Kentucky Football Announces Transfer Portal Signings

The transfer portal is a wild place. When it first opened, a handshake and a verbal commitment were enough to seal the deal and move forward. That’s not entirely the case anymore.

Remember Tyler Baron? The four-star defensive lineman was down to Kentucky and Tennessee when he committed to the Vols. There was a time when we thought he might transfer to play for the Cats. That never happened. He entered the portal last year and committed to Ole Miss. He flipped that commitment a month later to Louisville. After one semester and a spring practice, he transferred to Miami.

The Tyler Barons of the world are the reason why folks like Pete Nakos need to report when a player has signed vs. committed. Kentucky has 14 commitments and today the university announced the official additions of all 14 players.

New Portal Signings

QB Zach Calzada — The journeyman excels out of play-action, and that’s just one reason why he should be a good fit for the anemic Kentucky offense.

WR Kendrick Law — A decorated Top 100 recruit, he showed explosiveness without a ton of production at Alabama. More reps could unlock his potential as a slot receiver at Kentucky.

WR J.J. Hester — The lengthy wide receiver from Oklahoma started his career at Missouri where he teamed up with Ja’Mori Maclin, Bush Hamdan, and new WR coach L’Damian Washington. Injuries derailed his time at Norman, but as Luckett noted, there’s a lot of vertical playmaking potential in his game.

RB Dante Dowdell — Kentucky struggled to get hard yards in 2024 and that’s Dowdell’s specialty. The former Oregon and Nebraska power-back converted on just shy of 90% of his short-yardage attempts. He had 12 touchdowns on the ground last fall, tied for the fourth-most in the Big Ten.

OG Josh Braun — Kentucky needs veteran leadership on the offensive line and they got it from this former Second-Team All-SEC selection.

OT Alex Wollschlaeger — A two-time All-MAC selection, he’s a plug-and-play right tackle that’s poised to make an immediate impact for the Cats. He’ll played one more game for the Bowling Green Falcons in the 68 Ventures Bowl on Dec. 26.

OT Wallace Unamba — Before stints at FAU and New Mexico, the versatile offensive lineman was a two-time JUCO All-American. He picked the Cats over Virginia and has a year of eligibility remaining. “Coach Wolf has a really good plan for me,” Unamba told KSR+.

C Evan Wibberley — The Dixie Heights product from Northern Kentucky is expected to play an important role on the Big Blue Wall. The KSR Bio Blast examines just how the WKU transfer can replace Eli Cox.

TE Henry Boyer — There’s a lot to like about Kentucky’s young tight ends, but three left that room this offseason. Vince Marrow found one in the transfer portal from Illinois who can add some much-needed size and physicality to the position. He’s almost as big as a tackle. That’s a guy you want paving the way in the run game.

DT Jaden Williams — Georgia entered the picture at the eleventh hour, but the Wildcats were able to keep the Dawgs at bay. Minnesota, Kansas State, and Arizona State were also pursuing the former Wyoming defensive lineman.

LB Landyn Watson — The Marshall linebacker told KSR that he’s excited to help turn things around after. a tough season. “My goal is obviously bringing a winning culture to the locker room with some of my other teammates,” Watson said. “I want to be able to make plays, bring a lot of value to this university, and put this university back on top.”

EDGE Sam Greene — The first transfer portal addition of the offseason was the first to put pen to paper and sign with Kentucky. The KSR Film Room details how Greene will compete to be the starting Jack linebacker next fall.

EDGE Kameron Olds — The latest transfer portal addition most recently had 42 tackles and 6.0 sacks for Kent State.

CB Kevis Thomas — “I’m going to be a lockdown corner for the University of Kentucky,” the former Maryland Terp told KSR+ after his commitment.

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