Kentucky football gets the first transfer commit of Will Stein era

Kentucky football has been off and running in the transfer portal since it opened at midnight on Friday, even hosting a number of top targets on visits this weekend, including Texas transfer running back CJ Baxter as well as Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is the top-ranked player in the entire portal. Things began to move quickly, and the work is starting to pay off.

On Saturday afternoon, Kentucky picked up a commitment from Arkansas transfer linebacker Tavion Wallace, the brother of former UK star linebacker Trevin Wallace, who is now in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers. Heading into his stint at Kentucky, Wallace is set to have three years of eligibility remaining.

We back🫶🏾💙@UKFootball pic.twitter.com/x9VdzeUB66
— Tavion Wallace (@tavion_wallace) January 3, 2026

At Arkansas, the former blue-chip prospect out of high school appeared in nine games in his freshman season, with just 11 overall defensive snaps on the season, while also making appearances in 55 snaps on the special teams unit. Wallace finished his time in high school as a four-star prospect, ranking 185th overall and the 16th-ranked linebacker in his class. He held offers from the likes of Georgia, Ohio State, Florida, Michigan, and Louisville, among a number of other top programs.

If the Arkansas product can be anything like his brother, BBN is in for a special time with Wallace in the blue and white. In his time in Lexington, the former Wildcat had 166 tackles, including 18 for loss as well as 10.0 sacks in two years starting under former head coach Mark Stoops before he was drafted in the third round by the Carolina Panthers. Now, Kentucky will get a chance to help Wallace achieve the same success, or even just close to it, because his older brother was a massive part of that Kentucky defense, as his play as a sophomore ended up earning him team captain honors the following season before getting invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl after his final season in Lexington.

Here is what 247 Sports' Hudson Standish has to say in his scouting report of Wallace: "Premium athletic traits show up often when rushing the passer off the edge or as a blitzer at the prep level, but isn't strictly a pass-rusher at this stage of his development. Shows nuance reading the triangle when fitting runs inside the box and will strike upon impact. Also can flow laterally with the ball or recover quickly to cover grass from sideline to sideline. Might not be the most instinctive coverage defender but shines playing man-to-man, and should advance rapidly in coverage with collegiate coaching. Plays fast but under control and with very little wasted motion against both the run and pass. Projects as a multi-year P4 starter with the ability to contribute immediately on defense and special teams. Should be viewed as one of the top second-level defenders at this stage of the evaluation process for the 2025 cycle, with plenty of long-term NFL Draft upside thanks to his efforts as a traditional inside-the-box 'backer and added versatility rushing the passer off the edge."

Kentucky got a promising first addition in the portal for the defense.