Kentucky WR Earnest Sanders IV transferring to Saginaw Valley State

A one-time Kentucky wide receiver has transferred schools to play alongside his younger brother.

Earnest Sanders IV, who was with the Wildcats program from 2020-21, announced through social media on Friday that he will transfer to Saginaw Valley State University. Sanders’ younger brother, Jacoby, was a freshman defensive back at SVSU this past season. Earnest entered his name into the transfer portal in the middle of April.

Saginaw Valley State is located in Michigan, which is where the Sanders family is from. Nicknamed the Cardinals, SVSU is a Divison II football athletics program playing in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. SVSU finished with a 7-4 record in 2021 and expects to compete for a conference title in 2022.

Next Chapter 🙏🏾 @svsu_football @WideOut_Tech @rbrady1313 @sandersjacoby3 #EarnIt pic.twitter.com/ic8nmYqlIQ

— Earnest Sanders IV (@EarnestSanders_) May 27, 2022

A three-star recruiting win out of Mount Morris (Mich.) Beecher in the class of 2020, Sanders came to Kentucky as former secondary coach Steve Clinkscale started to build a recruiting pipeline in Detroit and surrounding areas. A star basketball player in high school, Sanders was named Mr. Basketball in Michigan before deciding to commit to football full-time in college.

The 6-foot-1 receiver picked the Wildcats over Michigan State and came to Lexington as a two-time all-state selection in Michigan. Sanders was also a star track athlete as an athletic profile pointed to someone who could make an impact on the football field.

However, Earnest Sanders failed to ever make any real push for playing time in his two full seasons with the program. After playing two games as a true freshman, Sanders did not see any action this fall. In spring practice, Sanders appeared to move positions and was seen practicing with the tight ends.