Transfer Portal Diaries: Two Quarterbacks Are Better Than None

The transfer portal is a chaotic time for college football fans. Allow KSR to deliver your daily morning dose of Kentucky football transfer portal news in the most ridiculous manner possible.

From Zero to Two Quarterback Visitors

In yesterday’s diary, I wrote that this week is expected to be the most eventful yet. Boy, was that an understatement.

Former Duke/Texas QB Maalik Murphy was on campus for a visit on Monday. Late last night we learned that Kentucky is expecting former Texas A&M/Auburn/Incarnate Word QB Zach Calzada on campus today. I’m not reading too much into the timing, other than to say that Kentucky is clearly trying to lock one of them down in a hurry. Here’s a small snippet of what each brings to the table.

Maalik Murphy — This is a high-upside prospect with two years of eligibility remaining who wants to sit in the pocket and drop bombs. It’s a game of risk vs reward. He had 12 completions of 40+ yards (3rd in the ACC) and 12 interceptions (1st in the ACC). Murphy has no desire to be a runner, other than to extend plays.

Zach Calzada — Flashed as a redshirt freshman forced into duty at Texas A&M, then got hurt and bounced around. He will be in his seventh year of college football next fall after putting up more than 6,000 yards and 54 touchdowns over two years at Incarnate Word, the same FCS program where Cam Ward got his start. A willing runner, he had 540 non-sack rushing yards and five touchdowns last fall. While Murphy raises an offense’s ceiling, Calzada raises the floor.

These two players feel very unlike one another. Murphy’s recruitment feels a lot like Devin Leary’s. Calzada will not be considered a recruiting win by many after flaming out of the SEC, but the old man plays with some gumption, something the offense could certainly use.

Good News on the Running Back Front?

Ahmad Hardy is Kentucky’s top running back target, and for good reason. Only Ashton Jeanty forced more missed tackles than the 1,300-yard rusher from ULM. Kentucky has a visit scheduled with Hardy for later this week, but Ole Miss got the first visit. He left Oxford without committing and now Lane Kiffin appears to be stockpiling players at his position.

Late Monday night, Ole Miss received a commitment from Missouri’s Kewan Lacy, a former Top 10 running back in the 2024 recruiting class. Today former Alabama RB Justice Haynes is expected to be in Oxford. One has to believe this is good news for the Cats in their pursuit of Hardy.

An ENORMOUS Transfer Portal Tight End

Sometimes you gotta do a double-take when you’re reading about transfer portal players. “No way? That can’t be right.” It was in fact right, written right there in Henry Boyer‘s official Illinois bio. The tight end is 6-6, 270 pounds. That’s closer to an offensive tackle than a wide receiver and probably explains why he only caught 3 passes for 20 yards in his three years with the Fighting Illini.

Kentucky needs reinforcements in its tight end room. They have some guys with some wiggle. They need a hoss to move bodies around the gridiron. Boyer could certainly fill that role. He began a visit to Kentucky on Monday. The tight end has two years of eligibility remaining.

Two Other Transfer Portal Visitors to Monitor

Jaden Williams, DT, Wyoming

The 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive tackle had 20 tackles, 1.5 for loss, a half-sack, and three QB hurries for the Cowboys. He’s visiting Kentucky on Wednesday. Williams is also taking trips to Arizona State and Kansas State this week.

Kendrick Law, WR, Alabama

The first slot receiver on UK’s radar is explosive, albeit not very productive. He has 33 catches for 343 yards and a touchdown during his three years at Alabama. A former Top 100 recruit, Law is expected to make a pitstop at Kentucky in the middle of a busy week of recruiting trips. He’s already been to Arkansas and Florida State, and there are a couple more SEC pitstops on the docket.