5 Kentucky Players Texas A&M Fans Need To Know in 2026

Kentucky’s offseason overhaul brought new firepower to Lexington. Here are five players Texas A&M fans should know before Week 3.

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; The Texas A&M Aggies run onto the field prior to facing the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. | Matt Guzman-Texas A&M Aggies On SI

With the 2026 season on the horizon, head coach Mike Elko added key players to Texas A&M's roster, reloading both sides of the ball as the Aggies search for a second-straight appearance in the College Football Playoff. 

Meanwhile, after a lackluster performance in 2026, Kentucky relieved former head coach Mark Stoops of his coaching duties, turning to former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein to lead the Wildcats into the future. 

With no choice but to rebuild from the ground up, Stein made key additions to Kentucky’s roster that might challenge A&M when the teams meet in Week 3. 

WR Nic Anderson

Dec 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Nic Anderson (4) celebrates a touchdown catch in the first half against the Arizona Wildcats at Alamodome. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

After three seasons at Oklahoma, wide receiver Nic Anderson transferred to LSU, where he recorded 12 receptions for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

Anderson entered his college career as a four-star prospect out of Katy High School in Katy, Texas, and was rated as high as the No. 15 wide receiver in the nation by ESPN.

In 2023, Anderson had a breakout year with the Sooners, ranking No. 2 in program history with 38 receptions for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

Anderson missed the majority of the 2024 season with an injury, but joins Stein’s offense with 27 games of SEC experience under his belt. 

With a reloaded secondary, A&M will have its hands full containing Anderson and preventing Kentucky’s passing attack.

OT Lance Heard

Tennessee offensive lineman Lance Heard (53) during UT spring football practice on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Considered the No. 2 high school player in the state of Louisiana, Heard emerged as the No. 2 offensive tackle for the class of 2023 by On3 and was named a consensus five-star prospect out of Neville High School. 

With the majority of his college career taking place in Knoxville, Heard started 12 games as a freshman at LSU, not allowing a single sack through 195 offensive snaps, before transferring to Tennessee in 2024. 

Heard started 24 games with the Volunteers, allowing three quarterback hits and only a pair of sacks through 753 offensive snaps over the course of his sophomore season. 

At the end of the day, Heard’s Southeastern Conference experience gives Kentucky an edge against A&M’s reloaded front seven. Defensive end Anto Saka joins the Maroon and White after three seasons in the Big Ten at Northwestern, making the Aggies’ Week 3 matchup against the Wildcats an intense contest in the trenches.

RB CJ Baxter & RB Jovantae Barnes

Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter runs the ball during the Big 12 Championship game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kentucky turned to the transfer portal to fortify its offensive backfield with the addition of running backs CJ Baxter and Jovantae Barnes. 

Baxter joined Stein’s roster after three seasons under Steve Sarkisian at Texas, where he rushed for a total of 855 yards. Over the course of his freshman season in 2023, the Boynton Beach, Florida, native put up promising numbers, pounding the rock for 659 yards and 5 touchdowns, only to miss the entirety of 2024 with a knee injury. 

Baxter got back to work in 2025, but was never quite the same. The redshirt sophomore combined for 237 receiving and rushing yards, securing only a single house call. 

Similarly, Barnes transferred to Kentucky after four seasons at Oklahoma, where he showed signs of stardom but was limited by undisclosed injuries. 

Amidst his freshman season in 2022, Barnes rushed for 519 yards and 5 touchdowns, with comparable numbers in 2024. But in 2023 and 2025, Barnes fell victim to the injury bug, reporting a combined 285 yards on the ground with a pair of rushing touchdowns. 

The Wildcats’ inconsistency at running back makes Stein’s offense a wildcard going into Week 3. However, if both Baxter and Barnes return to their full potential, the Aggies could potentially face off against one of the best offensive backfields in the SEC.

QB Kenny Minchey

Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey throws the ball during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

Quarterback Kenny Minchey transferred to Kentucky after three seasons at Notre Dame, being featured in only 10 games for the Fighting Irish. 

Though Minchey appeared in six contests over the course of 2025 and reported 196 passing yards, the Hendersonville, Tennessee, native is still in search of his first passing touchdown.

Under Stein, the sky is the limit for Minchey in Lexington. During his time at Oregon, Stein served as the Ducks’ quarterback coach, mentoring NFL superstars among the likes of Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel. 

Both Nix and Gabriel were named as finalists for the Heisman Trophy after their respective seasons in Eugene, with Gabriel leading Oregon to both a Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. 

Stein’s latest project, Dante Moore, is currently projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft, with the fourth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy according to FanDuel.

As a four-star recruit out of Pope John Paul II High School, Minchey may have finally found the coach that can lift him to his full potential. 

For A&M, Elko’s revamped defensive line will be put to the test against Minchey’s newfound firepower. 

With an entirely new roster, Kentucky’s potential remains a mystery in 2026. However, under Stein, anything is possible with the Wildcats’ newest batch of transfer portal additions. 

As the Aggies prepare for another season under Elko, there’s no telling what Stein's roster will bring to the table when Kentucky comes to College Station. 

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