Tag: kentucky football

Kentucky football strikes again with a transfer portal cornerback

Kentucky football gets a commitment from transfer portal cornerback Kevis Thomas.

It has been a busy week for Kentucky football and coach Mark Stoops. As he and his staff have worked to recruit players from the transfer portal, it has begun to pay off. After landing multiple players on Friday, including Alabama receiver Kendrick Law, they have landed cornerback Kevis Thomas on Saturday.

Thomas is a 6’0″, 180 lb corner out of Georgia. He was originally a three star recruit, ranked just outside the top 500 overall in the 2023 class. He committed to Maryland, and spent two seasons there.

Related: Kentucky lands Nebraska running back Dante Dowdell

Though he didn’t start, he did play in six games as a Freshman. He started eight games in 2024, and recorded 21 tackles and was credited with two passes defended.

Thomas joins the Wildcats with two season of eligibility remaining, and hopes to step into a role as a rotational cornerback. Kentucky has a strong group, but will wait and see who steps up as the number one guy.

The evolution of the roster is ongoing for Stoops and company, and the addition of Thomas is another solid one as they try to rebound.

Kentucky football gets a transfer portal defensive tackle

Kentucky football gets a commitment from defensive tackle Jaden Williams of Wyoming.

Kentucky football coach Mark Pope and his staff had a great day of recruiting on Friday. They added two former top 200 recruits from the transfer portal in wide receiver Kendrick Law and running back Dante Dowdell. Then, later in the day, they got a commitment from defensive tackle Jaden Williams.

Williams comes to Lexington from Wyoming, where he spent three seasons. Last year, he played in all 12 games, and recorded 20 tackles, including 2 for a loss.

Related: Kentucky signs quarterback Zach Calzada

Though Williams wasn’t a top recruit, he worked his way into being a regular player at Wyoming. The Wildcats hope he can continue to develop and be a starting caliber player on their defensive line.

Kentucky is losing some key players from the line going into 2025. Deone Walker is off to the NFL and Keeshawn Silver opted to transfer. Stoops and company could still look to add more defensive line help in the coming days. Williams is a solid start, though.

Kentucky football gets an exciting running back from the transfer portal

Kentucky has landed running back Dante Dowdell in the transfer portal

Earlier in the week, Kentucky football missed out on running back transfer Ahmad Hardy, who chose Missouri over the Wildcats. However, on Friday, Mark Stoops and his staff landed former Nebraska back Dante Dowdell from the transfer portal according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

Dowdell was originally a four star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, and was a top 200 player. He committed to the Oregon Ducks, but transferred to Nebraska for the 2024 season after playing little at Oregon.

Related: Kentucky adds transfer quarterback Zach Calzada

Last season with the Cornhuskers, Dowdell ran for 614 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is a powerful runner who is tough to bring down once he gets a head of steam. He will fit just what Kentucky wants to do on offense.

The Wildcats have a history of producing quality running backs, but 2024 was a struggle. Chip Trayanum was hurt, and the offense couldn’t score points. They’ll hope that the addition of Dowdell, along with the returning Jamarion Wilcox, will change that in 2025.

Kentucky football adds another wide receiver from the transfer portal

Former Alabama receiver Kendrick Law has committed to Kentucky football.

Kentucky football lost a very good pair of wide receivers in Dane Key and Barion Brown, who opted to transfer. Coach Mark Stoops entered the transfer portal to replace them, and first added J.J. Hester from Oklahoma. Now, he has gained a commitment from former Alabama receiver Kendrick Law.

Law was a big-time recruit in the 2022 class, who committed to the Crimson Tide. He was rated four stars, and ranked as a top 100 overall player by 247sports.

Related: Kentucky adds transfer tight end Henry Boyer

At Alabama, Law was never able to break into the rotation or become a starter. In 2024, he recorded 10 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. He also has some experience returning kicks, making him an ideal replacement for Brown.

The Wildcats offense has to be drastically better in 2025 for Kentucky to compete in the SEC. They added Zach Calzada, hoping to improve the quarterback position, and adding two talented receivers can only help. Kendrick Law should be a nice piece moving forward.

USC fans will be watching the state of Kentucky in 2025

Sam Greene is at Kentucky. Miller Moss is at Louisville. USC fans will be watching the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the 2025 season.

Less than two weeks after entering the transfer portal, former USC defensive lineman Sam Greene has a new home. Greene recently announced his commitment to Kentucky. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining with the Wildcats.

Greene originally signed with USC as a highly-touted recruit in the class of 2023. After redshirting his first season on campus, he earned a reserve role this season, recording 15 tackles and one sack. Now, he will look for a fresh start in Lexington.

In a weird twist, Greene was essentially part of a “trade” between the Trojans and the Wildcats. On Thursday, USC landed a commitment from former Kentucky defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver. Hence, the two teams essentially swapped defensive linemen.

While Silver is a veteran player with proven production at the college level, Greene is younger and has more eligibility left. Hence, both teams can feel reasonably good about how the “deal” turned out.

Greene’s transfer to Kentucky has been accompanied by Miller Moss transferring to Louisville. USC football fans will be watching both Kentucky and Louisville to see how key 2024 players fare in the commonwealth in 2025. There will be a Bluegrass storyline for USC fans to follow next year.

Kentucky football adds a tight end in the transfer portal

Kentucky football lands transfer portal tight end Henry Boyer.

Just a few days after former tight end Jordan Dingle chose to transfer to South Carolina, Kentucky football has found a replacement in the transfer portal. Former Illinois tight end Henry Boyer will be a Wildcat.

Boyer is a 6’6″, 250 lb tight end from the state of Illinois. He was rated three stars in the 2022 recruiting class, and chose to stay at home after high school. He was the number 53 tight end in his class.

Related: Kentucky lands another offensive lineman in the portal

At Illinois, Boyer didn’t get a lot of playing time. In 2024, he didn’t record a reception, but he did see the field in 11 games. He had all three of his career catches in 2023, and had 20 yards.

Boyer is a solid blocker, and will certainly fit in with what Kentucky wants to do on offense. He’ll add to a tight end room that lost a couple of contributors to the transfer portal already. Henry Boyer should be a good player, and is a good addition to the roster.

Kentucky football picks up a transfer portal quarterback

Kentucky football gets a commitment from quarterback Zach Calazada.

Kentucky football has found its starting quarterback for next year in the transfer portal.

Zach Calzada, a transfer from Incarnate Word, has committed to Wildcat football.

“Let’s work”, posted Calzada to his personal Instagram announcing the move.

Calzada is a redshirt senior and ranked as a three-star transfer portal recruit by On3. He originally committed to Texas A&M as part of the 2018 high school graduating class.

Fans may know Calzada from his time at A&M, where he replaced now-Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket passer Haynes King after an injury in 2021. Calzada led the Aggies to a 41-38 win over then-undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide.

Related: Kentucky commit Montavin Quisenberry named Mr Football

Since, he’s become somewhat of a journeyman college quarterback. This will be his 7th college season, as he’s also spent time with the Auburn Tigers and Incarnate Word — most recently leading the Cardinals to their first ever undefeated season in Southland Conference play.

He’s coming off a great statistical season at Incarnate Word — throwing for 3,791 yards (fifth in FCS), 35 touchdowns (second in FCS), and completing 65% of his passes. In his two years in San Antonio, Calzada accumulated over 6,500 yards of total offense.

Calzada is likely to feature as somewhat of a bridge starting quarterback for the Wildcats, as he is facing his last year of eligibility.

He is likely setting up rising-sophomore Cutter Boley to be Kentucky’s quarterback of the future, who look promising but in need of more developmental time towards the end of last season. Last year’s starting quarterback, Brock Vandagriff, looks unlikely to return but has yet to hit the transfer portal.

A Kentucky football signee was named Kentucky Mr. Football

Kentucky football commit Montavin Quisenberry was named Kentucky Mr Football.

One of Kentucky football’s top recruits has racked up awards as his high school career comes to an end.

Montavin Quisenberry, a 3-star wide receiver recruit committed to Wildcat Football, was named Kentucky Mr. Football by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association earlier this week.

In addition, Quisenberry was named winner of the Paul Hornung Award from the Louisville Quarterback Club and the Gatorade Player of the Year.

The wide receiver recruit spent his high school career with local Kentucky powerhouse Boyle High School, where he went 41-2 in his career and won two state championships in 2022 and 2023. Both years, Quisenberry was a first team all-state selection.

Related: Former Wildcat Jordan Dingle headed to South Carolina

Although Quisenberry is expected to play wide receiver for the Wildcats, he’s truly an all-purpose offensive player for Boyle.

“The 5-foot-9, 173-pound athlete from Danville, Kentucky, who has drawn comparisons to former Wildcat star and current National Football League wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, recently concluded a high school career where he racked up more than 8,000 total offensive yards,” said the University in a congratulatory announcement. “For his career, he rushed for 4,469 yards and 61 touchdowns, caught 151 passes for 2,509 yards and 38 scores and passed for 1,357 yards and 15 touchdowns. He added 13 special teams touchdowns and totaled 165 tackles and eight interceptions.”

Quisenberry is the first Wildcat football commit since Isaac Dixon in 2021 to win the award. In total, 16 Mr. Kentucky Football winners have played for the Wildcats at some point in their college careers.

Former Texas A&M QB Zach Calzada is headed back to SEC for the 2025 season

The Kentucky Wildcats have landed a commitment from former Texas A&M and Incarnate Word QB Zach Calzada

Texas A&M won’t face Kentucky during the 2025 college football season. Still, a familiar face is headed back to the SEC as quarterback Zach Calzada will transfer to Lexington and compete for the starting QB job with the Wildcats and veteran head coach Mark Stoops.

Calzada’s journey is truly documentary-worthy. The former Texas A&M quarterback has just completed his best collegiate season after two full years at Incarnate Word, where he threw for 3,744 yards, achieved 35 touchdowns, and recorded only nine interceptions this season.

Calzada’s 2021 season with the Aggies was cemented in history after leading Texas A&M to one of the program’s most significant wins over No. 1 ranked Alabama after a 3-2 start to the year. Calzada’s impressive play in the pocket showed his potential as a Power 5 starter.

While his future with the Aggies could have been extended if it wasn’t for Texas A&M’s loaded 2022 quarterback room, Calzada briefly transferred to Auburn before injuries and poor play led him to fix his issues with Incarnate Word.

At 6-4 and 200-plus pounds, Calzada’s arm talent is undeniable and will more than likely lead to earning the starting quarterback job for a Kentucky team in desperate need of a reliable option under center.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

UGA football favorites to add nation’s No. 10 transfer

UGA football is favored to land transfer wide receiver, who was Kentucky’s leading receiver in 2024

The Georgia Bulldogs are the favorites to land a commitment from Kentucky Wildcats transfer wide receiver Dane Key.

Pete Nakos of On3 (subscription required) has a medium level of confidence that Georgia will reel in Key, who is ranked as the No. 4 wide receiver and No. 10 overall prospect in the transfer portal. Key is ranked as a four-star transfer, per 247Sports.

Key is also considering the Ole Miss Rebels, but the Rebels have already gained commitments from a pair of wide receiver transfers including Alabama’s Caleb Odom. Odom is a former four-star recruit.

Nakos notes that his projection is based on his intel. “This is where I believe these eight players will land (if he had to make a prediction),” said Nakos. One of Nakos’ predictions has already become a reality. Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer committed to Oklahoma as Nakos predicted with a high level of confidence.

Kentucky wide receiver Dane Key would help replenish Georgia’s wide receiver room, which is expected to lose several key contributors this offseason including Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett.

[lawrence-auto-related count=2]

Key was by far Kentucky’s most productive receiver in 2024. He posted a team-high 47 receptions for 715 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats despite Kentucky’s offensive inconsistencies.