Kentucky’s Stanley Garner, a former four-star recruit, enters NCAA transfer portal
Stanley Garner, a former four-star recruit, is exploring an exit from the University of Kentucky. He announced his decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday.
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native was once rated as the 37th-best cornerback in the nation by Rivals, which listed him as a four-star recruit. He was rated as a three-star prospect and the nation’s No. 46 cornerback by 247Sports, and was a mid-year enrollee in January 2018.
He appeared in six games this season, recording an unassisted tackle against Eastern Michigan. He did not play versus Florida.
Garner, a redshirt freshman, shared his intentions via a post on Twitter. He expressed gratitude to defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale and head coach Mark Stoops for “taking me into their program and building me into the young man I am today” and said he has made “friends and family that will remain with me for the rest of my life” in his statement.
“I am not by far the same Stanley Garner that I was when I joined the program 2 years ago,” Garner wrote. “I have since grown and matured a lot as a young man since being at the University of Kentucky. ... After long and careful consideration as well as discussions with my family, I will be entering the transfer portal to openly explore the best opportunities for me in order to utilize my remaining eligibility and further my education.”
Garner is the second player whose wish to leave the team was made public this week. It was revealed on Monday that Shawn’Kel Knight-Goff, a Louisville native, left the program a few weeks ago due to a lack of desire to continue playing football.
A player who enters the transfer portal may withdraw his name at any time.
This story was originally published October 23, 2019 at 2:01 PM.
