Jayden Quaintance is officially returning to Kentucky. On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported that the 6-foot-9 forward has committed to the Wildcats, marking a significant addition for the program. Quaintance played his freshman season at Arizona State, where he put together an impressive stat line, averaging 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in just under 30 minutes per game. Remarkably, he did all of this as a 17-year-old, shooting 52.5 percent from the field during the 2024-25 season.
Originally committed to Kentucky out of high school, Quaintance asked for a release from his National Letter of Intent after John Calipari left for Arkansas. He spent one year with the Sun Devils, but once he entered the transfer portal, new head coach Mark Pope made him a top priority. Now, almost exactly a year after stepping away from UK, Quaintance is set to finally join the Wildcats in Lexington.
Quaintance is currently recovering from successful ACL surgery, which he had in late March. Despite the setback, he remains a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, with high expectations surrounding his return. He’s aiming to resume full-contact activities by September, with the goal of being fully cleared and ready to compete when the regular season begins in November.
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