A huge commitment for the Cats!
The Kentucky Wildcats have landed Arizona State big man Jayden Quaintance, who has committed to UK over the Auburn Tigers, according to Jonathan Giovny.
After entering the transfer portal on April 2nd, Quaintance wasted no time in finding his next college home, likely wanting to get his NIL deals secured before the House settlement kicks in.
Originally a 5-star prospect ranked eighth overall by Rivals in the class of 2024, Quaintance committed to the Wildcats during the fall signing period in 2023. But after John Calipari left town, Quaintance backed out of his commitment, nearly joined the Louisville Cardinals, and ultimately signed with Arizona State.
A 6-foot-9 native of Cleveland (OH), Quaintance has the potential to be an All-SEC level performer next season, but there’s a catch. He’s recovering from a torn ACL suffered late in the regular season during his freshman season, so there’s a big injury question mark heading into the fall.
However, his father told ESPN that his son was expected to be cleared for contact in September, which means he could be ready for the start of the 2025-26 college basketball season.
In 24 games this past season, Quaintance averaged 9.3 points on 52.5% shooting (18.8% on 3s), 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 29.7 minutes per game. He was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive Teams.
Despite being the youngest player in college basketball, Quaintance played like a grown man, logging nine games of double-digit rebounds, including two outings grabbing 14 boards.
MASSIVE get for Mark Pope and his staff!
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