A 7'5 Kentucky target has chosen to play for the Louisville Cardinals

Mark Pope will go back to the drawing board to find a backup center.

Jan 9, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Chad Baker-Mazara (4) and center Gabe Dynes (45) celebrate against the Minnesota Golden Gophers aduring the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have had a bunch of positions to fill in the transfer portal this offseason, and one of those is the backup center role. Brandon Garrison has hit the portal, and Jayden Quaintance is off to the NBA Draft, so the Wildcats need a backup five behind Malachi Moreno. The 7’1 Kentucky native Moreno is testing the NBA waters but is expected to be back in Lexington next season as the Wildcats' starting center.

Coach Pope was after a very interesting target in the portal, as Kentucky had reached out to 7’5 USC transfer center Gabe Dynes. He is actually a Kentucky native from Independence, and the staff had him on campus this week for a visit. After his visit to Lexington, Dynes went down the road to Louisville for a visit with Pat Kelsey.

Feb 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) drives to the basket past Southern California Trojans center Gabe Dynes (45) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

After this visit, Dynes committed to play for the Cardinals this morning, but Big Blue Nation doesn’t seem all that upset. The reaction from Kentucky fans has actually been positive, as Dynes didn’t put up very impressive numbers last year at USC.

Knowing that there are some physicality concerns with Moreno fans really wanted to see the backup center for Kentucky this season be a physical specimen, so now Pope will have a chance to go find a player like this. There is a chance that this player could come from the portal, but over the last few days, Coach Pope has gotten very active in looking at foreign players, so perhaps this is the plan.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope looks on after the game against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Dynes very well could have a good season for Louisville backing up Flory Bidunga with his elite size at 7’5, but with this being such an important offseason for Pope and the Wildcats, it felt he should go another direction at the five. Right now, the Wildcats don’t seem to have many options at the five in the portal, so Pope might be looking across the globe.

In the SEC, teams need a physical center, and Big Blue Nation is hoping Moreno will be that this season but having a physical big man coming off the bench would be a really good addition for this staff. Kentucky really needs to do a good job of finding a backup big man, and this will likely be the focus of the staff over the next few days. We will likely hear the names of some new targets over the next couple of days.