Kentucky defensive lineman Kendrick Gilbert will enter transfer portal

The spring transfer portal window does not open until Wednesday, but the expectation was that news would start to slowly leak out before college football free agency officially begun in April. We knew that Kentucky would need some more roster attrition to get down to 85 scholarship players after losing 21 scholarship players to the portal in December.

The Wildcats are now down to 14 scholarship players in the defensive line room. Kendrick Gilbert is looking for a new college football home after spending two seasons with the Wildcats.

BREAKING: Kentucky DL Kendrick Gilbert plans to enter the Transfer Portal, per his agency @gcsportsmgmt

The 6’5 275 DL will have 3 years of eligibility remaining

Four-Star Recruit & held 24 Offers coming out of High Schoolhttps://t.co/jCPZLPoq7X pic.twitter.com/ZYH4vcGlXc

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 14, 2025

The Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral product was a four-star recruit in the class of 2023 who picked Kentucky over Purdue, Iowa, LSU, and others. Kendrick Gilbert committed to Purdue but didn’t sign with the Big Ten program after head coach Jeff Brohm left for Louisville. The ultimately led into Kentucky flipping and signing the No. 3 player in Indiana.

Kendrick Gilbert played in only two games and took a redshirt in 2023. As a redshirt freshman, the defensive lineman was primed to receive more playing time but the inability to maintain weight was a factor. Despite UK’s limited depth in 2024, Gilbert played only 53 defensive snaps. The redshirt sophomore went through spring practice before deciding to move on from the program.

During last season, Kentucky converted offensive guard Austin Ramsey to defensive tackle. The redshirt sophomore was seen rotating in at nose tackle. Class of 2024 signee Jerod Smith II is also primed to receive heavy snap count volume at defensive end. The Wildcats also signed David Gusta (Washington State), Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace (South Dakota), and Jaden Williams (Wyoming) out of the transfer portal. There did not appear to be a clear avenue for playing time for Gilbert in 2025.

Kendrick Gilbert is the first departure from Kentucky’s roster this spring but he probably won’t be the last.

Kentucky Football Transfer Portal Tracker

The transfer portal is open for business and so far we know of 20 players who will be seeking out greener pastures this offseason.

• DL Keeshawn Silver (Committed to USC on Dec. 19)
• DB Avery Stuart (Committed to Ball State on Jan. 5)
• LB Jayvant Brown (Committed to Temple on Jan. 9)
• TE Tanner Lemaster (Committed to Eastern Michigan on Dec. 22)
• TE Khamari Anderson (Committed to Arizona State on Dec. 22)
• TE Jordan Dingle (Committed to South Carolina on Dec. 18)
• OL Courtland Ford (Committed to UCLA on Dec. 17)
• OL Ben Christman (Committed to UNLV on Dec. 27)
• OL Dylan Ray (Committed to Minnesota on Dec. 21)
• OL Koby Keenum (Committed to Mississippi State on Dec. 22)
• DL Tommy Ziesmer (Committed to EKU on Dec. 15)
• WR Dane Key (Committed to Nebraska on Dec. 24)
• WR Barion Brown (Committed to LSU on Dec. 14)
• WR Anthony Brown-Stephens (Committed to Tulane on Jan. 7)
• WR Brandon White (Committed to Hawaii on Dec. 28)
• EDGE Tyreese Fearbry (Committed to Wisconsin on Dec. 22)
• EDGE Noah Matthews (Committed to Delaware on Jan. 7)
• EDGE Caleb Redd (Committed to Kansas on Dec. 20)
• RB Chip Trayanum (Committed to Toledo on Dec. 24)
• QB Gavin Wimsatt (Committed to Jacksonville State on Jan. 5)
• DL Kendrick Gilbert

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. Keep closer tabs on the Cats with at KSBoard. Not a KSR+ member? Try it out today.