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Kentucky has lost a key recruit from its 2019 class, as forward Kahlil Whitney announced Friday he intends to transfer.

In a statement, Whitney said: "My time at Kentucky has not gone as I had hoped, and I therefore need to make a difficult decision quickly to put myself back in to the best position possible as I continue to develop and work towards my ultimate goal."

The 6'6", 210-pound New Jersey native was supposed to be one of head coach John Calipari's impact freshmen in 2019-20. 247Sports rated him as a 5-star prospect, the No. 2 small forward and the No. 11 overall recruit.

However, things didn't come together for him at Kentucky. He averaged 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 18 games with a 37.1 shooting percentage.

Calipari only used Whitney for a combined four minutes in the past two games. He hadn't played more than 11 minutes in a game since Dec. 18 against Utah.

Prior to committing to Kentucky in August 2018, Whitney also had Georgetown, Illinois and Oregon listed among his four finalists.

It's unclear which schools he might consider now. His upside would make him attractive to a number of marquee programs.