In a shocking development Kentucky will be losing a starting guard to the transfer portal

Heading into the transfer portal, there were three players that Big Blue Nation felt Kentucky could not lose. The first was Kam Williams, who announced he will be back in Lexington. The second was Malachi Moreno, who is expected back in Lexington after getting some feedback from the NBA. The third was the Wildcats' best shooter, Collin Chandler, but in a shocking development, Chandler has announced that he will be hitting the portal.

There were some rumors before the portal opened that Chandler was thinking about heading back to Utah and that he would play for BYU. Chandler was originally committed to BYU when Mark Pope was the coach but followed Pope to Lexington.

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Collin Chandler (5) dunks the ball against the Santa Clara Broncos during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

This year, the sophomore shooting guard averaged 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game for the Wildcats while shooting 43.5% from the field and 41% from three. Chandler received the nickname Captain Clutch because in a handful of games, he made a shot or some sort of play that helped the Wildcats win. The most memorable was the three against Tennessee to put Kentucky ahead when the Wildcats were wearing the throwback denim jerseys.

It seems safe to say that Chandler will more than likely be heading back to play for the Cougars of BYU, but it will be interesting to see if any other school gets involved for the sharpshooter. Chandler was the best shooter on this Kentucky team and was expected to take another big step next season.

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Collin Chandler (5) reacts against the Santa Clara Broncos during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Now that Chandler has left, the staff is going to be looking to add a lot of shooters via the portal as the only shooter the Wildcats have right now is Williams. It will be hard to find an elite shooter like Chandler, so Pope needs to go and get a bunch of shooters in the portal, so the three-point shooting is better during the 2026-27 season.

Sometimes players hit the transfer portal, and fans feel that it was good for the program to create a spot for new players, and sometimes losses are really bad. This is a loss for the Wildcats that I would put in the really bad category. Chandler and Pope had a really good relationship over a long period of time, so I am still shocked that he pulled the trigger on hitting the portal.

Big Blue Nation will be wishing Chandler well at his next stop but this without question really hurts for Kentucky.