The 4-star small forward from Huntington, West Virginia, announced his commitment during a ceremony on Tuesday, selecting the Wildcats over offers from Duke, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia.
Hawthorne initially committed to stay in-state by signing a National Letter of Intent with West Virginia. However, after head coach Darian DeVries departed for Indiana following just one season in Morgantown, Hawthorne requested and received a release from his NLI.
While he left the possibility open for a return under new head coach Ross Hodge, Hawthorne also considered Duke, Kentucky, Pitt, and Virginia Tech, which rounded out his top five.
In the end, he chose to commit to Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. He becomes the fourth member of Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class, joining Overtime Elite guard Jasper Johnson, Kentucky native and big man Malachi Moreno, and Croatian forward Andrija Jelavic. The Wildcats are also welcoming six transfers, including former Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate.
