Willie Rodriguez is coming back, but UK still needs more receivers for new offense
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky secures tight end Willie Rodriguez, preserving a top receiving option.
- Receiver room remains thin with one returning pass-catcher; staff seeks transfers.
- Coaching staff targets multiple portal receivers and hosts visits this week.
With its transfer quarterback in the fold, Kentucky football and new coach Will Stein are looking for more receivers for Kenny Minchey to target.
Minchey will be able to throw to at least one face familiar to Kentucky fans after tight end Willie Rodriguez announced Thursday night he was returning to UK.
“He’s a really good talent,” new UK offensive coordinator Joe Sloan said when asked about Rodriguez at his introductory news conference. “I think when you look at both Coach Stein’s offense at Oregon and what we did at LSU, the tight ends have been a focal point of the offense in the passing game. I think you can create really good matchups with tight ends.”
Rodriguez was viewed as one of the most important current players to keep in the fold for Stein after he caught 23 passes for 310 yards and one touchdown as a sophomore. Rodriguez is UK’s top returning receiver after the graduation of Kendrick Law and transfer of Hardley Gilmore to Louisville.
Now, Stein and his staff must continue to fill out a wide receiver room that includes just one returning player who caught a pass last season (DJ Miller). The other 2025 receiver still on the roster is Ashton Cozart, who actually started his college career playing for Stein at Oregon but did not appear in a game in his first season as a Wildcat in 2025.
UAB wideout Xavier Daisy is the only transfer to commit to Kentucky at the position so far. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Daisy, who caught 18 passes for 177 yards last season, is likely a depth option on the outside.
UK holds commitments from five high school senior wide receivers, led by four-star prospect Kenny Darby, the first recruit to commit to UK after Stein was hired.
The Wildcats’ top receiver targets in the portal appear to be DeAndre Moore (Texas), Malcolm Simmons (Auburn) and Tony Diaz (Texas Rio Grande Valley), but the staff has begun to widen the net in recent days with at least four more transfer wideouts needed.
Colorado receiver Dre’lon Miller, a former top-100 recruit with 52 career catches across two seasons, is planning to visit UK on Friday, according to CBSSports. Elon receiver Isaiah Fuhrmann started a visit to UK on Thursday. Oklahoma receiver Zion Kearney is planning to visit Kentucky on Saturday, according to 247Sports. Kentucky issued a scholarship offer to West Florida wide receiver Corey Scott on Wednesday.
While Kentucky waits on news from its transfer receiver targets, it can at least take solace in a full tight end room.
In addition to Rodriguez, the current roster includes seniors Henry Boyer and Elijah Brown, redshirt freshman Mikkel Skinner and freshman signee Lincoln Watkins.