Kentucky Football Offensive Transfer Portal Wishlist
In this story:
Transfer portal season is upon us.
Kentucky is expected to be one of the more active programs over the next month and a half, as it looks to bolster its roster with some of the top names that have entered as of Dec. 5.
There will be fierce competition for each and every player, as UK is one of hundreds of programs attempting to find the best talent the portal has to offer. All the while, head coach Mark Stoops is trying to juggle the recruiting trail, as well as lock down a new offensive coordinator:
“We’re holding court in the transfer portal. There’s no panic here," Stoops told reporters on Monday. "You have to have some urgency about it, but no panic. I’m not going to rush things. It’s vitally important that we have the right guy. You have to get the right person, rather than rush just to get one player or to worry about that. We’re staying steady in recruiting. I think we’re going to do well in the portal. I don’t want to panic there and want to get the right guy.”
For good measure, the season still isn't even over for Stoops, as Kentucky will play the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 31. The world of college football is as hectic as ever.
In regards to the portal, Kentucky will be after offensive players in an attempt to reconfigure the group that averaged just 22.1 points-per game in 2022. UK failed to reach the 40-point mark in all 12 games this season, while never scoring more than 27 points in an SEC game.
We took the liberty of crafting a wishlist for Stoops and the Cats, looking at positions that are in need of portal power, and who some of those new players could possibly be:
1. Quarterback
With Will Levis' sights set on the NFL, the Wildcats will be perusing the portal nonstop looking for its next QB for the 2023 season.
Three QBs (Kaiya Sheron, Destin Wade, Deuce Hogan) are set to return to Lexington next year as of now, but none of the trio is thought to be at high enough of a level currently to consistently start under center in the SEC.
Who Stoops looks to bring in could depend on what offensive coordinator takes over, as connections tend to run deep between play-callers. Former OC Liam Coen found a gem in getting Levis to UK from Penn State in 2021, back when the portal wasn't near as hectic as its become this year.
Many names will be floated out, but this will be an important pickup for the Wildcats as they attempt to keep the positive momentum left at QB from Levis' superstar-level buzz. You can find our entire QB transfer portal tracker here, but here are four potential QBs that could wind up in blue and white next season:
Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
- Two years of eligibility left
- No. 65 prospect in the 2019 class
- Started the past 32 games for the Badgers, considered one of the best recruits in program history
- Had career year in 2022, threw for 2,136 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions
- Threw for 1,958 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2021
- 6-foot-3, 216 pounds out of Overland Park, KS
Devin Leary, NC State
- One year of eligibility left after five seasons in Raleigh
- 4-star prospect in 2018 class
- Threw for 6,807 yards, 62 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in his NC State career
- Had career year in 2021, threw for 3,433 yards, 35 touchdowns and five interceptions
- Tore his pectoral muscle on Oct. 8, 2022, missing back half of season
- Considered to have some of the best arm talent in the country
- 6-foot-1, 215 pounds out of Sicklerville, NJ
Brennan Armstrong, Virginia
- Graduate transfer after five years at Virginia
- Just a 3-star prospect (No. 619) in the 2018 class
- Threw for 9,034 yards, 58 touchdowns and 35 interceptions across those five seasons
- Had a career year in 2021, threw for 4,449 yards and 31 touchdowns.
- Threw for just 2,210 yards seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2022
- 6-foot-2, 210 pounds out of Shelby, Ohio
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
- Transferring after one season as a senior at WKU.
- Won DII National Championship with West Florida in 2019
- Had career year in 2022, ranked second in passing yards at 4,247, second in touchdown passes at 36 and second in completions at 353
- Expected to land at a Power Five school
- 6-foot-2, 230 pounds out of Saint Augustine Beach, FL
Related: Keep up with Kentucky in the transfer portal here.
2. Offensive Linemen
You could argue that repairing the holes in the Big Blue Wall is even more important than finding a new quarterback. As we witnessed in 2022, sometimes it doesn't matter what kind of talent is under center when said talent doesn't have any time in the pocket to make plays happen.
Four of UK's starters at O-line (LT Kenneth Horsey, LG Jager Burton, C Eli Cox, RT Jeremy Flax) could return, but it's expected that that group will look a tad different come the season-opener against Ball State on Sept. 2, 2023.
Plucking solid talent in the trenches will be a much harder task than landing players at skill positions, however.
While it's early, the Wildcats may have their sights set on a couple of veteran big men:
Marques Cox, Northern Illinois
The left tackle started 33 consecutive games for the Huskies before going down with an injury against UK on Sept. 24, which kept him out for the remainder of the 2022 season.
At 6-foot-6, 309 pounds, the Peoria, Ill. native excels in pass protection. The addition of Cox would mean Kenneth Horsey could slide back down to his natural position at left guard.
Cox has at least one year of eligibility left, but could add another if he's given a medical redshirt due to his injury this season.
Tanner Bowles, Alabama
After spending four seasons in Tuscaloosa, Bowles — a Glasgow, Ky. native — is in the portal and could very well wind up in Lexington.
Standing at 6-foot-5, 293 pounds, Bowles will be a redshirt senior with two years of eligibility left. He has played all across the O-line during his time at Alabama, but could be a replacement at right guard for Tashawn Manning. Bowles appeared in all 12 games for the Crimson Tide this season.
The Bluegrass intrigue will always make its presence felt in the portal.
3. Running Back
Kentucky will also be in the market for a new workhorse running back.
The Wildcats' running back room is losing its two mainstays, as Chris Rodriguez's tenure is up, while veteran tailback Kavosiey Smoke has entered the transfer portal.
JuTahn McClain, who notched just 238 yards on the ground, redshirt freshman La'Vell Wright and potentially Ramon Jefferson — who tore his ACL in the first game of the 2022 season — currently compile the most featured backs on the roster.
Plenty of options are around in the portal, but UK appears to be locked in on one specific back with SEC experience:
Ray Davis, Vanderbilt
A veteran out of the 2018 class, Davis played two seasons for Temple before making the move to Nashville. The San Fransisco native had a career year in 2022, rushing for 1,042 yards and five touchdowns on 232 attempts. He has one year of eligibility left, and Kentucky has already offered him.
Against UK this season, Stoops and the staff saw firsthand how good the senior can be, as he rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Davis had five games in 2022 in which he eclipsed 100 yards on the ground.
The Cats don't have to find someone who can run the rock as much as Rodriguez did. It helps to have a clear feature back, but a committee of multiple runners with different styles can be just as prominent.
4. Tight End
With youngsters Jordan Dingle and Josh Kattus expected to return in 2023, the tight end spot is not lacking in talent for Kentucky.
Dingle caught 19 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns, while Kattus emerged late in the season, catching seven balls for a whopping 125 yards. There will be turnover in the TE room, however, as veteran Brenden Bates will likely leave after five seasons while Keaton Upshaw hits the transfer portal himself. That pair totaled 14 receptions for 149 yards this season.
Tight end usage relies heavily on the offensive coordinator's style. Rich Scangarello was a big fan of getting them involved in the passing game in 2022, but whoever the OC is next season may have other ideas and prefer better blocking types.
Despite that, there are hot commodities out there that are good enough to fit into whatever style necessary:
Jaheim Bell, South Carolina
Perhaps the most coveted TE in the portal through the first two days of its opening, Bell is drawing high interest from a lot of programs.
In 2021, he hauled in 30 passes for 497 yards and five touchdowns. In what was a Jekyll and Hyde SC offense this season, he regressed a bit in production through the air, scoring twice and tallying 235 yards. To remedy that, he was also used as a running back, where he carried the ball 73 times for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
While he's labeled a tight end, Bell's skill set could be showcased in a variety of ways.
Erick All, Michigan
An Ohio native, All could be a more realistic name to watch in the portal for UK than Bell.
Across four seasons in maize and blue, he racked up 54 catches for 565 yards and two touchdowns. His biggest season came in 2021, where he caught 38 passes for 437 yards and both of those scores.
All was a team captain for Michigan in 2022, though he played just three games before undergoing season-ending back surgery.
Tight end isn't at the top of Kentucky's needs on offense, but it would never hurt to bolster that position group as much as possible.
Wildcats Today will have transfer portal updates all window long.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.
