Virginia Tech transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr. finally made his decision on Wednesday and won’t be coming to the Bluegrass.
The former Hokie will be taking his 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds to Gainsville to play for Mike White and the Florida Gators, reports indicated Wednesday evening.
Blackshear Jr. visited Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas before making the decision to go to Florida, a team that will now be considered one of the tops in the SEC and in the country. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound big man is originally from Orlando, Florida and will use his final year of eligibility in Gainsville before a chance at the NBA, an option Blackshear was considering before committing to the Gators. He missed the 2016-17 season, his sophomore year with an injury and bounced back to become one of the premiere big men in the country.
ESPN named Blackshear the No. 1 graduate transfer in the country over the offseason. He adds to a Gators recruiting class that ranked seventh in the country and returns starters Andrew Nembhard, Keontae Johnson and Noah Locke.
Blackshear’s possibility of joining Kentucky would have bolstered their depth and added much-needed playmaking to the Wildcats’ frontcourt that returns Nick Richards and E.J. Montgomery along with Bucknell transfer Nate Sestina.
