Kentucky DL Keeshawn Silver expected to enter transfer portal

Kentucky defensive tackle Keeshawn Silver is expected to enter the transfer portal, a source tells On3. The former five-star recruit and North Carolina transfer will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Silver has 46 career tackles and a sack. He played in all 12 games for the Wildcats in 2024 and posted nine stops, per PFF.

The 6-foot-4, 336-pound defensive tackle played high school football at Rocky Mount (N.C.) High, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 23 overall recruit and No. 6 defensive lineman in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Silver filled the gap left by Justin Rogers in 2023 and he stepped up once again when Josaih Hayes suffered an Achilles injury in spring practice. In two years the enormous nose guard played in 24 games, totaling 43 tackles, 3 TFLs, and 1 sack. The numbers don’t truly illustrate the impact he had as a gap-eater in the middle of the Kentucky defense.

Keeshawn Silverman will be one of the top interior defensive tackles in the portal, a highly-valued position.

The transfer portal officially opens on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers. That means roughly 25% of all FBS scholarship players hit free agency in one year.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.