Kentucky reaches out to two Virginia Tech basketball players in the transfer portal

Over the last week, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team has had a mass exodus out of Blacksburg with the men's basketball team. Head coach Mike Young has seen Tyler Nickel, Sean Pedulla, Mylyjael Poteat, Lynn Kidd, and John Camden in the portal.

Kidd quickly committed to Miami, while Poteat announced on Saturday that he's withdrawing from the portal and returning to Virginia Tech. When Pedulla announced on X that he was entering the portal, he was open to returning to Blacksburg for his final season. Monday night, it was reported that Pedulla and Nickel had been contacted in the portal by the same school.

Kentucky reportedly reaches out to Tyler Nickel and Sean Pedulla

Last Tuesday it was announced that Kenny Brooks was leaving Virginia Tech to take over as women's basketball coach at Kentucky. Monday, Kentucky men's coach John Calipari reportedly reached out to Pedulla and Nickel about playing in Lexington for the 2024-25 season.

Pedulla averaged 16.4 points last season in Blacksburg with 4.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists a game. As the season went along, he became a player that was able to create his own shot, get to the basket and knock down a shot from behind the 3-point line, turning into the Hokies most consistent scorer.

Nickel, who played this past season for Young after transferring from North Carolina, was a key piece off the bench for Virginia Tech with his ability to knock down 3-pointers and play some pretty good defense. He's not going to run the offense, but he's a very capable scorer off the bench as a wing.

Kentucky has struggled in recent NCAA Tournaments and Calipari might be feeling the pressure in Lexington heading into next season and adding Pedulla to his roster as an experienced guard and scorer and Nickel off the bench as a wing would help add offensive depth to the Wildcats.