Kerry Blackshear Will Transfer To Florida

<a href='/player/Kerry-Blackshear-3945/' srcset=
Kerry Blackshear” width=”1500″ height=”999″> Kerry Blackshear will play for Florida next season. (Jon Fleming)

Virginia Tech graduate transfer Kerry Blackshear has elected to spend his final season of eligibility at the University of Florida.  Blackshear announced his decision on Instagram on Wednesday night.

Blackshear originally entered the NBA Draft and the transfer portal at the same time, but withdrew from the draft after it became clear that he would not be selected.  A number of schools made a run for his services.  Besides the Hokies and Florida, he also considered programs such as Kentucky and Tennessee, though reports varied (and were generally inaccurate) as to where he was leaning at any given time.

Blackshear began work on his graduate degree this past season at Virginia Tech while averaging 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, helping the Hokies to their first ever Sweet 16 in the process.  He is originally from Orlando, which means his transfer to Florida will put him close to his parents while he competes for a team that is expected to make the NCAA Tournament.

With Blackshear’s departure, new Tech head coach Mike Young has one scholarship available for the 2019 recruiting class.

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  1. So will KJ get some graduate degree at FU while he is there or does this have little to nothing to do about a grad degree? His choice if this just about basketball.

  2. Everyone does what they think is best for them. He felt UF was best for him, he played hard here for 4 yrs. & now wants another experience in life. Just like people who move from one job to another to improve their lives.

  3. Thanks KJ YOU were great for VT and I wish you well but it’s time for NEXT MAN UP
    For my loved VT team

  4. Very happy for KB but this transfer portal thing needs to be reevaluated . Also what is it about Florida that has siphoned off 3 of our better players over the last few years?

  5. As much as I wish he had stayed, the man was an upstanding citizen for four years at Tech, graduated, and has left to pursue his career. Same as I did (except for the upstanding part). I wish him nothing but success, and hopefully I’ll get to root for him as a Hokie in the NBA.

    1. I appreciate your thought but I will have less vested interest in his success in the NBA now

  6. Now I have 1 reason to watch SEC basketball

    Good luck Hokie! #24 – unless we meet on the floor 🙂

  7. Thanks KB for being a model student and athlete. Wish him the best of luck playing for the Gators. Although, UGA is my second favorite team. Hopefully, they will keep him on the bench for that game. I’ll be the one wearing O&M should he play in Athens.

  8. My whole problem is with the NCAA and this “free agency can of worms” it has opened everywhere called the transfer portal. It has really hit us. Hopefully Teavian comes from Clemson in football and helps us for once!

    1. I can not gripe too much about Blackshear. He came to Tech, played, got his degree in four years: all one can ask from a student athlete. Now he wants to play basketball and pursue a graduate degree elsewhere. Lots of Hokies graduate and get graduate degrees elsewhere, I say good luck to him in both basketball and grad school.

  9. KJ, best wishes and thank you for keeping the team together after J Rob’s injury. You will be near home and the Gators will do well with you on the inside.

  10. Back off. It is unrealistic to think there are not a bunch of angry fans.
    We are all “true Hokies”. Team first. VT first. We don’t understand KB is a person who has his own agenda. Our anger, though, is not all about KB. It is about wanting to play with the Big Boys. Elevate VT above where it is destined to be. KB was our best hope. Now we gotta take two steps backward and begin again.
    I hate UF and the SEC because they are the Big Boys. Marquette fans probably think we are the Big Boys. The SEC schools have got tons of money and fans. It was like the recent article on Tech Sideline about how Penn State has bought their way to the top of the Wrestling World. We (I) have got to find a way to deal with the fact that we are not a top tiered program. That’s what we are really angry about.
    Good luck KB… I hope you find what is best for you.

  11. Best of luck in Gainesville, Kerry. I’ll be rooting for you (except when we’re seeded against you in the NCAA bracket next year).

  12. I told you so. OK, got that out of the way.

    I have no inside info but tried to figue out what made sense for him. I kinda missed the idea of him playing for the home crowd for a year. UK seemed like a bad idea, his job would have been to help break in the new players, play a lot early in the season, not so much later in the season. Probably true w/UT also. I think he liked the idea of playing for a different coach, not a knock on Buzz, but for a different experience, learn different (angle) on things. I never thought he’d follow Buzz to TAMU where he’d be in the same position as VT: . rebuild mode. MY was probably at least a selling point for him staying at VT.

    Not sure UF won’t be in the same mode as UK and UT, he becomes a super-sub, but we’ll see. Anyway, don’t blame him, still looking at a slim and none NBA career, and I don’t mean that as a put-down, that’s the very definition of “go for it” put every drop of energy into it and if he doesn’t make it at least be 100% satisfied that he did everything possilble, (and can still make a few bucks Euro) it all makes sense, it’s what he should – and has – done.

  13. Just got called for Traveling. It will take a year for the SEC refs to figure it out it’s not.

  14. I have no problem with him leaving, what puzzles me is anyone who really thought he was coming back based on our current situation.

    That was never, never going to happen. He was one player entering the transfer protocol who would have options, and good ones. The fb players came back because they didn’t get any better options than what they already had at VT, and that’s the only reason. Had they found a high profile school that offered them playing time they would have left…..they didn’t stay because of their love for VT.

    1. This is not true. He loved VT & especially PJ & Bede. Ultimately he did decide he probably had a better shot (and he’s right) of playing for a title with UF than here.

      I appreciate him helping us to a Sweet 16, hope he does well but I can’t root for UF

  15. He graduated from VT and carried our Sweet 16 Team when JR went down last year.

    Congrats to KB. Had a fine career at VT. I’ll root for him at Florida.

  16. Thank God he did not follow Buzzard to A&M.

    I am glad for clarification. Like many, I got tired of the rumors and such. Life goes on.

  17. Doe Doe, Hudson, KJ. Won’t be long before we can make a dream team of former Hokies turned Gators.

    At least he didn’t follow Buzz to A&M or transfer to Kentucky.

    Ready to support our boys. Hoping MY can find a diamond in the rough to fill KJ’s vacancy.

  18. Best wishes to KBJr. Great player and he is doing what is best for him at this moment. Not many have that opp.
    Thank you for a great career here

    1. The education was not free… He paid for it with his labor and talent. Although I am disappointed he left, he owes no one anything. If the current team MY has work hard this offseason and come together, we still can put a good product out on the floor for next year and who knows, surprise everyone. Not many ACC programs are returning powerhouse if any. Virginia lost all of their offensive output so they will need to rebuild as well.

    1. I don’t think you really have any reasonable perspective. He graduated, fulfilled his commitment to VT. So if you are ever fortunate enough to have some kind of similar opportunities in your life that you remember your asinine comment. He did what he feels is best for his future, without bringing disrespect to the place he is leaving. Sure, I wish he had decided to stay with the Hokies, but I hope he has a great career going forward. People like yourself that make these types of comments just make me sad, of course within reason you can say what you wish, but it is just noise that NO REASONABLE person would consider has any merit at all. I’d like to witness you having the stones to say the same thing in the same tone to KJ’s face….or his Mom. I am sure yours is so proud……..

      1. Spot on! At the end of the day, these people just embarrass themselves with these type of posts but doubt they ever acknowledge it. They claim that KJ/player, fans, or others who don’t do or say what they approve are not Hokies when in reality they are a public embarrassment to those of us who are true Hokies. Best of luck Kerry!

    2. What a terrible attitude for someone who uses the word Hokie in your name. Totally uncalled for and just a plain classless and ignorant post.

    3. The comment is not worthy of VT, and embarrassing. I didn’t see KBJ or any of the team quit, at any time – even when it would have hard to blame them.

      While it would have been great for us if he had returned, you’d have to wonder if he was doing the right thing for himself. So much of the team he knew wasn’t going to be back. What I find telling (and heartening) is that his choice was to go to Gainsville – basically going close to home for his final college year, rather than somewhere like Kentucky, Tennessee or Arkansas.

    4. Whatever this is that you’re doing give it a rest. Even though you have hockey at the beginning of your name your less of a hokie than Blackshear will ever be. You’ve done last for Virginia Tech then the two-week freshman dropout. Go back to Giles county or Nova or South side or Jersey or wherever you’re from.

      See? See what crazy assumptions can look like? Exactly like you post. Ridiculous.

    5. Buddy, believe you’re in a very small group on this one. Maybe you should buy some Duke gear where they have that “one and done” thing going on.

    6. Wish him all the …blah blah blah. That door is closed, I’m only concerned about VT

    7. I’m ok with this thought. I’m a Tech fan. I wear VT hats and shirts and not Blackshear. My interest is with Tech. If you fulfilled your eligibility at Tech no matter how good you were you are may guy or gal but if you go play at another school you are dead to me. No emotion but we have both made our choice, yours is another school and mine is Tech.

    1. No punch to anything. He graduated and did what he felt was best for his career. Right choice or not is tbd

    2. Agreed maybe he did what is best for him maybe he didn’t, I don’t care. I come to read about Tech. A student athlete is either a Hokie or someone that fulfilled ALL their eligibility at Tech or they are someone I don’t really care about anymore or think about.

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