Braydon Hawthorne officially signed on Tuesday for his return to Kentucky Basketball, putting the 4-star wing back on track to make his debut season with the Wildcats after redshirting this past year. He posted the news on Instagram.
The 6-foot-8, 190-pound Hawthorne, a 2025 recruit who was once ranked as high as 33rd nationally by 247 Sports, had already told the Lexington Herald-Leader in March that he planned to return for the 2026-27 season. His return now gives Kentucky another long, athletic option on the perimeter, and he will likely compete with Kam Williams for the starting 3 spot next season.
Hawthorne’s path back was not always so settled. There was a stretch when his redshirt was nearly pulled as Kentucky worked through a wave of injuries, but the program ultimately kept him on the development track. That decision leaves him entering next season with a clearer runway and a real shot at playing time when the Wildcats open their campaign.
For Kentucky, the signing matters because it turns a long-planned return into an official one, and it does so before next season’s rotation takes shape. For Hawthorne, a native of West Virginia, it starts the clock on a fresh chance to turn promise into minutes.