Alex Afari is taking the legal route to get back on the Kentucky football field.
The former Wildcats linebacker has been stuck in the middle of a messy eligibility fight tied to the class of 2022 and the NCAA’s decision to open the door to a fifth year. Afari had already started practicing with Kentucky a week ago, and he told Sam Greene he wasn’t assuming anything was locked in.
Then the situation shifted again. A Tenth Circuit ruling granted a stay to the NCAA, and only fifth-year players covered by a temporary restraining order kept their eligibility after that decision. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops had said on Saturday that the situation was still up in the air.
“I mean, it’s TBD. You know as much as I do,” Stein told reporters on Saturday.
“We’ll monitor it and act accordingly. He was obviously practicing with us and getting prepped, but I think everybody’s still in limbo, trying to figure it all out and waiting for these rulings to happen.
We will be ready to roll whenever whatever side is ruled on.”
“That’s all on him. Like, I can’t guide him in any way,” Stein continued. “So I think he’s probably got a good grasp on it, so we’re just trying to wait and see.”
Kentucky didn’t have to wait much longer to learn Afari was making a move. He was not part of the original lawsuit, but that is now changing.
Hans Poppe, the attorney who represented Mark Mitchell in the Louisville case, posted that a motion has been filed to add Afari to the suit. If that motion is granted, Afari would receive TRO protection and be able to play in 2026.
“Alex Afari has entered the chat. Represented by other lawyers, he is requesting to be covered by our injunction. Just received the motion by email. pic.twitter.com/nXVN2u5Kpd
- Hans Poppe 📎📌 (@HansTheLawyer) August 23, 2026”
What happens next with Judge Edwards is still unclear, and Afari is likely not the only athlete who will pursue legal action after Friday’s decision.
Kentucky, though, would clearly take him back in a heartbeat.
“He’s a talented kid. I really like him,” defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said last week.
“I got the chance to meet him a little bit when I first got here. I remembered him out of high school.
He’s kind of a unique player out of high school - you weren’t really sure what he was going to become. I knew he’d become a good player.
I honestly thought he’d get drafted.
“I don’t know many D coordinators that would be disappointed if a guy like that was able to come. I’m fired up about him, hope it happens, but feel good about the linebackers either way.”
In Other News...
Kentuckys Push For Mark Mitchell Now Rests On One Eligibility Fight
Mark Mitchells path to a fifth college basketball season has turned into one of those off-court fights that can reshape a roster before anyone ever reaches the floor. The former Missouri forward has a temporary restraining order in Kentucky that keeps him eligible for now, giving him a legal foothold as Kentucky continues to push for help in adding him to the mix. What makes the case so complicated is that the SECs transfer rules still matter here, and they were built to limit intraleague moves to specific NCAA windows.
Greg Sankey has said those rules remain in effect unless changed or waived, and the conference, along with others, opposed Mitchells lawsuit seeking extra eligibility. The NCAAs new five-for-five model begins in 2026-27, but it did not grandfather in players from the high school class of 2022, which leaves Mitchell and others in a gray area as eligibility and transfer rights keep colliding. For Kentucky, the question is no longer just whether Mitchell can play, but whether the legal path stays open long enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Stayed Alive In A Massive 2027 Recruiting Battle
Kentucky remains squarely in the mix for one of the class of 2027s premier guards, as five-star point guard Reese Alston has included the Wildcats among his top seven college choices. Ranked No. 9 nationally, Alston has drawn heavy attention early in his recruitment, and Kentucky has kept itself involved since extending an offer in October 2025.
Mikhail McLean has been a steady presence in the pursuit, helping Kentucky stay relevant as the race begins to take shape. Louisville currently has the early momentum, but the process is still wide open, with several programs working to separate themselves in what figures to be a long battle for one of the top point guards in the country. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Is Tracking A Rare 7-Foot-2 Prospect Fans Need To Watch
Kentuckys recruiting radar has already started to pick up on a name that fits the modern big-man mold in a very unusual way. Cherif Millogo, a 7-foot-2 center at St. Francis High School in California, has emerged as a top prospect in the 2027 class, and his path to the sport makes him even more intriguing. Originally from Burkina Faso, Millogo did not come to basketball through the usual youth pipeline. He moved from soccer to hoops around age 13 and has grown into a versatile player with a strong shooting touch.
His rise has drawn attention from several major college programs, with Kentucky among the schools keeping tabs as the evaluation process begins to sharpen. Millogo is also being managed by former NBA player Luc Mbah a Moute, who helped arrange his enrollment at St. Francis, adding another layer of experience around a prospect already standing out for his size and skill. For Wildcats fans, he is the kind of long-term name worth filing away now, because players with this mix of frame, background and upside tend to become much harder to ignore once the offers start stacking up. [Read more 🡒]