The rivalry between the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals has now centered on securing a transfer commitment from 7-foot-5 Gabe Dynes. Only one of these instate foes will succeed in landing him. While no final decision has been made, On3 Sports’ Joe Tipton reports that Kentucky currently holds the edge as the favorite.
So far this offseason, Kentucky has faced criticism for missing out on several transfer targets. Bringing in Dynes would give them one of the most distinctive players available in the portal. Although he isn’t the tallest transferring player that distinction belongs to Florida’s 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux Dynes is far more prepared to contribute meaningful minutes at the college level than Rioux is.
Dynes was once listed at 7-foot-3, suggesting he may still be growing. Regardless, he has the potential to be a game-changer. He started his college career at Youngstown State, where he led the Horizon League in blocks during both of his seasons with the Penguins, posting 2.3 per game as a freshman and 3.1 per game as a sophomore. In that second season, he also averaged 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting an impressive 69.9% from the floor.
His performance earned him a step up to USC for the 2025-26 season, but with the Trojans, he saw only 11.9 minutes per game, averaging 2.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks. He did, however, convert 78.8% of his field goal attempts. Dynes might not be a high-minute player, but he clearly knows his strengths and sticks to them.
Kentucky would greatly benefit from adding this kind of transformative size, though the same holds true for Louisville. Whichever rival emerges victorious in this recruitment battle will have plenty of reason to feel good about the outcome.
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