Another name to monitor as a potential addition to Kentucky’s 2026-27 roster has emerged.

Head coach Mark Pope has only brought in one portal player so far this offseason, although he’s a good one in Washington point guard Zoom Diallo. But Kentucky still has plenty of spots to fill ahead of next season. Could Florida Atlantic forward Devin Williams take one? Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ reported on Thursday that Williams, who has known Pope for years now, is scheduled to have a Zoom meeting with him on Friday.

A 6-foot-10, 210-pound redshirt sophomore, Williams is unranked as a transfer prospect by On3, but 247Sports does consider him a three-star portal talent. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining at his next stop. Let’s get to know him a little bit better through another edition of KSR’s Bio Blast.

A former 4-star recruit turned elite shot-blocker

A native of California who spent his final three high school seasons at Centennial (CA), Williams was considered a four-star recruit as a senior. The Rivals Industry Ranking tabbed him as the 58th-best player from the class of 2023. He initially landed at UCLA to play for head coach Mick Cronin, choosing the Bruins over the likes of Southern California, Texas Tech, Arizona, and UNLV.

Williams’ true freshman season at UCLA in 2023-24 saw him take on a reserve role. He appeared in just 10 games for the Bruins, averaging 1.4 points in 3.2 minutes per contest. His best outing was a six-point showing in his third-ever college game against Long Island University. He only took the floor six times against Pac-12 competition. Williams then redshirted his entire sophomore season in 2024-25 before transferring to Florida Atlantic last offseason to play for head coach John Jakus.

That move ended up paying off for Williams. He started all 33 games for the Owls in 2025-26, posting per-game averages of 7.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, a conference-leading 2.6 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 23.8 minutes. He shot 57.7 percent on his two-pointers, 30.6 percent on three-pointers with low volume (15-49 for the season), and 67.4 percent from the free-throw line. His 85 total blocks ranked seventh nationally.

Florida Atlantic posted an 18-15 record last season, which wasn’t good enough to make any postseason appearances, but Williams had plenty of solid performances along the way. He scored in double-figures 11 times with one double-double. He went for 15 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks against South Florida to go along with a 14-point, 10-rebound, three-block showing against Wichita State. Williams recorded at least one block in 30 games, had 21 games with at least two rejections, and even had a couple of seven-block outings.

What the advanced stats say about his game

It’s no surprise to see Williams’ numbers as a rim protector jump off the page. His block percentage of 11.1 percent last season ranked him in the 98th percentile among all forwards, per CBB Analytics. For reference, Malachi Moreno posted a block percentage of 7.3 percent (90th percentile) last season for Kentucky. Williams is an elite shot blocker first and foremost — and he does without fouling. As far as his rebounding goes, he did not grade out as a high-level defensive rebounder (34th percentile), but he made a real impact on the offensive glass (72nd percentile).

Most of Williams’ field goal attempts came right around the rim and from around the free-throw line area, with most of his three-point looks coming from the top of the key. 25 percent of his makes last season came off second-chance opportunities, an above-average number for his position. Williams was a good, not great, finisher around the rim, but he also shot 50 percent on mid-range two-pointers, putting him in the 89th percentile among all bigs. He likes to operate in the mid-range area offensively, using his passing skills (10.1 percent assist rate; 69th percentile) to help generate points.

It’s Transfer Portal SZN on KSR+

If you’ve ever been curious about KSR+, our premium sister site, now is the time to try it out. We’re doubling down our efforts to bring you bonus coverage of the Cats and the intel and analysis you can’t get anywhere else. Subscribe now for an inside look at a pivotal offseason for Mark Pope and Kentucky Basketball and Will Stein’s first year at the helm of Kentucky Football, along with access to KSBoard and House of Blue, the most vibrant message board communities in BBN. Join the club right now for 50% off an annual subscription.