Kentucky EDGE Noah Matthews to Enter the Transfer Portal

Entering the offseason, we knew Kentucky was in the market for an EDGE in the transfer portal. That’s only become more abundantly clear on Friday.

Noah Matthews announced on Twitter that he will be hitting the transfer portal. The announcement was only about an hour after another EDGE, Tyreese Fearbry, shared that his time at Kentucky had reached a conclusion. J.J. Weaver‘s eligibility has expired, which means all of the outside linebackers on this year’s depth chart will not return for the 2025 season.

Matthews has two years of eligibility remaining after spending three years in Lexington. During his time at Kentucky, he appeared in 26 games and totaled 13 tackles and one TFL. This fall he was Weaver’s primary backup. He recovered a fumble in the win at Ole Miss.

A Delaware native, to say that Matthews was an “under the radar” recruit would be an understatement. The all-state defensive lineman reported an offer from Illinois, but he was set to play for Weber State until Kentucky entered the picture just before the February signing day. The Cats liked his athletic measurements, but this project never translated to production.

The two-deep may be depleted, but Brad White recruited quite a few EDGE rushers in the 2024 recruiting class. Steven Soles and the Smith Twins will be tasked to step their game up alongside the experienced EDGE players Kentucky will bring in via the transfer portal.

Kentucky Football Transfer Portal Tracker

The transfer portal does not officially open until Monday, Dec. 9, but so far we know of 15 players who will be seeking out greener pastures this offseason.

• DL Keeshawn Silver
• DB Avery Stuart
• LB Jayvant Brown
• LS Walker Himebauch
• TE Tanner Lemaster
• TE Khamari Anderson
• TE Jordan Dingle
• OL Courtland Ford
• OL Ben Christman
• DL Tommy Ziesmer
• WR Dane Key
• WR Barion Brown
• WR Anthony Brown-Stephens
• EDGE Tyreese Fearbry
• EDGE Noah Matthews

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. Keep closer tabs on the Cats with our staff-only sticky thread on KSBoard, which will have updates on departures and targets throughout the offseason. Not a KSR+ member? Try it out today.