Kofi Cockburn has removed his name from the NBA Draft and will explore his collegiate options in the transfer portal, Andrew Slater reports.
The Illinois star tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN that Kentucky is a serious option and he’s setting up college visits.
Cockburn is also leaving open the option of returning to Illinois.
“I’m pretty much open. There’s a possibility I return to Illinois and a possibility I don’t,” he told ESPN. “I want to make a quick decision as soon as possible. I don’t want to go back and forth. I’m going to take some visits, but I’m not sure where.”
Cockburn points to Orlando Antigua leaving for Kentucky as the reason he’s exploring the transfer portal.
“He’s the reason I went to Illinois,” Cockburn said of Antigua. “When he left along with Chin Coleman, I decided to go in the portal to leave my options open.
“Kentucky? It’s a serious option. Antigua is my guy. I’m going to consider them, but there [are] a lot of schools. I wasn’t really focused on that while I was in the NBA draft. Now I can take my time and evaluate it better.”
7’ Kofi Cockburn will withdraw from the NBA Draft. @kxng_alpha will explore his college options, including a potential return to Illinois. This season, Kofi was named a 2nd-team All-American & earned 1st-team All-Big 10 distinction. He can elevate a program to a National Title. pic.twitter.com/5A61W2qX5s
— ????ℯ? ????ℯ? (@Andrew__Slater) July 6, 2021
News: Kofi Cockburn will withdraw from the NBA draft (@Andrew__Slater reported first) and explore where to spend his junior season by way of the NCAA transfer portal, he told ESPN. Kentucky is "a serious option," he says. He's setting up college visits now https://t.co/zRkhht9Nne
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) July 6, 2021