These three freshmen could be early contributors for Will Stein, UK football
The last time Kentucky football hired a new head coach, the first Wednesday of February was among the most important dates in Mark Stoops’ first few months on the job.
Stoops sent an early message about the type of recruiting success fans could expect by signing four-star prospects Jason Hatcher, Ryan Timmons and Marcus McWilson. Running back Jojo Kemp and kicker Austin MacGinnis, who would go on to play key roles in helping Stoops turn the program around, also signed that day.
But the first Wednesday in February of the Will Stein era passed without much notice this week. It still marks the start of a signing period for high school recruits, but the vast majority of seniors now sign in December.
Stein has landed two four-star high school seniors since being hired at UK, but the bulk of UK’s 2026 high school signing class committed to the previous staff. They signed with UK in December on the same day Stein was formally introduced as coach, offering no time for the new staff to even evaluate their fit for the program.
“I’ve been on a staff before where they dropped a kid on the day of signing day,” Stein said. “And to me, that’s asinine. It’s really poor for a coach to do that. So, I mean, I wanted to give all of these guys the opportunity to learn me, to be a part of this program.”
Two of the high school recruits and two junior college transfers who committed to the previous staff, including four-star safety Messiah Tilson, elected not to sign with Kentucky. Three-star Georgia prep receiver Dallas Dickerson did sign with Kentucky in December but was later released from his scholarship papers before committing to Georgia.
“This is not going to be for everybody,” Stein said. “They might have had relationships elsewhere and wanted to go elsewhere, and we said, ‘OK.’ Was able to add people in the portal instead of bringing those guys. But I will say, the guys that signed, excited about them. I think some really good players.
“I just didn’t want to do anything initially and drop guys the day I get hired. The next day they have to find a new home. I thought that would be really poor by me.”
With 33 transfers added to the roster, the high school class has been overshadowed in the talk of newcomers who could impact the 2026 roster. The fact that all but two of those high school players committed to the previous staff has only added to the uncertainty about the group.
But if Stein is to find success in year one on the job, he will almost certainly need multiple players from that group to contribute. Here is a look at three who could play important roles immediately.
WR Kenny Darby
It would be a surprise if Darby, the first high school recruit to commit to UK after Stein was hired, does not play a significant role as a freshman. He is the highest-rated prospect in the class and arrives at a position of need. Kentucky missed on several of its top wide receiver transfer targets. While the new staff was able to add former Oklahoma star Nic Anderson and Southern Utah standout Shane Carr at the position just before the deadline to enroll at UK for the spring semester, even those two transfers arrive at UK with major questions.
That means there should be a spot in the rotation for Darby, who previously was committed to LSU while UK offensive coordinator Joe Sloan worked there, if he proves worthy of snaps. Stein proved willing to feature freshman at Oregon — former five-star recruit Dakorien Moore ranked fourth on the team in catches last season in his first year at Oregon — and there is a long history of freshmen playing receiver at Kentucky. Darby has the skillset to be in the next in that group.
CB Andre Clarke
Clarke signed with Michigan in December but was released from his commitment after the firing of coach Sherrone Moore. He then committed to Kentucky during the January transfer portal blitz. Kentucky was actually a finalist for his initial commitment under the previous staff, and new defensive coordinator Jay Bateman brought strong ties to the area of Virginia where Clarke is from. That familiarity paved the way for the new staff to land his commitment.
Clarke is one of only four high school commitments who did not enroll at UK for the spring semester, but he still should have a chance to earn early snaps once he arrives in Lexington in June. Kentucky returns three cornerbacks with starting experience and added former Western Carolina standout Hasaan Sykes from the transfer portal, but the position still has questions. Clarke will likely start camp behind that group, but he could at least be needed on special teams immediately.
WR Denairius Gray
If not for Darby’s late commitment, all eyes would be on Gray as the most hyped of the freshman receivers. Gray was committed to Auburn for more than a year when former UK wide receivers coach L’Damian Washington convinced him to flip to Kentucky last summer. At the time, Gray was considered a consensus four-star prospect. Since then, his recruiting rankings have dipped, but ESPN still ranks him as a four-star recruit.
If everyone is healthy, Anderson, Carr and DJ Miller are the most likely candidates to start at wide receiver for Kentucky next season, but there is a large group of largely unproven players to compete for rotation spots. Having at least a year of college experience could give the other transfer additions a boost in that competition, but everyone will be playing in a new offense. Don’t be surprised if Gray joins Darby in playing an early role.
This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 7:00 AM.