Kentucky is a Finalist for Former Clemson WR Troy Stellato

Kentucky is rebuilding its wide receiver room this offseason. The Wildcats are bringing in five freshmen. Two transfer portal players signed this offseason are the Kentucky coaching staff is looking to add a few more.

One of those players just might be Troy Stellato, a former Clemson wide receiver who has some history with the Wildcats. He was in Lexington for a visit on Saturday.

On3’s Pete Nakos reports on Sunday that Stellato is down to three schools: Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia. Stellato planned on visiting Morgantown today. He previously made a trip to Louisville and also received interest from North Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas A&M.

A shifty route-runner in the slot, Stellato started five games for Clemson this fall. Unfortunately, an injury sent him to the sideline. After trying to play through it for a few weeks, he underwent season-ending surgery on his thumb in November.

Stellato is one of three Kentucky wide receiver targets. Louisiana Tech’s Tru Edwards is expected to arrive in Lexington today. We’ll see if the weather changes those plans for the lengthy X-receiver. Nevada’s Cortez Braham tells KSR+ that he’ll be in Lexington on Jan. 8 after taking a trip to Memphis.

Stellato and his Kentucky Connections

You probably best remember Stellato for tearing up Kentucky in the Gator Bowl. He was Clemson’s second-best receiver, catching five passes for 58 yards in the Tigers come-from-behind 38-35 victory in Jacksonville. That was a nice way for him to cap off a breakout 2023 season in which he caught 38 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown over 12 games, including six starts. He has 52 receptions for 600 yards and two touchdowns in his career.

I remember Stellato best from his time as a recruit when he produced one of the more entertaining moments at a Kentucky football camp.

Stellato was a Top 200 recruit in the 2021 class from Cardinal Gibbons High School (Ft. Lauderdale), the same school that sent Nik Scalzo to Kentucky. He joined his teammates for a summer camp tour that had a stop in Lexington. Instead of competing at Kentucky, he watched from the sideline and stirred things up while wearing socks and slides. At one point, things got chippy and Kentucky commit John Young had to be restrained.

That was five years ago. Wow. Time flies. Stellato still has two years of eligibility remaining and he could spend them at Kentucky. Stay tuned.

Want more Kentucky football recruiting intel? Join KSR Plus for the most comprehensive coverage of the Cats on the internet. With a KSR membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.