College football’s transfer era has turned Saturdays into reunion tours, and Kentucky is about to see that up close.
When the Wildcats visit Williams-Brice Stadium, two familiar names will be lining up for South Carolina: Tomiwa Durojaiye and Quay’sheed Scott. Both were once Kentucky high school signees, and both now start for the Gamecocks against a UK offense that looks very different itself, with nine former transfers in the starting lineup alongside Malachi Wood, Willie Rodriguez and Kenny Darby.
Durojaiye’s path has been a long one. The defensive tackle came to Kentucky as a three-star recruit from Delaware and spent the 2022 season in Lexington before moving on to West Virginia in 2023.
There, he put together a productive year with 23 tackles, six tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 14 pressures across 270 snaps. He then went to Florida State in 2024, but got only a little over 30 snaps in four games, which sent him back into the portal again.
His stop at Illinois last season may have been his best yet. Durojaiye posted 16 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and 18 pressures across 372 snaps.
Now a fifth-year player at his fifth school in 2026, he has been one of South Carolina’s most effective defenders through four games. Working as the team’s three-tech defensive tackle, he has 13 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and eight pressures in 156 snaps.
Kentucky should expect to see plenty of him on Saturday.
Scott’s route to Columbia came with a different kind of twist. He was a three-star recruit in the 2024 class and initially chose Kentucky over several Group of Six programs after an impressive camp performance in June.
South Carolina made a late push to flip him, but Kentucky held on and signed him. After playing 51 snaps as a true freshman, Scott moved into Kentucky’s starting nickel role in 2025 and delivered a solid season with 39 tackles, four pass breakups and one interception across 488 snaps.
After that year, Scott entered the transfer portal and ended up back at South Carolina. He has since taken over as the Gamecocks’ starting nickel and has logged five tackles and two pass breakups over 121 snaps.
So Kentucky gets two former players on the other sideline in a major SEC game. That’s the modern sport now.
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