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South Alabama transfer DL Tyler Thomas commits to Kentucky

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs01/19/26grant_grubbs_

Former South Alabama defensive lineman Tyler Thomas has committed to Kentucky, via the NCAA Transfer Portal. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

In the 2025 campaign, Thomas made 11 appearances for South Alabama. He recorded 17 tackles and two sacks. As a redshirt freshman in 2024, Thomas played in all 13 of the Jaguars’ outings, notching career-highs of 20.5 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Thomas began his collegiate career at UAB. In the 2023 season, he only appeared in three games for the Blazers and ultimately redshirted.

Tyler Thomas played high school football at Cottage Hill Academy (AL), where he was an unranked prospect, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. He is the 28th player who has committed to Kentucky this offseason via the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The Wildcats are experiencing significant roster turnover as new head coach Will Stein revamps the team ahead of his debut campaign at the helm. Kentucky hired the Oregon offensive coordinator on Dec. 1, after firing longtime head coach Mark Stoops in late November. Stein is excited to usher in a new era at Kentucky.

“The vision is simple: it’s to win,” Stein said at his introductory press conference. “I didn’t come here to be average, to be mediocre. I came here to win and win championships. I’ve won at every single level that I’ve been at: high school, college. Now the goal is to win here.

“Not to win five years down the road, 10 years down the road. Do it now. The way you do that is you work, right? Success is not free. Rent is due every damn day that we’re here. We’re going to work to get that done to make Big Blue Nation proud and make our players proud and do it the right way.”

Kentucky has had a strong showing in the transfer portal. The team has reeled in several of the top offensive lineman in the portal, along with former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey.

Minchey initially committed to Nebraska in the transfer portal, but flipped his commitment to Kentucky the following day. Minchey made six appearances while serving as ND’s backup this past season. Minchey completed 20-of-his-26 pass attempts for 196 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown or an interception.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.