was originally a part of the 2023 high school class before reclassifying into the 2022 class as On3’s No. 18 overall player.

Onyenso, who was born in Owerri, Nigeria, played two seasons with John Calipari at Kentucky. Before that, he was at the NBA Academy Africa, in Senegal, for three seasons and ended up transferring to Putnam Science Academy/CT for his last year of high school.

Playing in 18.8 minutes per game, Onyenso’s 66 blocks finished third overall in the SEC. In 19 SEC games, Onyenso averaged 3.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in 20.0 minutes played this season. His 15.3 block percentage joined Ole Miss center Jamarion Sharp as the only two high major players who played 20 games and had block percentages over 15 last season.

In 2021, at the age of 17, Ugonna Onyenso became the youngest player to ever play a senior game for the Nigerian National Basketball team. He averaged 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in the African World Cup Qualifiers.

Something to keep in mind, is that transfer portal recruitments oftentimes move very quickly. Recruitments from the transfer portal can also change very quickly. While a school might lead on a Sunday, it is best to continue monitoring things as it could swiftly change by that Tuesday. So stay tuned to On3 as we continue to tell the recruiting story with all the latest intel and breaking news.

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