Breaking down UK football’s roster as the Wildcats ponder Mark Stoops’ future
For the second consecutive year, the offseason is starting for Kentucky football before the calendar turns to December.
A 41-0 loss to Louisville on Saturday ended the Wildcats’ 2025 season at 5-7, one win shy of bowl eligibility. The biggest question surrounding Kentucky is the fate of its coaching staff. Mark Stoops has indicated he plans to stick around for year No. 14 at Kentucky — and his $38 million buyout seems cost prohibitive for Kentucky to fire him outright — but athletics director Mitch Barnhart told the Herald-Leader earlier this month he would meet with Stoops after the season to finalize plans for the future.
Even if Stoops is back, seven assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Brad White, are working on contracts set to expire in June. Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan is signed through the 2026 season, but Stoops will face another decision about the direction of the offense after the progress that unit made in the second half of the season evaporated in losses to Vanderbilt and Louisville.
As for the roster, in the era of free transfers and ever-escalating NIL/revenue sharing contract demands, it cannot be assumed any player is coming back until the transfer portal window closes in January.
We do know there were at least 22 scholarship players who exhausted their eligibility Saturday: quarterback Zach Calzada; running back Seth McGowan; tight end Josh Kattus; wide receivers Kendrick Law, J.J. Hester, Ja’Mori Maclin and Fred Farrier; offensive linemen Jager Burton, Shiyazh Pete, Joshua Braun and Alex Wollschlaeger; defensive linemen David Gusta, Kahlil Saunders and Josaih Hayes; inside linebackers Alex Afari, Daveren Rayner and Landyn Watson; outside linebacker Kam Olds; defensive backs Jordan Lovett, JQ Hardaway and Jantzen Dunn and punter Aidan Laros. Wide receiver Troy Stellato also had just one season of eligibility left this year but did not participate in senior day and might qualify for a medical waiver for an additional season of eligibility after injuries limited him to just four games this year.
“You are having conversations with your own team right now,” Stoops said last week when asked about recruiting. “You have to build this team from the inside out. You have to start with your guys on your team. Some of the biggest recruiting battles that we will have are with our own team.”
Here’s a position-by-position look at where the roster stands heading into the offseason highlighting a few of those important internal recruiting battles.
Quarterback
The most important question on the roster is what happens with quarterback Cutter Boley.
Boley told reporters after the Louisville loss he wants to stay at Kentucky, but it is too early to assume Boley is going to return before knowing what direction the UK offense takes moving forward and how coaching changes around the country could affect Boley’s transfer interest from powerhouse programs. Boley’s struggles against Vanderbilt and Louisville might have decreased his appeal to some programs, but those performances also opened the door to more questions about whether Kentucky can be confident in building around him in 2026.
Even if Boley is back, Kentucky might need to find a veteran backup on the transfer market.
Freshman Brennan Ward enters the offseason at No. 2 on the depth chart following the departures of Calzada and senior walk-on Beau Allen, but he made just one brief cameo this season. Freshman Stone Saunders is the other scholarship quarterback on the roster.
UK holds a commitment from four-star prep quarterback Matt Ponatoski, but he might never make it to campus since he is considered a possible early round pick in the 2026 MLB draft.
Running back
Kentucky loses its leading rusher in McGowan but could have two pieces to build around at the position if both Dante Dowdell and Jason Patterson elect to return. It is worth noting that those were the two leading options at the end of spring practice, and Kentucky decided to add McGowan anyway. Even if Dowdell and Patterson return, Kentucky will at least need to add another running back capable of serving in the rotation.
Maybe that addition comes in the form of Jamarion Wilcox, who has been suspended all season following a sexual assault allegation, but it seems likely his time as a Wildcat is finished even if the legal case is resolved in his favor.
Redshirt freshman Tovani Mizell is the other scholarship running back on the roster. He has just four carries in two seasons at UK. UK holds a commitment from three-star Alabama prep running back Delvecchio Alston.
Wide receiver
Keeping freshmen DJ and Cam Miller is task No. 1 here after they showed impressive potential during their college debuts. Sophomore Hardley Gilmore could be another potential starter if he returns, but Kentucky will need to look to the transfer portal for at least one starting receiver after Law’s departure.
For now, the depth at the position is entirely unproven. Sophomore David Washington and freshmen Montavin Quisenberry, Quintin Simmons and Preston Bowman combined for just one catch this season. Even if Stellato gets an additional year and chooses to use it at Kentucky, he caught just one pass in 2025.
UK will need at least one of its 2026 high school commitments (three-star recruits Denarius Gray, Dallas Dickerson, Davis McCray and Prince Jean) to contribute as freshmen, assuming they sign on Wednesday.
Tight end
Sophomore Willie Rodriguez is probably among the five most important players on the roster to keep after a breakout season. Junior Henry Boyer proved to be a useful blocking option at the position and also contributed five catches.
If junior Elijah Brown, who missed most of the season with an injury, and freshman Mikkel Skinner return too, Kentucky might be able to direct its transfer budget elsewhere. Three-star Michigan prep tight end Lincoln Watkins is expected to sign with Kentucky this week.
Offensive line
Another total rebuild might be needed on the offensive line with four starters set to depart and the backups getting only a handful of meaningful snaps this year.
Keeping junior right guard Jalen Farmer has to be a top priority. The best-case scenario is Farmer returns and junior center Evan Wibberley and sophomore left tackle Malachi Wood prove capable of taking over starting jobs. Even in that scenario, at least one tackle and one guard will be needed in the transfer portal.
Redshirt freshman guard Aba Selm is the other most likely option among the backups to step into a starting role, but he missed a large chunk of this season with an injury. Freshmen Jay Clark and Darrin Strey are the other backups this year but likely need more time to develop into SEC-caliber starters.
Hayes Johnson, Rob Fogler, Cameron Jones, Jermiel Atkins, Bryan Auguste and Jason Ekperuoh are the other scholarship linemen on the roster. UK has just one offensive line commitment in its 2026 high school class: three-star Indiana tackle Cameron Miller.
Defensive line
Kentucky will lose at least two starters from the deepest position on its roster, but it has a nice nucleus to build around if it can retain starter Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace and heavily used backups Tavion Gadson and Jerod Smith. Nose guard is the one position of concern after the loss of Gusta, but sophomore backup Austin Ramsey did play extensively in the second half of the season. Junior Jaden Williams could also step into a larger role one year after transferring from Wyoming.
Former four-star recruit Brian Robinson did not appear in a game as a redshirt freshman for Kentucky, making his status for the future uncertain. Among the current freshmen, Kalen Edwards played the most, but Javeon Campbell and Nic Smith could still develop into rotation pieces next season.
There are two three-star defensive linemen committed to UK’s 2026 high school class (Ben Duncum and Garrett Witherington), but both should be expected to redshirt next season.
Outside linebacker
If Kentucky can convince the players with remaining eligibility to return, this looks like the most stable position on the roster.
The top three edge rushers (Sam Greene, Steven Soles and Lorenzo Cowan) all have at least two seasons of eligibility left. Freshman CJ Works, who played in all 12 games, looks like an exciting piece for the future, if Kentucky can retain him. Its worth noting that Works was a Vince Marrow recruit, and Marrow now is tasked with building Louisville’s roster through high school and transfer recruiting.
Three-star Alabama prep edge rusher Justyn Hartley is committed to the 2026 class.
Inside linebacker
Kentucky needs at least one transfer starter, even if the staff feels comfortable sophomore Grant Godfrey is ready to step into a full-time starting role after filling in for Afari while he was injured down the stretch. Three of the top four inside linebackers played their last college game Saturday.
Sophomore Antwan Smith played extensively in 2025, but he needs more development before he can be counted on as a starter. We have yet to see redshirt freshmen Quintavion Norman, Devin Smith or Jacob Smith play enough to know what to expect from them in 2026.
Defensive backs
Kentucky’s 2025 injury crisis at cornerback could end up helping the 2026 roster, but it also makes it hard to know which of the players with eligibility left can be counted on as starters if they choose to return.
DJ Waller, who missed the 10 games between the opener and finale then was injured again on the first play against Louisville, has two years of eligibility left after redshirting. Sophomore Terhyon Nichols is the favorite to start opposite him, if everyone returns, but sophomore Nasir Addison and freshman Grant Grayton also started games this year.
UK looks set at safety if Ty Bryant and Cam Dooley both come back. Freshmen Martels Carter and Dyllon Williams could serve in rotation roles. UK also accepted a commitment from junior-college safety Da’Mare Williams this week.
Nickel back is in good shape too, if starter Quay’Sheed Scott and backup Jaden Smith both come back.
Junior Kevis Thomas and freshmen Andrew Purcell and Demarcus Gardner are the other scholarship defensive backs with eligibility left. Illinois prep safety Messiah Tilson is one of just two four-star commitments in the 2026 high school class. Three-star Texas prep defensive back Isaiah McMillian and three-star junior college transfer Braxton Urquhart are also pledged to UK.
Specialists
Kicker Jacob Kauwe was steady enough as a redshirt freshman to pencil him in as the go-to option for the next three years, but Kentucky needs to find a new punter after Laros, an All-SEC candidate, played his final game. With no punter committed in the high school class, it looks like that addition will need to come from the transfer portal.
This story was originally published November 29, 2025 at 3:29 PM.