Kentucky has Alex Afari back in the mix again, at least for now, and that gives the Wildcats some much-needed cover at inside linebacker heading into Saturday’s trip to Oklahoma.
For the third time this season, a legal ruling has put Afari back on the field for Kentucky. Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Brian Edwards issued a temporary injunction that gives immediate eligibility to Afari and more than 30 other athletes suing the NCAA over its new five-year eligibility rule, which they want applied to 2022 high school graduates.
That ruling may not be the final word. The same Kentucky decision had already been granted in September, then overturned earlier this month by the Kentucky Court of Appeals. Still, Afari’s status for Oklahoma is restored for the moment, and Kentucky needs the help.
The depth chart is thin at inside linebacker right now. Backup options Antwan Smith and Tavion Wallace are both injured, leaving Grant Godfrey and Bo Barnes as the only trusted players at the position.
Afari’s path back has already taken several twists. He first rejoined the team in August during preseason practice after a federal judge in Colorado granted eligibility to all class of 2022 high school graduates.
Once the NCAA won an appeal in that case, Afari joined the plaintiffs in the Kentucky lawsuit. Edwards then granted his motion to join the case, which allowed him to play in Kentucky’s first four games of the season.
Then came another setback. On the eve of Kentucky’s game at South Carolina, Afari learned the original Kentucky ruling had been overturned, and he was ruled out for the overtime wins over South Carolina and LSU.
The NCAA’s new policy gives athletes five years of eligibility instead of the old four seasons in a five-year window, but the organization only applied that change to players who were still on campus when it was adopted in the summer. Under that approach, 2026 seniors who never redshirted would not get a fifth season.
Afari fits that group. He played four seasons at Kentucky from 2022 through 2025 and did not redshirt. His case is one of many around the country as athletes who would still have a fifth year under the new rule fight for that chance in court.
The Kentucky lawsuit includes several other athletes as well, among them Missouri basketball player Mark Mitchell, Louisville men’s basketball players Seth Trimble and L.J. Wells, and Louisville football players Jabari Mack and Kalib Perry. Mitchell initially planned to transfer to Kentucky after gaining eligibility, but later decided to stay at Missouri once it became clear the SEC would continue enforcing its ban on transfers from one league member to another outside the normal transfer portal window for each sport.
The NCAA has argued in these cases that giving 2022 graduates an extra year would cost roster spots for younger players who were recruited expecting those older players to be out of school.
Afari’s side tried to answer that by filing a signed affidavit from the other linebackers on Kentucky’s roster saying they thought he should be allowed to play.
On the field, Kentucky can use him. Afari has started 31 games in his career and had 11 tackles through the first four games.
Coaches had been easing him in as he worked to get back into playing shape and learn a new defensive scheme, but his role grew in his last game before the NCAA won its appeal. When Barnes was ejected for targeting against South Alabama, Afari stepped into a bigger role and finished with a team-high nine tackles in the win.
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Oklahoma brings the sort of profile that can punish a team if it starts slowly, and that is why this one has drawn more attention than a routine conference preview. Kentuckys outlook is tied to whether it can match the Sooners tempo and avoid the kind of mistakes that tend to decide games like this, which is also what makes the prediction angle so interesting: the gap between what people think and what actually happens could be smaller than it appears. [Read more 🡒]
Lance Heard Is Giving Kentucky's Offense Something Few Tackles Can
Lance Heard has quickly become one of the more versatile pieces in Kentuckys offense, and that matters for a team looking for every edge up front. The left tackle has not allowed a sack through the first six games, but his impact has gone well beyond pass protection. Kentucky has found ways to use his size and movement skills in space, including a highlight-reel sweep against South Carolina, and the results have given the Wildcats something few offenses can say they have from the tackle spot.
His coaches have also been creative with how they deploy him, at times lining him up as a lead blocker in the backfield, a role Heard has clearly embraced. He was again part of the story in Kentuckys recent overtime win against LSU, adding another layer to a season that has already shown how valuable he can be when the Wildcats ask him to do more than the usual left tackle job. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Is Mourning One Of The Wildcats Defining Legends
Kentucky is mourning one of the most important figures in the programs history after the death of Cliff Hagan, a University of Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member. Hagan was a star for the Wildcats from 1950 to 1954, part of the group that helped put Kentucky on the national stage in the early years of its modern basketball identity, and his impact on the school extended well beyond his playing days.
After his college career, Hagan went on to a 13-year professional basketball career before later serving as Kentuckys athletic director, adding another layer to a rsum already packed with honors and recognition. He was inducted into multiple halls of fame and remained one of the defining legends connected to the program, a status that only grew with time as generations of Kentucky fans came to know how much he meant to the Wildcats. [Read more 🡒]