Kentucky football transfer portal tracker: Backup WRs depart after spring practice
As Kentucky football continues preparations for the 2024 season, the transfer portal is open once again.
College football’s second offseason portal window opened on April 15. Underclassmen have until April 30 to enter the portal in order to be eligible at their next school for the 2024 season. Graduates can enter the portal at any time.
Kentucky did not lose any expected starters during the winter window, but UK coach Mark Stoops will likely have to fend off back channel interest from powerhouse programs for some of his stars again this spring. Otherwise, Stoops needs at least a few more players buried on the depth chart to leave in search of more consistent playing time in order to make room in the 85-man scholarship limit for any final additions to his roster.
The Wildcats’ transfer movement began on Nov. 27 with senior safety Jalen Geiger entering the portal. Just because a player enters the portal does not necessarily mean he will ultimately leave Kentucky, but if coaches want to retain that player they now will face stiff competition from other schools.
At least one key Wildcat has already had a change of heart as tight end Jordan Dingle both removed his names from the portal a few days after entering it during the winter window. Dingle was the most accomplished of the UK players to enter the portal thus far, and his return gives another potential playmaker for new quarterback Brock Vandagriff. Redshirt freshman wide receiver entered the portal in December, removed his name and stayed at UK for spring practice then reportedly returned to the portal in April.
Quarterback is the position that will face the most turnover for Kentucky with all four scholarship quarterbacks from the 2023 season departing. Starter Devin Leary has no eligibility remaining. Backups Kaiya Sheron and Destin Wade entered the transfer portal after the regular season finale.
Fourth-string quarterback Deuce Hogan announced plans to enter the transfer portal in December but quickly deleted that social media post. He stuck with the Wildcats through at the Gator Bowl but then announced in early January he would play the 2024 season at New Mexico State.
You can bookmark this page to keep track of the outgoing Kentucky transfers throughout the offseason.
K/P Jackson Smith (Western Kentucky)
The son of former UK punter Andy Smith, Jackson did not appear in a game in two years as a Wildcat. He was listed as a kicker on UK’s roster but advertised himself as a kicker or punter when he announced he was entering the transfer portal. The Boyle County graduate lasted just more than a week in the portal before announcing he would play for WKU next season.
DB Jaremiah Anglin (Pittsburgh)
Anglin needed less than a week in the transfer portal to pick his next school. At Pittsburgh, the former four-star recruit will look to continue his rehab from a knee injury that cost him the entire 2023 season. Anglin was cleared to return to the field this spring. He ended his brief time as a Wildcat with a pick six on the final play of UK’s spring game. After the spring game, UK coach Mark Stoops said it was difficult to know what to expect from Anglin moving forward because he had been hurt for most of his one season in Lexington.
CB Jordan Robinson
A former transfer from Division II Livingstone College, Robinson leaves Kentucky after two seasons. Robinson did not play at all while redshirting in 2022. He appeared in 11 games with one start in 2023 but made several high-profile mistakes, including on Clemson’s game-winning touchdown drive in the Gator Bowl. Despite having an opening for a starting job at his position, Robinson was not mentioned by coaches as one of the players competing to replace New York Giants third-round pick Andru Phillips during spring practice. He reentered the transfer portal shortly before the end of the semester.
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WR Shamar Porter (Connecticut)
One of the crown jewels of UK”s 2023, recruiting class, Porter appears set to leave UK without catching a pass. The former four-star recruit from Nashville entered the portal in December then elected to return to UK for the spring semester. During spring practice he appeared to be passed on the depth chart by freshman Hardley Glimore. With at least six receivers ahead of him in the rotation, Porter likely would have needed an injury to one of those players to see a significant role in 2024. UK also changed offensive coordinators after his decision to remove his name from the portal during the winter window. On May 5, Porter tweeted he had committed to UConn.
WR Ardell Banks
A three-star recruit in the high school class of 2023, Banks did not appear in a game during his redshirt season at UK. Listed at 6-foot-3, 187 pounds, Banks was viewed as a long-term project capable of adding size to Kentucky’s receiver room, but he was rarely mentioned as a player expected to contribute in 2024 during spring practice. The Massillion, Ohio native chose UK over Cincinnati in high school.
WR Raymond Cottrell
The Cottrell era at Kentucky lasted just 15 practices as the former four-star recruit who signed with the Wildcats as a transfer from Texas A&M announced in April he would reenter the portal. When Cottrell first committed to Kentucky depth was a major concern at wide receiver, but Porter’s return lessened some of that worry. The emergence of freshman Hardley Gilmore in spring practice added further competition for snaps.
RB La’Vell Wright (Austin Peay)
Once viewed as the possible heir apparent to Chris Rodriguez, Wright instead departs UK with just 238 rushing yards and one touchdown in three seasons. Injuries derailed the former North Hardin High School star’s time at Kentucky. He missed all of the 2023 season with an undisclosed injury. He was likely to open the 2024 season no higher than fourth on the depth chart had he stayed at Kentucky. Wright committed to FCS Austin Peay on April 24.
QB Deuce Hogan (New Mexico State)
Perhaps best known as the “other” quarterback featured alongside Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson in the fourth season of popular reality TV show “QB1: Beyond the Lights,” Hogan will transfer for the second time in his career. He began his college career at Iowa, then spent two years as a backup quarterback at Kentucky. Hogan appeared in three games in 2022, opening the season as Will Levis’ primary backup, but he was eventually passed on the depth chart by Kaiya Sheron and Destin Wade. Hogan did not appear in a game in 2023 for the Wildcats, spending the season fourth on depth chart. Hogan tweeted on Dec. 4 he was transferring with two seasons of eligibility remaining but then deleted the tweet less than an hour later. After the Gator Bowl, he announced he would play for New Mexico State in 2024.
WR Cole Lanter (Gardner Webb)
The feel-good story of Kentucky’s 2023 preseason camp came when the staff awarded Lanter a scholarship, but the former Boyle County star appeared in only four games in the regular season and did not record a catch. On Dec. 12, Lanter announced he was entering the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining, but he elected to return to UK for the spring semester. Shortly after completing spring practice, Lanter announced again he was entering the portal. It is possible Lanter could find a featured role and scholarship at a smaller program. On April 23, Lanter tweeted he had committed to Gardner Webb.
DB Elijah Reed
A Pleasure Ridge Park graduate, Reed appeared in all 12 regular season games on special teams but failed to break into Kentucky’s primary rotation in the secondary. He was listed as the backup strong safety on UK’s two-deep dept chart but when injuries at the safety position hurt Kentucky’s depth late in the season, it was freshman Ty Bryant who saw an expanded role. Reed spent most of his high school career at wide receiver but landed a UK scholarship offer after moving to defensive back when he returned to PRP for an additional year in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
QB Kaiya Sheron (UT Martin)
Kentucky was always expected to add a transfer quarterback this offseason to bridge between Devin Leary and four-star Lexington Christian Academy star Cutter Boley, but the Wildcats probably need to add two transfer quarterbacks with Sheron joining Destin Wade and Deuce Hogan in transferring. Sheron was the primary backup the last two seasons, appearing in nine games. His only start was the 2022 loss to South Carolina when Will Levis was sidelined by turf toe. Now, the former Somerset High School star will depart in search of a starting opportunity, likely at a smaller school. Sheron enrolled at FCS UT Martin for the spring semester.
OLB Keaten Wade (Colorado)
A former four-star recruit, Wade played significant snaps for the UK defense this fall as the Wildcats’ top strongside linebacker. He totaled 35 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack while playing in all 12 games. Wade was viewed as a key piece in the future of the UK defense after appearing in every game during his two seasons in Lexington but reportedly entered the portal just a few hours after news broke his twin brother, third-string quarterback Destin Wade, had entered the portal. In December, Wade signed to play for Deion Sanders at Colorado.
QB Destin Wade (Colorado)
Like his brother, Destin was rated as a four-star prospect out of high school. The recruiting services rated him as an athlete and teams recruiting him were split on whether he could play quarterback in college. Destin spent 2023 as UK’s third-string quarterback and did not play in a game. His only UK appearance came with a start in the 2022 Music City Bowl, a 21-0 loss to Iowa that included two interceptions returned for touchdowns. Destin will play at Colorado in 2024 with his brother.
LB Martez Thrower
Listed as Kentucky’s backup weakside linebacker, Thrower totaled 14 tackles in 10 games this season. Most of his contributions came on special teams. Thrower missed two games with injury. Thrower appeared in 30 games across three seasons at Kentucky. He has one season of eligibility remaining but has yet to use his redshirt.
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RB JuTahn McClain
McClain spent most of 2023 as the primary backup to starter Ray Davis, but he was sidelined late in the season by a neck injury he suffered on a controversial sideline altercation at Mississippi State. McClain missed only one game due to the injury, but while he was out Ramon Jefferson usurped his role as Davis’ primary backup. McClain did not record a carry in the final four games of the season. In four years at Kentucky, McClain totaled 135 carries for 643 yards and one touchdown in 40 games. As a graduate transfer, McClain does not have to wait until Dec. 4 to enter the portal.
LB Luke Fulton (Kent State)
Things did not go according to plan for Fulton after he transferred to Kentucky from Michigan State prior to the 2021 season. Fulton appeared in 18 games across three seasons at UK, playing primarily on special teams. He played in two games as a reserve inside linebacker this season. The Youngstown, Ohio native attended Cardinal Mooney High School, the same school that produced UK coaches Mark Stoops, Vince Marrow and Frank Buffano. Fulton is a graduate transfer with one season of eligibility remaining. On Jan. 12, Fulton committed to Kent State.
TE Izayah Cummings (Louisville)
It was a roller coaster four seasons in Lexington for the former Male High School star. Cummings arrived at UK as a wide receiver but moved to tight end prior to the 2021 season. He showed promise that season with 11 of his 14 catches coming in the second half but disappeared from the offense with a new coordinator at Kentucky in 2022. When Liam Coen returned to UK, replacing Rich Scangarello at offensive coordinator, Cummings was given new life, but he was again blocked on the depth chart by other tight ends. A rash of injuries at that position group opened up snaps in November, and Cummings responded with four catches for 98 yards in the final two games of the regular season. Apparently that resurgence was not enough to keep him in Lexington though, as Cummings announced on Nov. 29 he would enter the portal as a graduate transfer. In December, he committed to his hometown Louisville Cardinals.
WR Dekel Crowdus
Once viewed as a key piece in the future of Kentucky’s offense, Crowdus was never able to recover from a season-ending knee injury he suffered during preseason camp as a freshman. By the time he returned to the field in 2021, Kentucky had added wide receivers Barion Brown, Dane Key and Tayvion Robinson to the roster. In two seasons as a backup to those players, Crowdus, a Lexington native and former Frederick Douglass High School standout, totaled four catches for 82 yards. He did not catch a pass this season while appearing in 10 games.
OL Grant Bingham
A four-star recruit in the class of 2022 out of Johnson Central High School, Bingham appeared in two games across two seasons at Kentucky before entering the transfer portal. On his final weekly radio show of the season, UK coach Mark Stoops said Bingham had been injured this season. He played in the first two games of the 2023 season but did not play again. Bingham has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
NG Jamarius Dinkins (Purdue)
After playing only sparingly for most of his first two seasons on campus, Dinkins emerged as a rotation piece on the defense line late in the 2022 season as a redshirt freshman. He played a key role in a goal-line stop against No. 1 Georgia then recorded his first sack a week later against Louisville. Dinkins was blocked from a larger role in 2023 though when Kentucky signed former five-star recruit Keeshawn Silver in the transfer portal at his position. As a sophomore, Dinkins totaled nine tackles with one tackle for loss in 11 games. On Dec. 11, the Columbus, Ohio native committed to Purdue.
S Jalen Geiger (Tulane)
A graduate transfer, Geiger’s Kentucky career was derailed by injuries. He appeared in 35 games with four starts across five seasons. Geiger opened the 2023 season as one of Kentucky’s starting safeties, but he suffered a season-ending patella tendon injury in his left knee in Week 2. By the time Geiger returned to the field in 2023, Jordan Lovett had taken over his starting job. Geiger totaled nine tackles in 10 games this season. Geiger was limited for much of the second half of the season by an arm injury. He scored two touchdowns in his UK career, one on an interception in 2021 and another on a fumble recovery in the 2023 season opener. In January, Geiger committed to play for former UK assistant Jon Sumrall at Tulane.
This story was originally published November 27, 2023 at 3:55 PM.