Report: Kofi Cockburn enters the transfer portal
Former Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn has entered the NCAA transfer portal, but will keep his name in the NBA Draft for now.
The breaking news was first reported by Andrew Slater from the Atlantic. Cockburn reportedly told Slater that he is "exploring all options."
In two seasons with Illinois, Cockburn averaged 15.5 points and 9.1 rebounds a game. Cockburn helped lead the Illini to their first NCAA Tournament since 2013, and first one seed since 2005.
Following his sophomore season, he was named an NCAA Consensus Second-Team All-American and a finalist for the Wooden Award and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.
Cockburn declared for the NBA Draft back in April. He was invited to participate in the NBA G-League Elite Camp, but did not earn an invitation to the Draft Combine and has been left off of most mock drafts.
The news of Cockburn entering the portal was a shock. He was widely expected to either remain in the Draft or return to Illinois for his junior campaign. His decision to open up the option to transfer comes on the heels of freshman guard Adam Miller transferring to LSU back May.
Head Brad Coach Underwood's squad has undergone a major roster shakeup during the offseason. The Illini also lost star Ayo Dosunmu, who's expected to be taken in the first round of the NBA Draft, and big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili.
"Super-seniors" Trent Frazier and Da'Monte Williams opted to return to school, while the Illini added transfers Omar Payne and Alphonso Plummer and true freshman Luke Goode, RJ Melendez, and Brandin Podziemski.
A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Cockburn was ranked No. 45 overall coming out of Oak Hill Academy in the class of 2019. He averaged 14.8 points per game and grabbed 10 rebounds while shooting 62 percent from the field.
Cockburn chose the Illini over a final list of Connecticut, Kansas, St. John’s, and Pittsburgh and additional offers from Syracuse, Indiana, Oregon, and UCLA among others.
Early suitors to emerge now that Cockburn is in the portal include Kentucky and Kansas. Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua originally recruited Cockburn to Illinois. Cockburn is also reportedly considering professional opportunities, while keeping open the option to return to Illinois. Many other schools are expected to jump in.
One consideration for Cockburn is reportedly how much money he could make staying in college now that NIL is a reality for student-athletes. There are also issues related to eligibility that would need to be cleared up before returning to college.