Will Wade Gets 1st Transfer: No. 8 Small Forward Mouhamad Dioubate Of Kentucky

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

At last!

It has been nearly two weeks since the men’s basketball NCAA Transfer Portal opened on Tuesday, April 7, and new LSU coach Will Wade has finally landed a player.

And he’s not from any mid-major.

Wade has gained a commitment from the No. 8 small forward in the country via blue blood Kentucky – Mouhamad Dioubate (6-foot-7, 220 pounds), who will be a senior for the Tigers in the 2026-27 season. Dioubate will be the only player on LSU’s roster for the time being as all remaining players from previous coach Matt McMahon’s roster entered the portal.

Freshman point guard Jalen Reece was the last player on the Tigers’ roster before entering the portal last week. The portal window ends for new entries on Tuesday. Players can still join new teams from the portal long after the deadline.

BREAKING: Will Wade’s first Transfer Portal addition is in!

Kentucky’s Mouhamed Dioubate is transferring to LSU, he announced.

Combined to play 101 games between Kentucky + Alabama.

Averaged 21.6 minutes, 8.8 points + 5.5 rebounds this year.

Story:➡️ https://t.co/68kPxtRpyG pic.twitter.com/EnrWvR9FyY

— Shea Dixon (@Sheadixon) April 21, 2026

Dioubate averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in the 2025-26 season, mostly as a backup for the Wildcats, who finished the season 22-14 overall and 10-8 in the Southeastern Conference after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He started 10 games and played in 31 after missing five games with an ankle injury.

Will Wade Down to ZERO Players As Jalen Reece Enters Portal, But He Was This Slow Last Year

A transfer to Kentucky last year from Alabama, Dioubate is the No. 60 overall player in the current portal window. Wade plans to sign as many as 14 more over the next several weeks and months.

Dioubate averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds a game in the 2024-25 season for Alabama in 37 games. In 33 games in the 2023-24 season as a freshman when the Tide reached the Final Four, he averaged 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds.

A native of Queens, New York, Dioubate was the No. 104 player in the country and No. 22 power forward from Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Connecticut, when he signed with Alabama in 2023.