Nearly 20 years after leaving the University of Kentucky to begin his long and successful NBA career, Rajon Rondo is on the verge of receiving his college diploma.
Rondo, 39, is listed among the 116 current or former UK student-athletes set to graduate in the 2025 spring/summer semesters, the school announced Thursday. The University’s May 2025 Commencement will take place this Friday and Saturday at Rupp Arena. Including the 33 graduates from December, a total of 149 UK student-athletes will have graduated during the 2024-25 school year.
Joining Rondo as men’s basketball players expected to graduate are Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea, Lmaont Butler, Andrew Carr, Grant Darbyshire, Kerr Kriisa, and Jaxson Robinson. Rondo also isn’t the only former UK athlete on pace to graduate this spring/summer, either.
Thanks to the UK Athletics’ Post-Eligibility program, also known as the Cawood Ledford Scholarships, the school’s athletic department “pays for tuition and books for scholarship student-athletes who return to school after completing their eligibility. Since its inception in 1989, more than 160 Wildcats have returned to graduate through the program.” Rondo, along with football player Chris Westry, are two of seven former UK athletes who took advantage of the program.
UK’s 2024 Fall semester was the 25th straight with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher (3.405). In total, 14 Wildcats will receive their master’s degrees. Below is the list of this spring/summer’s expected graduates, which includes KSR intern/volleyball player Eleanor Beavin:
Baseball (18)
- Devin Burkes
- Evan Byers
- Chase Estep *
- Simon Gregersen
- Cole Hage
- Cole Hentschel
- Robert Hogan
- Dylan Koontz
- William Marcy
- Nicholas McCay
- James McCoy
- Shaun Montoya
- Mason Moore *
- Jackson Nove
- Raphael Pelletier
- Cooper Robinson
- Hayden Smith
- Austin Schultz *
Men’s Basketball (8)
- Ansley Almonor
- Koby Brea
- Lamont Butler, Jr.
- Andrew Carr
- Grant Darbyshire
- Kerr Kriisa
- Jaxson Robinson
- Rajon Rondo *
Football (12)
- Trey Dennis
- Jantzen Dunn
- Fred Farrier, II
- Maxwell Hairston
- Josaih Hayes
- Jordan Lovett
- Lucas Padgett
- Daveren Rayner
- Paul Rodriguez
- Jackson Schulz
- Demie Sumo-Karngbaye
- Chris Westry *
Men’s Golf (2)
- Jackson Klutznick – master’s degree
- Jansen Preston
Men’s Soccer (3)
- Ryan Jack
- Casper Mols
- Riley O’Neill *
Men’s Swimming and Diving (7)
- Max Berg
- Nicholas Caruso
- Samuel Duncan – master’s degree
- Jack Hamilton
- Victor Martin Roig
- Jackson Mussler
- Christopher Nagy – master’s degree
Men’s Tennis (1)
- Charlelie Cosnet
Men’s Track and Field (9)
- Donsten Brown
- Luke Brown
- Logan Coles
- Brayden Jackson
- Alexander Justus
- Brandon Miller
- Jack Pendergast – master’s degree
- Jackson Watts
- Justin Swann *
Rifle (3)
- Allison Buesseler
- Tori Kopelen
- Jaden Thompson – master’s degree
STUNT (5)
- Aisling Frost
- Katherine Larson
- Chloe Moxley
- Laila White
- Alexus Womack
Women’s Golf (1)
- Marta Lopez Echevarria
Gymnastics (6)
- Hailey Davis – master’s degree
- Skylar Killough-Wilhelm
- Isabella Magnelli – master’s degree
- Jillian Procasky
- Anna Riegert
- Makenzie Wilson
Women’s Soccer (8)
- Kennedy Chambers
- Nicole Coryell – master’s degree
- Dana Dahm
- Marzia Josephson – master’s degree
- Lesley Kiesling – master’s degree
- Kaile Alford
- Gabrielle Ballew
- Gabriella Johnson
Softball (4)
- McKenzie Bump – master’s degree
- Alexia Lacatena
- Grace Lorsung
- Hallie Mitchell
Women’s Swimming and Diving (5)
- Victoria Buerger
- Kaelan Daly
- Abigail Devereaux
- Olivia Mendenhall
- Madeline Welborn
Women’s Tennis (5)
- Elizabeth Eades
- Lidia Gonzalez Garcia
- Zoe Hammond
- Eleanor Myers
- Elizabeth Stevens – master’s degree
Women’s Track and Field (15)
- Simi Akinrinsola – Doctor of Pharmacy
- Hannah Douglas
- Ainsley Edwards
- Sophie Galloway
- Alexis Glasco
- Alysia Johnson
- Amya Livingston
- Phoebe McCowan
- Ariel Pedigo
- Victoria Perrow
- Payton Phillips
- Tesa Roberts – master’s degree
- Mollie Roden
- Jenna Schwinghamer
- Juliann Williams
Volleyball (4)
- Eleanor Beavin
- Lane Jenkins
- Erin Lamb – master’s degree
- Megan Wilson
* denotes former student-athlete who participated in Cawood Ledford Degree Completion Program
And for fun, here is a picture of Mark Pope from his graduation.
Photo via UK Alumni Association
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