Hardley Gilmore IV’s time at Kentucky has ended again, and this one looks final.
Jeff Drummond reported Wednesday that Gilmore has been dismissed from the Kentucky football program, with a UK spokesperson confirming the move as a violation of team rules. Gilmore was also absent from the team’s updated practice roster for Aug. 6.
That closes the latest chapter in a three-year stretch that never settled down for the former four-star receiver. Gilmore arrived in Lexington in 2023 as a highly touted freshman out of Florida, choosing Kentucky over Florida, Alabama, Penn State and others. The fit looked like a major win for Mark Stoops’ offense, but the production never matched the promise.
Gilmore’s path through college football has been anything but straight. He committed to Kentucky in 2023, entered the portal after the 2024 season, and went to Nebraska with pass-catcher Dane Key.
That stay did not last. He was dismissed from the Cornhuskers, returned to Kentucky, then saw Stoops get fired.
From there, Gilmore chose Louisville, changed course again and landed on Baylor, before once more reversing course and staying at Kentucky after all.
Through all of it, his talent kept him in the conversation. Gilmore is 6-foot-1, was a state qualifier for the 800-yard dash, and showed the kind of instincts that made him such an appealing recruit in the first place. But the numbers never caught up to the upside: 34 catches and 466 yards for his career.
Now the program is moving on. No details were given beyond the team-rules violation, and with the transfer portal closed, Gilmore can enroll elsewhere but would not be eligible to play until next season. A redshirt is the only path left.
The rollercoaster may keep going somewhere else, but it won’t continue in Lexington under Will Stein.
In Other News...
Mark Stoops Starts A New Chapter As Kentucky Enters One Too
Will Stein is set to take over as Kentuckys head coach this season, and the change closes the book on one of the most defining eras in program history. Mark Stoops spent 13 seasons leading the Wildcats, building a long run that reshaped what Kentucky football expected from itself, and now he is moving on to a new role as a Special Assistant to Texas coach Steve Sarkisian.
For Kentucky fans, the shift is about more than a new name on the sideline. It marks the start of a different chapter for a program that has spent the offseason adjusting to life after Stoops, while Stoops himself lands in a job that keeps him tied to high-level college football in a very different setting. The transition leaves both sides with something to prove as the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky May Finally Have The Offensive Line Fans Have Been Waiting For
Kentuckys offense has spent enough time searching for stability up front that any sign of continuity on the line deserves a closer look. This preseason, senior center Coleton Price landing on the Rimington Trophy watch list for a second straight year and senior left tackle Lance Heard earning a spot on the Outland Trophy watch list give the Wildcats a veteran core at two of the most important spots in the trench game. Both players arrive with meaningful college experience and the kind of outside recognition that suggests the line might finally have a sturdier foundation.
For Kentucky, the appeal goes beyond the preseason honors themselves. An experienced center and left tackle can make a difference in everything from protection calls to how confidently an offense can build its run game, and both Price and Heard have earned performance grades from Pro Football Focus that add another layer to the optimism. The bigger question now is whether that recognition translates into the kind of week-to-week consistency the Wildcats have been chasing, because this group still has to prove it can turn promise into production when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]