West Virginia 4-Star Braydon Hawthorne Reveals New College Destination

After much anticipation, West Virginia native Braydon Hawthorne has finally announced his college destination. Hawthorne has now committed to Kentucky, revealing his intentions on Tuesday night.

Hawthorne, who signed with former WVU coach Darian DeVries last November, decommitted from the Mountaineers following DeVries’s departure earlier this spring. Since then, Hawthrone has taken visits to several schools, including to Backyard Brawl rival Pittsburgh last month.

BREAKING: 4⭐️ SF Braydon Hawthorne (No. 33 in 2026) has committed to Kentucky! 🔵

The Huntington (WV) prospect chose Kentucky over Duke, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Pitt. 🏀

WATCH: https://t.co/xRo53JRMEv pic.twitter.com/iLEs6vKZJU

— 247Sports (@247Sports) May 20, 2025

Hawthorne, a 6-foot-9, 195-pound guard/forward, from Beckley, W.Va., is considered the top prospect in West Virginia for the class of 2025 by most major recruiting outlets. He signed with WVU a little over a month after committing to the Mountaineers on Oct. 4.

Hawthorne, who grew up a WVU fan, previously described what it was like to have former West Virginia associate head coach Chester Frazier show up to practice at Huntington Prep during a conversation with WV Sports Now. Frazier liked what he saw out of Hawthorne’s game and was able to get him on campus.

Hawthorne took an unofficial visit to West Virginia on Oct. 1.

“It was great. There was great energy from everybody. [The staff] told me that they want me,” Hawthorne told WV Sports Now.

Hawthorne then told the old staff that he would be committing just days later.

“I feel like nothing is better than to represent your home state,” Hawthorne said at the time.

Find more coverage of WVU basketball recruiting at WV Sports Now.