Friday evening Kentucky football recruiting news and notes
The Kentucky football staff has been active this week. Whether it’s traveling across the state to visit top targets or sending out dozens of scholarship offers, there’s been plenty going on with the program over the last several days.
To stay up to date on the latest happenings with Mark Stoops’ squad, we’ve got some fresh recruiting news and notes as we head into the weekend. Let’s dive on in. But first, a quick word from our sponsor.
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Kentucky offers No. 1 TE in 2026
Not only is Kendre Harrison the top-ranked tight end from the 2026 recruiting class, but he’s also a top-10 prospect in that cycle regardless of position. And he’s officially on Kentucky’s radar after the Wildcats extended him an offer on April 28.
Of note, Harrison is also a talented basketball prospect and recently told On3’s Chad Simmons he would like to play both sports in college. He’s slotted at No. 31 overall in On3’s class of 2026 basketball rankings.
Being a dual-sport athlete is a lofty, lofty goal, but at 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, he certainly won’t lack the size to do both. Harrison might end up being the exception to a rule that doesn’t often happen (actually playing basketball and football at a high level in college). But he’s an elite-level football prospect and is already hearing from the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Tennessee, Georgia, Southern California, home-state North Carolina, and many more.
Tavion Wallace sets commitment date
Tavion Wallace is the younger brother of Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace, who was recently picked in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. For a while, Kentucky appeared to be firmly in the mix for Tavion, even bringing him to campus to watch his brother play multiple times.
However, he won’t be following Trevin’s footsteps in Lexington. Tavion is down to a group of finalists that includes: Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and LSU. He also has a commitment date locked in for July 15. He’ll visit four of his top five for officials in the coming weeks: Arkansas (May 31), Georgia (June 7), Florida (June 14), and Florida State (June 21).
Florida State has been the perceived leader for months now, and it would take something special for another team to convince him to land elsewhere. Tavion Wallace, also a linebacker, is the No. 41 overall player in the class of 2025, per the On3 Industry Ranking.
Brandon Lane back on the market
Stephen F. Austin transfer defensive lineman Brandon Lane was contacted by the Kentucky staff shortly after entering the portal last month. No offer ever came in, but a visit was supposedly in the works. A trip to Lexington ultimately never happened and Lane wound up committing to Michigan State about a week later.
But on Thursday, Lane re-opened his recruitment once again, stating on social media that he’s back on the market. It’s yet to be seen if Lane will consider the Wildcats this time around, but UK could certainly add another defensive line piece to the puzzle. This will be one to keep an eye on.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2023 for SFA, Lane recorded 44 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, one quarterback hit, and one fumble recovery across 11 games played. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Staff visits Western Hills, Paducah Tilghman
On Monday, Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White and associate head coach Vince Marrow stopped by Western Hills out in Frankfort, KY to check in on four-star defensive lineman Javeon Campbell.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder from the class of 2025 had already been on Kentucky’s radar for a while now, but it certainly doesn’t feel like a coincidence that On3’s recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong logged an RPM pick for Kentucky shortly after that visit from the UK coaches.
We can also say the same thing about Martels Carter Jr., a class of 2025 safety out of Paducah Tilghman in Paducah, KY. Members of the Kentucky staff made a pitstop to check out Carter earlier this week, which was again quickly followed up by an RPM pick in favor of the ‘Cats from Wiltfong. UK remains the heavy favorite to land Carter, the No. 187 overall ranked high school junior in the country.
New offers going out
Especially this past week, the Kentucky football staff has been looking all over the country (well, the eastern half) in search of potential future Wildcats. A handful of new 2025 offers have gone out, but most of the scholarships focused on the classes of 2026 and 2027. In particular, the state of Florida and the wide receiver position (and one highly-ranked running back from Texas) appear to be a major focus point right now.
Below are offers handed out by Kentucky since the end of March.
CLASS OF 2025
Kalen Edwards (’25 DL) 6-4, 325 | Dyersburg (Dyersburg, TN)
4-star: No. 293 overall, No. 22 DL
Jeffar Jean-Noel (’25 WR) 5-10, 170 | American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
3-star
Chance Johnson (’25 OT) 6-5, 280 | Jeffersonville (Jeffersonville, IN)
Serious Stinyard (’25 CB) 6-1, 180 | Gaither (Tampa, FL)
CLASS OF 2026
Javian Osborne (’26 RB) 5-10, 175 | Forney (Forney, TX)
4-star: No. 45 overall, No. 4 RB
Chauncey Kennon (’26 CB) 6-2, 170 | Booker (Sarasota, FL)
4-star: No. 108 overall, No. 8 CB
Malachi Toney (’26 WR) 5-9, 165 | American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL) MIAMI COMMIT
4-star: No. 156 overall, No. 22 WR
Caden Harris (’26 CB) 6-0, 170 | Haywood (Brownsville, NT)
4-star: No. 167 overall, No. 14 CB
Breck Kolojay (’26 IOL) 6-5, 295 | IMG Academy (Littleton, CO) –> KSR+ interview
4-star: No. 194 overall, No. 14 IOL
Jamar Denson (’26 WR) 5-10, 170 | American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
3-star: No. 293 overall, No. 47 WR
Jardon Stringer (’26 ATH) 6-2, 175 | LaGrange (LaGrange, GA)
3-star: No. 369 overall, No. 32 ATH
Scottland Dover (’26 IOL) 6-4, 190 | Gaffney (Shelby, NC) –> KSR+ interview
3-star: No. 460 overall, No. 35 IOL
Javonte Smith (’26 WR) 6-0, 175 | Northside (Jackson, TN)
3-star: No. 546 overall, No. 95 WR
Devyon Hill-Lomax (’26 WR) 6-4, 180 | Edwardsville (Edwardsville, IL) –> KSR+ interview
Dallas Lambert (’26 S) 6-4, 170 | Port Charlotte (Port Charlotte, FL)
Duyon Forkpa (’26 LB) 6-2, 220 | Mill Creek (Hoschton, GA)
Tre Aiken (’26 OT) 6-4, 285 | Clinton (Clinton, SC) –> KSR+ interview
CLASS OF 2027
Antwoine Higgins (’27 LB) 6-3, 200 | Anderson (Cincinnati, OH) –> KSR+ interview
Timmy Emongo (’27 WR) 5-9, 170 | Scott County (Georgetown, KY) –> KSR+ interview
Ashton Alston (’27 CB) 5-11, 155 | Anderson (Cincinnati, OH) –> KSR+ interview
Braylon Keyes (’27 WR) 5-10, 140 | Springfield (Springfield, OH)
Brayden Bryant (’27 WR) 6-1, 180 | Austintown Fitch (Youngstown, OH)
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