Mark Mitchell returning to Missouri: Star forward will not attend Kentucky as he seeks fifth year

Mitchell committed to Kentucky in the transfer portal after being granted an additional year of eligibility. Now, he will return to Missouri

Aug 31, 2026 at 12:47 pm ET • 1 min read

Mark Mitchell is returning to Missouri for the 2026-27 season after initially committing to Kentucky out of the transfer portal, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported on Monday. Mitchell is one of the top players seeking a fifth year of eligibility via the courts. His path to becoming eligible appears clearer at Missouri than through an intra-conference transfer with the Wildcats.

Kentucky was viewed as one of the biggest winners of the fifth-year chaos after landing Mitchell to secure the top-ranked transfer portal class in the 247Sports rankings. Despite being cleared by a Kentucky judge to play this season via a temporary restraining order, his path to suit up for Big Blue Nation became complicated after high-major conferences, including the SEC, spoke out about professionals returning to college.

SEC intra-conference rules state that an athlete can transfer within the conference, "within their sport's regular NCAA transfer window immediately following the sport's championship segment." Sources told CBS Sports' Matt Norlander last week that the intra-conference SEC transfer is under renewed scrutiny and was in serious doubt after SEC presidents reaffirmed their conference's policy on intra-league transfers.

Inside the college basketball eligibility chaos as conferences push back on returning pros

Cameron Salerno

Mitchell, who exhausted his eligibility after playing this past season at Missouri, did not enter the transfer portal during the window described because he wasn't eligible to play (at the time) since the five-in-five age-based eligibility model rule hadn't been made official. 

Mitchell played in summer league with the Denver Nuggets before exploring a path to return to school after going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft.