Kentucky has gotten a timely boost on defense, with linebacker Alex Afari Jr. officially cleared to play after the NCAA’s latest attempt to stop him was turned back.
On Friday, the Kentucky Court of Appeals denied the NCAA’s emergency motion in the case, leaving Afari free to take the field for the Wildcats against Youngstown State on Saturday, according to his lawyer, Abe Mashni. Mashni said the ruling clears the way for Afari to suit up.
Afari’s path to this point has been anything but straightforward. He was recently granted a TRO against the NCAA, setting him up for a fifth season at Kentucky after going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. He also spent time at a rookie minicamp with the Green Bay Packers, though he did not sign an NFL contract.
His return to Kentucky was briefly interrupted in August when the NCAA was granted a stay on Aug. 22, which removed the blanket order out of Colorado that had given all Class of 2022 athletes a fifth year of eligibility. Afari had practiced with the Wildcats before that ruling, but then spent about a week or two in limbo before being added to a Louisville lawsuit by Judge Brian Edwards on Wednesday. That move granted him and several other athletes individual TROs against the NCAA.
Even with the legal hurdle cleared, it’s still not certain how much Afari will actually play Saturday. He has had limited practice time, and he’ll need a little time to get back up to speed in Will Stein’s new-look Wildcats unit.
Kentucky’s game against Youngstown State is set for 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network Saturday afternoon.
In Other News...
Mark Mitchell Saga Left Kentucky Fans Wanting One Answer On J Batt
Mark Mitchells transfer chase had Kentucky fans looking for a late-summer boost, but the forwards path never got far enough to become a true Wildcats storyline. Mitchell, a member of the high school class of 2022, was trying to take advantage of a temporary court-ordered fifth season of eligibility, and Kentucky had reason to be involved until the Southeastern Conference declined to exempt him from its transfer restrictions. In the end, he went back to Missouri, leaving Kentucky with more questions than answers about how much room the program actually had to maneuver.
For Kentucky, the more interesting figure in the background is new athletics director J Batt, who did not arrive until late July and had limited say in a situation shaped by league-level rulings and timing. The episode also feeds a bigger argument around NCAA rules for players who have gone pro but still hold college eligibility, while quietly reminding Kentucky fans that roster-building questions are not limited to basketball, either, with recruiting concerns already looming around football under Will Stein. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Entered A Tough Race For A Rising Big Man
Kentucky has jumped into the mix for one of the more intriguing big men in the 2025 recruiting pool, extending a scholarship offer to Akol Nyok as the high school evaluation period picks up. The 7-foot-1 center has been drawing more attention in recent weeks, and his profile is only getting bigger as schools continue to sort through the next wave of frontcourt talent.
Nyok entered the cycle as a three-star prospect on Rivals, but his rising stock has started to put him on more radars as a four-star-level target. For Kentucky, the offer adds another name to a crowded race for a player whose size alone makes him hard to ignore, and the competition figures to keep building as more programs make their own push. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Faces A Bigger Kenny Minchey Question Than Week 1
Kenny Mincheys move from Notre Dame to Kentucky already made him one of the more intriguing players on the roster, and now his role has taken on a different kind of weight. The fourth-year quarterback is in line to lead the Wildcats when the season opens, giving Will Stein a first-time starter to shape in a way he has not had to do before.
Stein and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan have both pointed to Mincheys progress during fall camp, with the staff focused on getting his mobility and playmaking back to where it was before. The bigger question is not whether Kentucky believes in his talent, but how quickly he can grow into a job that asks a lot from the start, especially when Steins past quarterbacks arrived with far more game experience already behind them. [Read more 🡒]