As transfer portal opens, Will Stein, UK football need help at these positions
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Stein aims immediate turnaround and must retain starters as portal opens.
- UK probably needs two quarterbacks after Cutter Boley transfer
- Kentucky needs starter-caliber tackles, guards and a nose guard from portal.
When Will Stein was introduced as Kentucky football’s coach, he did not shy away from expectations for the type of quick turnaround seen at schools like Indiana after coaching changes.
“I didn’t come here to be average, to be mediocre,” Stein said. “I came here to win and win championships.
“I’ve won at every single level that I’ve been at: high school, college. Now the goal is to win here. Not to win five years down the road, 10 years down the road. Do it now.”
Step one in building a competitive 2026 roster is determining which Wildcats with remaining eligibility the new staff thinks are worth prioritizing with revenue sharing and NIL funds to keep. Stein made it most of a month without news of a major piece from the 2025 roster transferring, but that trend ended this week with announcements that quarterback Cutter Boley, cornerback DJ Waller and defensive lineman Jerod Smith were entering the portal. Boley’s departure in particular changes the staff’s portal strategy since a large portion of the roster budget must now be devoted to a new starting quarterback.
Even if Stein and his staff keep all the returning Wildcats they want to build around, they need more help. Starter-caliber transfers are clearly needed at a handful of positions even without further departures. Almost every position on the roster could use at least one addition for depth, but needs will need to be prioritized to fit within the program’s revenue-sharing and NIL budget. For instance, shortly after the portal opened Friday, UK was reported to be hosting Texas running back C.J. Baxter, a former five-star recruit, for his first visit, even though running back does not appear to be one of the bigger holes on the roster.
There will be only one transfer portal window this offseason, meaning Stein and company have to make any additions to the roster from the group of players that enters the portal between Jan. 2-16. The 16th is also the deadline for students to enroll in classes for the spring semester at UK, meaning any transfers who are planning to be on campus for spring practice must be signed by then.
The list of transfer-portal priorities could change with a key loss in the coming days, but as the portal opens, here’s a look at the positions where the new staff definitely needs to find help.
Quarterback
Stein was measured in his public comments about Boley before the transfer announcement, so it is possible the staff was always looking to add a quarterback to at least compete for the starting job. Regardless, the new coaches clearly decided not to best whatever financial package Boley has been presented by other interested programs.
Now, Stein and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan must identify and land a new starter, who will surely take a large chunk of the roster budget. Stein thrived with transfer quarterbacks at Oregon, helping turn Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore into stars, so he has plenty of evidence to show the current crop of transfers why they should pick Kentucky. The quarterback market is expensive, though, and Kentucky probably needs at least two additions.
Redshirt freshman Brennen Ward is the only quarterback remaining on the roster. Four-star signee Matt Ponatoski could join him in the summer if he does not elect to skip college altogether and sign a baseball contract as an MLB draft pick in July. Even if Ponatoski follows through on the plan to play football and baseball at UK, the Wildcats need a fourth scholarship quarterback for 2026. Does Stein try to land two quarterbacks to compete for the job or prioritize one starter and a depth option?
Possible targets: UK is a “major player” for former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, according to On3. Leavitt was considered one of the top quarterbacks in the country entering 2025 but he was limited to just seven games due to a foot injury. ESPN reported Thursday, before Boley’s announcement, that Kentucky was one of the schools pursuing former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover.
Offensive tackle
With offensive guard Jalen Farmer’s decision to enter the NFL draft, Kentucky must replace its entire starting offensive line from 2025. Filling those holes is made more difficult because the former staff rarely rotated on the line in 2025, providing little game evidence of how many backups are ready to step into larger roles. The best-case scenario for the line is left tackle Malachi Wood, center Evan Wibberley and guard Aba Selm are ready to at least compete for starting jobs. Junior college transfer Jordan Knox could add another possible starter to the mix of linemen already in the fold.
There is no clear candidate on the roster to start at right tackle, though. Darrin Strey was listed as the top backup there in 2025 but played only a smattering of snaps in blowouts as a freshman. It seems unlikely he will be ready to start in the SEC as a redshirt freshman. Kentucky must add at least one transfer tackle that can be counted on as a surefire starter. Whether multiple tackle additions are needed will depend on the staff’s evaluation of Wood and the other young tackles on the roster.
Possible targets: One name to watch is former LSU tackle Carius Curne, who started five games as a freshman in 2025. UK has been listed as a contender for Curne thanks to the presence of former LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan on Kentucky’s staff, but there will be stiff competition for one of the most talented tackles in the portal. UK has also been linked to LSU tackles Tyree Adams and Ory Williams.
Cornerback
There was a scenario where Kentucky might have been able to build around the players already on campus at this position with four cornerbacks who started games last season having eligibility left, but that possibility was ended by the announcements that DJ Waller and Nasir Addison were entering the portal. Waller, while rarely healthy in two years at UK, was the most talented cornerback on the roster, and Addison impressed as a fill-in starter in the wins over Auburn and Florida last season.
Junior Terhyon Nichols, who has started seven games in two seasons at UK, is now the top returning cornerback. Sophomore Grant Grayton, who played more than expected as a freshman due to the injury crisis at the position, is also set to return. Nichols battled his own injury issues last season though, and Grayton did not look ready for a starting job.
Kentucky did sign junior college transfer Braxton Urquhart in December to at least boost depth at the position and has some intriguing younger cornerbacks on the roster who did not play much in 2025. Still, at least one transfer capable of competing for a starting job now looks like an essential addition.
Possible targets: Western Carolina cornerback Hasaan Sykes, who totaled three interceptions in 2025, announced a UK scholarship offer Friday and plans to visit Lexington on Jan. 3. Villanova defensive back Anthony Hawkins, who played mostly safety at his former school, is scheduled to visit UK, Iowa and Wisconsin, according to On3. Iowa State cornerback Quentin Taylor plans to visit Mississippi State, Cincinnati and Kentucky, according to On3.
Offensive guard
The former staff viewed Selm as a guard capable of stepping into a featured role next season, but an injury that made him a regular inclusion on the weekly availability report and caused him to miss the final four games prevented him from gaining valuable game experience in 2025. Knox, a former four-star recruit who played guard and tackle at Northwestern as a freshman before transferring to a junior college, was recruited by the former staff as a possible 2025 contributor too. Freshman Jay Clark is the other top returning guard.
Counting on two of those three players to turn into SEC-caliber starters is a dangerous proposition. If the new staff is impressed by the practice film of Selm and Clark available to them, perhaps it does not need to pay top dollar in the guard transfer market, but at least one addition capable of competing for a starting job is needed.
Possible targets: Centers Coleton Price (Baylor) and Delvin Morris (Akron) are reportedly visiting Kentucky this weekend. It is possible the staff envisions moving one or both to guard, or moving current center Evan Wibberley to guard if he stays at UK.
Inside linebacker
UK must replace both starting inside linebackers after Alex Afari and Daveren Rayner exhausted their eligibility in 2025. But an injury that caused Afari to miss time down the stretch gave Grant Godfrey an expanded role and a chance to prove worthy of a starting job heading into his junior season. Even if the new staff thinks Godfrey is ready to start, UK needs another inside linebacker starter.
Antwan Smith played regularly as a backup linebacker in 2025 but did not look ready to take over a featured role. Maybe he makes a big jump over the offseason, but with no proven depth behind him, finding a veteran linebacker is a must. The other four scholarship inside linebackers with eligibility left played only a handful of snaps combined last season.
Possible targets: Arkansas linebacker Tavion Wallace, a former four-star recruit and the younger brother of former UK linebacker Trevin Wallace, told On3 he would visit UK this weekend after entering the portal.
Nose guard
Kentucky’s top three nose guards from 2025 are gone, with starter David Gusta and backup Josaih Hayes having played their last college games and backup Austin Ramsey announcing plans to transfer. The hope is retaining defensive line coach Anwar Stewart will help Kentucky keep key linemen like Tavion Gadson and Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace in the fold, but even in that scenario, UK needs a new nose guard for the base 3-4 formation.
Perhaps new defensive coordinator Jay Bateman envisions moving one or more lineman from other positions to the nose, but for now Kalen Edwards looks like the best option there. The 6-foot-4, 328-pound lineman should be a rotation piece at least after redshirting as a freshman, but with no spring transfer window anymore, Kentucky cannot afford to wait to see if a full winter in the strength and conditioning program transforms Edwards into a starter.
Possible targets: Defensive lineman Ahmad Breaux (LSU), Ian Geffrard (Arkansas), Khalil Poteat (Temple), Michai Boireau (Florida) and Kourtney Kelly (West Georgia) were all reported to be planning visits to Kentucky on the first day the portal was open. Former Frederick Douglass star Jamarrion Harkless, who started all 12 games for Purdue in 2025, is among the early options in the portal at the position.
Wide receiver
Five of the nine wide receivers listed on UK’s two-deep depth chart last season, including leading receiver Kendrick Law, are gone. If DJ and Cam Miller and Hardley Gilmore all return, that’s a decent nucleus to build around at the position, but UK needs at least one starter. The good news is wide receiver is the strength of the 2026 high school signing class, led by four-star prospect Kenny Darby, the first recruit to pledge to Stein at UK.
Stein’s high-octane offense should be attractive to any number of receivers in the portal, but Kentucky will have to consider how much of its revenue-sharing and NIL budget to devote to the position if it’s able to retain the underclassmen.
Possible targets: UK has already been linked to former Auburn wide receiver Malcolm Simmons. UTSA wide receiver Devin McCuin, who caught 65 passes for 726 yards and eight touchdowns while playing for new UK receivers coach Joe Price last season, has also announced plans to enter the portal. On3 has also listed Kentucky among the suitors for Syracue receiver Darrell Gill and Missouri receiver Marquis Johnson.
Punter
Kicker Jacob Kauwe has three years of eligibility left if he stays at UK, but the Wildcats have no punters on the roster following the graduation of Aidan Laros and Wilson Berry. With the SEC allowing teams to fund up to 110 scholarships next season, Kentucky should at least be able to offer a full scholarship to a punter from a smaller school if the staff decides to pursue a transfer.
Former special teams coordinator Jay Boulware moved UK away from its pipeline of Australian punters, but it is possible the new staff looks to Australia again for a late signee in February. Oregon, where Stein and UK’s reported new special teams coordinator Parker Fleming currently work, uses an Australian punter. Ohio State also used an Australian punter while Fleming was special teams coordinator there. Max Duffy, who won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter while playing for UK, is now a coach with ProKick Australia, the organization that sends most Australian punters to college teams.
This story was originally published January 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM.