Braydon Hawthorne has officially signed on for his return to Kentucky Basketball, he announced on Tuesday via Instagram.

A 4-star recruit in the class of 2025, Hawthorne redshirted this past season, though there was a time his redshirt was almost pulled while Kentucky was battling an assortment of injuries. The 6-foot-8, 190-pound wing was ranked as high as 33rd nationally by 247 Sports.

Back in March, Hawthorne told the Lexington Herald-Leader he would return to Kentucky for the 2026-27 season.

Now, he’s officially locked in for what will be his debut season.

While speaking at his locker after Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament win over Santa Clara, Hawthorne mentioned he’s already counting down the days until he debuts for the Cats.

Now, Hawthorne will likely compete with Kam Williams for the starting 3 spot next season. Hopefully, Kentucky will have a summer foreign tour that gives us a peek at what to expect from the West Virginia native.