Kentucky’s winter transfer portal overhaul didn’t just reshape the Wildcats’ roster. It also sent a long list of familiar faces elsewhere, and plenty of them are landing on teams Kentucky will see in 2026.
According to KSR’s tracker, 38 former Kentucky players will be suiting up for other FBS programs this season. Another four - Caleb Redd at EKU, Dennious Jackson at Towson, Anfernee Crease at Lamar, and Javeon Campbell at Alabama (A&M) - are set to play FCS football.
The biggest concentrations are easy to spot. Arizona State, Ball State, UConn, Kansas State, Louisville, and South Carolina each have multiple ex-Wildcats on their rosters.
Louisville stands out in particular with seven former Kentucky players heading into 2026. That group includes Evan Wibberley at center, Jerod Smith II at defensive end, and DJ Waller Jr. at cornerback, all of whom are expected to start or play major roles for the Cardinals this fall.
Vince Marrow was the lead recruiter on many of those players when they originally signed with Kentucky.
South Carolina also has a notable Kentucky connection. Tomiwa Durojaiye is projected to start on the defensive line, while Quay’sheed Scott is expected to start at nickel. Durojaiye’s path has been a long one - Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida State, Illinois, and now South Carolina, his fifth school in five years.
Several other former Wildcats have found their way back into power conference football after brief stops in the Group of Six. Darrion Henry-Young moved from Coastal Carolina to Virginia, Elijah Reed went from Akron to Utah, Brandon White transferred from Hawaii to Kansas State, and La’Vell Wright went from WKU to Pittsburgh.
Here’s the full list of where former Kentucky players are playing in 2026:
Khamari Anderson, TE, 4th, Arizona State
Ardell Banks, WR, 4th, Kent State
Cutter Boley, QB, 3rd, Arizona State
Preston Bowman, WR, 2nd, Ohio
Jayvant Brown, LB, 4th, Temple
Anthony Brown-Stephens, WR, 4th, Tulane
Jakob Dixon, WR, 4th, Louisville
Cam Dooley, S, 3rd, Florida
Dante Dowdell, RB, 4th, Georgia
Tomiwa Durojaiye, iDL, 5th, South Carolina
Tyreese Fearbry, EDGE, 5th, Wisconsin
Kendrick Gilbert, iDL, 4th, Ball State
Darrion Henry-Young, iDL, 7th, Virginia
Koby Keenum, iOL, 4th, Memphis
David LaGanga, LS, 5th, UConn
Tanner Lemaster, TE, 4th, Eastern Michigan
Jiquavious Marshall, CB, 3rd, Liberty
Noah Matthews, EDGE, 5th, Delaware
Cameron Miller, WR, 2nd, Ole Miss
Marc Nave Jr., OL, 3rd, Purdue
Shamar Porter, WR, 4th, UConn
Montavin Quisenberry, WR, 2nd, Louisville
Austin Ramsey, iDL, 4th, Kansas State
Elijah Reed, CB, 5th, Utah
Stone Saunders, QB, 2nd, San Diego State
Quay’sheed Scott, Nickel, 3rd, South Carolina
Quintin Simmons, WR, 2nd, Miami (Ohio)
Jacob Smith, EDGE, 3rd, Louisville
Jerod Smith II, DL, 3rd, Louisville
Steven Soles Jr., EDGE, 3rd, Arkansas
Troy Stellato, WR, 6th, UNLV
Darrin Strey, T, 2nd, LSU
Avery Stuart, DB, 4th, Ball State
DJ Waller Jr., CB, 4th, Louisville
Evan Wibberley, iOL, 5th, Louisville
Brandon White, WR, 5th, Kansas State
La’Vell Wright, RB, 6th, Pittsburgh
Tommy Ziesmer, iDL, 4th, Louisville
In Other News...
Kentucky Missed On A Key Big Man And The Pressure Just Grew
Kentuckys search for frontcourt help took a hit when Jaxon Kohler chose BYU after weighing the Wildcats along with Kansas and Louisville. The 6-foot-10 forward from American Fork, Utah, had been one of the more important names on Kentuckys board as the staff continues to look for size and versatility in the paint, and his decision leaves the Wildcats still chasing answers with the roster picture not fully settled.
The ripple effect matters because Kentuckys attention has already shifted toward Mark Mitchell, another player whose status is tied to an eligibility lawsuit and a possible move into the transfer portal if a court ruling breaks his way. It leaves the Wildcats in the familiar position of waiting on the legal side of roster building while trying to line up alternatives, with the next few decisions likely to shape just how much pressure remains on the staff to land a difference-maker inside. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Newest Offer May Be More Complete Than His Ranking Suggests
Kentucky has continued casting a wide net early in the 2027 cycle, and its latest offer went to Asa Montgomery, a 6-foot-7 small forward whose rsum already looks deeper than a simple ranking snapshot. The four-star prospect has been productive on the Nike Elite Youth Champions League stage, where he led the circuit in scoring, and he also played a part in the United States FIBA Under-17 World Cup title run.
What makes Montgomery especially intriguing for the Wildcats is the way coaches describe his game. His versatility, basketball IQ and ability to use his length on both ends give him a profile that can translate in a lot of different ways, which is often what major programs value when they are identifying early targets. Kentucky is clearly seeing more than a ranking here, and it will be worth watching how much momentum this offer creates as his recruitment develops. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys 2022 Eligibility Fight Just Put One Wildcat In Limbo
A legal twist in the 2022 eligibility battle has left some college football players in a precarious spot, and Kentucky is directly affected. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit granted the NCAAs request for a stay in a Colorado class-action case that had briefly opened the door for 2022 players to claim a fifth year, stripping away federal protection for players who do not have temporary restraining orders from state court cases.
For Kentucky, the most immediate consequence is Alex Afaris status, which is now in limbo under the stay, while Mark Mitchells future hinges on a pending ruling from Judge Brian Edwards in a Kentucky lawsuit. Some players who already won state-level cases are still able to keep their fifth year for now, but the ones without that kind of ruling are back in uncertainty as the broader fight continues. [Read more 🡒]