Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball officially strengthened its frontcourt depth on Saturday by signing transfer center from Washington Huskies men’s basketball for the 2026-27 season. The addition gives Kentucky another experienced big man as the program continues building its roster for the upcoming year.
Kepnang, a 6-foot-11 center weighing 253 pounds, is originally from Cameroon and brings years of college basketball experience with him to Lexington. Before joining Washington, he spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career with the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball. After transferring to Washington, he remained there for four seasons, making this upcoming campaign a potential seventh year in college basketball if he receives an eligibility waiver.
Although some seventh-year eligibility requests are often viewed skeptically, Kepnang’s case carries more legitimacy because injuries have consistently interrupted his development throughout his college career. Since beginning college basketball during the 2020 season, he benefited from the NCAA’s Covid-19 eligibility extension, which granted athletes an extra season. However, multiple injury setbacks prevented him from fully taking advantage of that opportunity.
During the 2022-23 season, his first year with Washington, Kepnang appeared in only eight games before suffering a serious knee injury that ended his season prematurely. His final appearance that year came against Oregon State Beavers men’s basketball in early December as Pac-12 competition was beginning.
The injury troubles continued over the next two seasons. In both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns, Kepnang played fewer than 15 games. One of the expected points in his waiver request will likely center around the 2023-24 season, when he managed to appear in only 10 contests before another setback sidelined him. His final game that year came against Seattle Redhawks men’s basketball in December. Because of those repeated interruptions, Kentucky appears hopeful that the NCAA will approve his request for another year of eligibility.
When healthy last season, Kepnang showed flashes of being a valuable contributor for the Huskies. Across 27 games, he averaged 6.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 blocked shots per game. He also recorded five double-digit scoring performances, including a 13-point outing against then-No. 12 Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball and another 10-point effort versus then-No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers men’s basketball.
While his offensive production is solid, Kentucky’s interest in Kepnang goes beyond scoring. His physical defensive presence and shot-blocking ability are viewed as major strengths, particularly after the Wildcats lost forward Mouhamed Dioubate to LSU Tigers men’s basketball. Kentucky lacked that kind of defensive toughness inside, making Kepnang an appealing addition.
A former top-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania according to 247Sports, Kepnang was once considered one of the region’s best young talents. If cleared to play, he is expected to serve as the backup center behind Malachi Moreno, assuming Moreno withdraws from the NBA Draft process and returns to school.
Kepnang joins a Kentucky roster that already includes returning players Kam Williams, Trent Noah, Reece Potter, and Braydon Hawthorne. The Wildcats have also added newcomers such as Zyon Hawthorne, Mason Williams, Ousmane N’Diaye, Jerone Morton, Justin McBride, Zoom Diallo, and Alex Wilkins through recruiting and the transfer portal.
Kentucky may not be finished adding talent, either, as the program reportedly continues monitoring additional transfer options, including Milan Momcilovic from Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball.
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