KSR's 2026 Kentucky Sports Summer Calendar

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. It may technically be the offseason for football and basketball, but there is a ton of stuff happening in the world of UK sports.

Over the next few weeks, the Kentucky Baseball team will compete in its fourth straight NCAA Tournament, some big NBA Draft decisions will be made, and basketball and football players will arrive on campus for summer workouts. In June, football recruiting takes center stage, as Will Stein and his staff hold camps and host official visitors. Basketball recruiting fires up in July with the Peach Jam, and the week after, Stein and the rest of the SEC’s coaches head to Tampa for SEC Media Days. Before you know it, we’ll be at Kroger Field for Media Day, and the countdown to Will Stein’s first season will be on.

As we celebrate the start of summer, let’s look at the calendar to see what’s ahead. More is happening than you might think.

MAY

May 26-29: SEC Spring Meetings

SEC coaches, administrators, and presidents are headed to Destin for the league’s annual Spring Meetings, which begin on Tuesday. There are a LOT of topics on the docket, chief among them potential College Football Playoff expansion, as the debate continues over whether to expand from 12 teams to 16 or 24. Other issues that will likely come up: a new bipartisan bill about college sports that is picking up steam, speculation that the SEC and the Big Ten could break off from the NCAA, and the first year of the House Settlement, which has done little to stop the NIL arms race.

This will be Will Stein’s first SEC spring meetings and also Mitch Barnhart’s last. In turn, the new energy surrounding Kentucky Football and the school’s search for a new athletic director will be in the spotlight. Mark Pope and Kenny Brooks will also be making the rounds. A trip to the Emerald Coast remains outside of the KSR travel budget this year, but we’ll be tuned in to cover it all.

May 27: NCAA’s NBA Draft Withdrawal Deadline

This date is not looming as large, thanks to Malachi Moreno‘s Sunday night announcement that he will be returning to Kentucky for his sophomore season. However, there are still a few folks sweating to see Milan Momcilovic‘s next move.

The former Iowa State sharpshooter has until Wednesday, May 27, at 11:59 p.m. ET to share whether he will keep his name in the NBA Draft, or return for another year of college basketball. Momcilovic is projected to go at the end of the first round or early in the second. If money talks, then returning to college basketball could be more profitable than a second-round contract. Kentucky, Louisville, and St. John’s are considered his top options; however, if he does decide to come back to college, more suitors could pull out their checkbooks.

Even though Wednesday is the withdrawal deadline, Momcilovic can take however long he likes with his transfer decision; for what it’s worth, he told reporters that he doubts that it will be long.

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May 29: Kentucky Baseball begins NCAA Tournament play

Big Blue Nation had a good long sweat on Memorial Day. The Kentucky baseball team was one of the last teams announced during the selection show, securing a four-straight NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in program history.

Kentucky will not be traveling too far. The Bat Cats will be traveling to West Virginia to take on Wake Forest in the opening round of the Morgantown Regional. The first pitch is Friday at Noon on ESPN2.

Kentucky has a chance to avenge last season’s elimination. West Virginia beat the Bat Cats twice in the Clemson Regional to advance to the Supers.

May 31-June 2: Pangos All-American Camp

Starting on Sunday, the 120 best high school basketball players will be in Las Vegas for the Pangos All-American Camp. Coaches can’t attend, but recruiting news should trickle out as prospects share what schools are in pursuit and we get a better look at the cream rising to the top ahead of the Peach Jam in July.

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JUNE

All month: Football recruiting visits

Football recruiting will dominate the month of June, with Will Stein and his staff going into overdrive as recruits come to campus for official visits and camps, the latter of which take place June 1 and 10. June 19-21 is the biggest recruiting weekend of the month, but June 5 and 12 will be loaded with official visits as well. With football momentum and excitement at an all-time high, KSR and KSR+ will be doubling down on our efforts to cover the biggest recruiting month of the year.

June 1: Football Summer Workouts begin

Football players will start arriving on campus later this week for summer workouts, which start a week from today. Coaches have two hours per week to work with their players in June and July, so get ready for lots of pictures and videos of Will Stein’s first Kentucky squad as they settle in, including transfers like quarterback Kenny Minchey, offensive tackle Lance Heard, and running back CB Baxter, and key returners like defensive backs Ty Bryant and Terhyon Nichols, and tight end Willie Rodriguez.

June 1 & 10: Wildcat One Day Camps

Football camps will be happening throughout June. The one-day camps on June 1 and 10 will be open to high schoolers, graduated high school seniors, JuCo prospects, and college players in the transfer portal. Several of Kentucky’s current 2027 commits are expected to be in attendance, making these great opportunities to see the future Cats and who the staff has its eyes on. KSR and KSR+ will have several boots on the ground at Kroger Field to bring you all the sights and sounds.

Early June: Basketball players report to campus

Typically, the basketball team reports to campus in early June. With roster building still underway, we’ve yet to hear the exact date that the players will arrive. Usually, it coincides with Mark Pope’s Father/Son and Father/Daughter Camps, but dates and details haven’t been announced for those either.

June 8-11: NBPA Top 100 Camp

In mid-June, the top recruits in the country head to Orlando, Florida, to show off their skills at the NBPA Top 100 Camp. There is an evaluation period during the camp, so college coaches will be allowed in. This will be our next look at who Mark Pope and his staff are targeting in the high school ranks. This year, Rajon Rondo is a guest coach, another step in his quest to join the coaching ranks.

June 23-24: NBA Draft

At least one Kentucky Wildcat will hear his name called at the NBA Draft in late June. Jayden Quaintance is projected to go in the first round, while Otega Oweh is hoping to climb into the second. Oweh performed well in the scrimmages at the NBA Draft Combine; even if he doesn’t get drafted, he’ll be picked up quickly.

June 30: Mitch Barnhart’s final day at UK

Kentucky’s search for Mitch Barnhart’s successor is ongoing, with UK President Eli Capilouto announcing last week that the new AD’s title will be CEO of Champions Blue LLC and Athletic Director. June will be full of news on the search, which will hopefully be announced well before June 30, Barnhart’s final day in office. Of all the storylines around UK sports this summer, this is by far the biggest.

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JULY

July 9-19: NBA Summer League

We’ll get our first look at Kentucky’s newest pros in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, along with fellow former Cats fighting for training camp spots.

July 14-19: Peach Jam

The biggest recruiting event of the year. All of the Nike EYBL teams are expected to gather in North Augusta for the event, which will draw coaching staffs from across the country. Kentucky still doesn’t have a commitment in the 2027 class, so this is a big week for Mark Pope and his new staff, who are targeting over a dozen players on the EYBL circuit.

July 16-19: Adidas 3SSB Championships

As mentioned, most of Kentucky’s high school targets are on the EYBL circuit, but a handful play on the adidas 3SSB circuit: Nasir Anderson (2027), Jordan Page (2027), Darius Wabbington (2027), and Yann Kamagate (2028). They’ll be in Rock Hill, SC, the same week as the Peach Jam for the Adidas 3SSB Championships. North Augusta and Rock Hill are just two hours apart, so coaches will probably make the trek back and forth throughout the week.

July 18-August 2: TBT 2026

The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is shaking things up this year with a new format featuring 16 teams, with eight alumni teams on one side of the bracket and eight non-alumni teams on the other. The alumni bracket is headlined by a series between La Familia (Kentucky alumni) and The Ville (Louisville alumni). The first round will be a best-of-three series, while the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship will be single-elimination.

Game one of La Familia vs. The Ville will take place at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington on Saturday, July 18, at 12 p.m. ET, and will be televised live on FOX. Game two will be played at Freedom Hall in Louisville on Monday, July 20, at 7 p.m. ET, and will be televised live on FS1. If necessary, game three will be played at Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday, July 22, at 6 p.m. ET on FS1, La Familia winning the right to host based on ticket sales in the first 24 hours.

The second round will take place on July 26, with the alumni bracket championship being played on July 9 and the TBT 2026 championship on August 2 at the alumni bracket champion’s home court. TBT has become one of our favorite summer traditions, and it’s time for La Familia to finally win it all. So far, Willie Cauley-Stein, Archie Goodwin, and Reid Travis have signed on, with Jon Hood serving as head coach and Twany Beckham continuing his duties as general manager.

July 20-23: SEC Media Days

SEC Media Days is headed to Tampa, Florida, this year, where Will Stein will be one of five new coaches making the rounds at the Marriott Water Street and JW Marriott, six if you count Lane Kiffin, who made the move from Ole Miss to LSU. Stein will help kick things off on Monday, along with whichever players he decides to bring with him. The league decided to end the four-day event with some fireworks, saving Lane Kiffin for Thursday.

• Monday, July 20: Kentucky (Will Stein), Missouri (Eliah Drinkwitz), Oklahoma (Brent Venables), Tennessee (Josh Heupel)
• Tuesday, July 21: Auburn (Alex Golesh), Georgia (Kirby Smart), South Carolina (Shane Beamer), Vanderbilt (Clark Lea)
• Wednesday, July 22: Alabama (Kalen DeBoer), Florida (Jon Sumrall), Ole Miss (Pete Golding), Texas A&M (Mike Elko)
• Thursday, July 23: Arkansas (Ryan Silverfield), LSU (Lane Kiffin), Mississippi State (Jeff Lebby), Texas (Steve Sarkisian)

Late July/Early August: Football Media Day

Talking season culminates with the football team’s annual media day. Dates/details are still TBD, but excitement will be nearing its peak as we count down to the start of the Will Stein era.

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AUGUST

Early August: Football Fan Day, Fall Camp begins

Will Stein was so excited about spring practice that he made his players practice how they were going to practice before it began. We’ve yet to hear how he will tackle fall camp, but I’m sure there will be incredible attention to detail and a very loud playlist. Bring on the practice reports.

TBD: Basketball Summer Trip

Kentucky Basketball’s initial plan to take a summer trip to Israel fell through due to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East; however, the Cats are going somewhere. We don’t know where yet (history suggests the Bahamas), but we do know it will take place in early August. As long as the prices aren’t astronomical, KSR will follow to bring you all the sights and sounds.