UK football’s O-line makeover begins with commitment former All-SEC, All-MAC linemen
Kentucky football coaches have been clear for weeks about their plan to rebuild an offensive line that was among the worst in the country in 2024 through the transfer portal.
UK coach Mark Stoops pointed to tackle and center as the positions the staff was targeting, so it might come as some surprise that the Wildcats’ first offensive line transfer commitment of the winter portal period comes from a guard who has started multiple seasons in the SEC.
Former Arkansas guard Joshua Braun has signed with Kentucky after a visit to Lexington earlier in the week, according to a report from On3 Sports. A second-team All-SEC selection in 2023 by the Associated Press, Braun started his last 24 games at Arkansas with the last 23 of those coming at right guard. A source confirmed to the Herald-Leader the plan is for the 6-foot-6, 338-pound Braun to continue playing guard at Kentucky rather than move to another position.
Starting guards Jager Burton and Jalen Farmer and top backup Dylan Ray all have eligibility remaining at UK. UK coaches have also praised freshman guard Aba Selm for his potential to contribute at the position moving forward after a redshirt season.
Still, the guards were not immune from the struggles that led Kentucky to rank 116th nationally in sacks allowed per game. The addition of Braun should raise the floor of the unit by providing competition for Burton and Farmer. Braun, a class of 2020 high school recruit who started his career at Florida, has one year of eligibility remaining.
Braun’s commitment was quickly followed with a pledge from former Bowling Green tackle Alex Wollschlaeger, according to On3. Wollschlaeger was a first-team All-Mid-American Conference selection in 2024. He started all 12 regular season games at right tackle for Bowling Green, allowing just two hits on the quarterback all season.
Both Braun and Wollschlaeger are expected to start for Kentucky next season.
What’s next for Kentucky football’s 2025 roster rebuild
The additions of Braun and Wollschlaeger are only the start of the work needed to address Kentucky’s offensive line issues.
Kentucky has extended scholarship offers to a number of offensive tackles in the transfer portal. In addition to Wollschaeger, UK has hosted Western Carolina’s Derek Simmons on visits. WKU center Evan Wibberley, a Dixie Heights High School graduate, is a transfer to watch as Kentucky looks to replace Eli Cox at the heart of the offensive line.
Kentucky currently has nine open scholarships following the weekend additions of Braun, Wollschaeger, former Southern Cal defensive lineman Sam Greene and former Marshall linebacker Landyn Watson, but is almost certain to open two more when cornerback Maxwell Hairston declares for the NFL draft and quarterback Brock Vandagriff announces his future plans. It would not be a surprise to see further departures to the transfer portal either as Kentucky adds incoming transfers to the roster.
The Wildcats need 15-20 transfers to help fill open starting spots and add depth at positions that have been hit hard by transfer exits. Every position on the roster could use at least one transfer addition, but most of the first wave of transfers to schedule visits to UK play in the front seven on defense.
Kentucky continues to explore the market for a transfer quarterback, though the Herald-Leader was told former five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson, who UK offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan recruited to Boise State out of the portal last season, is not a target at this time. Nelson has played in just four games off the bench in two seasons at USC and Boise State and would not provide the type of veteran presence UK needs to compete with redshirt freshman Cutter Boley.
One quarterback who has drawn interest from Kentucky is former Duke starter Maalik Murphy, who threw a school-record 26 touchdown passes this season, but Murphy has already visited Auburn. Murphy is visiting UK on Monday, but Kentucky likely faces competition from multiple top programs around the country for his commitment.
Three other quarterbacks of note who have entered the transfer portal or are reportedly planning to do so in the coming days are Washington State star John Mateer, Penn State backup Beau Pribula and Incarnate Word quarterback Zach Calzada. Each would be good fits for Bush Hamdan’s offense as dual-threat quarterbacks, but, like Murphy, are expected to garner transfer interest from Power Four powers.
Mateer is likely the best of the group, but his former Washington State offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, was recently hired by Oklahoma, making the Sooners the logical landing spot for his transfer. Calzada started his career at Texas A&M, where he was the quarterback for the Aggies’ 2021 upset of No. 1 Alabama, but spent the last two seasons at FCS Incarnate Word. He would need a medical waiver to continue playing in 2025, which would be his seventh college season. Calzada missed the 2022 season, his one year at Auburn, due to shoulder surgery.
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 9:06 AM.