One of the biggest head-turners of March Madness is ready to keep that national spotlight on him, making the jump from the Southern Conference to the Southeastern Conference. Alex Wilkins, who visited Kentucky from Wednesday to Thursday, has announced his commitment to the Wildcats.

The 6-foot-5 guard also considered Alabama, Kansas, Syracuse and UConn before deciding to suit up for Mark Pope in Lexington.

Kentucky has been steady in its pursuit, starting with a Zoom meeting shortly after he entered the portal, and then following up with an in-person meeting in South Carolina over the weekend.

Wilkins, who led Furman to the SoCon Tournament championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament, averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 29.7 minutes per contest in 2025-26. The Mattapan, MA native finished the year with shooting splits of 46/33/82, with 14 20-point efforts and a pair of 30-balls, and only six single-digit finishes in 35 starts. His biggest performance came on the biggest platform, going for 21 points on 8-15 shooting and 4-8 from three with four assists, one rebound and one steal in Furman’s 82-71 loss to No. 2 seed UConn in March Madness.

He was also named to the 2025-26 All-Southern Team while also winning the 2026 Southern Tournament MVP Award.

That all came as a freshman with the 6-foot-5 guard just finding his footing at the Division I level, showing flashes of superstardom in year one — despite going in as an unranked high schooler holding offers from Miami (OH), Davidson, Hofstra, Northern Kentucky, Florida Gulf Coast and Charleston, among others. With an assist rate of 34.8 percent, he graded out in the 98th percentile among all guards, while his four battles vs. Quad 1 and 2 opponents matched his season-long averages, meaning he could be a very real breakthrough candidate in the SEC with the increased competition.

Wilkins is the No. 9 shooting guard and the No. 29 overall player in the On3 Transfer Portal Industry Ranking. On3 ranks him as the No. 8 shooting guard and No. 27 overall player in the transfer portal. He joins Washington transfer Zoom Diallo among current pledges for the Wildcats, creating a dynamic one-two punch in the backcourt for Pope in 2026-27.

After a bit of a slow start, the good news keeps coming for Kentucky. Who is next?