Everything You Need to Know from a Busy Transfer Portal Friday from Kentucky

The transfer portal brings peaks and valleys. Kentucky football fans started in a rut, but received some good news in the form of a commitment and a slew of visitors on campus. Let’s run through everything that happened on Friday.

Offensive Tackle Misses

Xavier Chaplin was Kentucky’s top offensive tackle target after logging three years as a starter, two at Virginia Tech and one at Auburn. Kentucky got the first visit, but he was drawn to Florida State. As Jacob Polacheck reported, the dollars didn’t matter. Proximity to home played a big role in his decision to commit to the Seminoles.

Regardless of the reason, it was a body blow that was followed by one more. Darrin Strey, one of the top-ranked recruits from last year’s class, hit the transfer portal. The offensive tackle’s departure leaves just one at the position with significant snaps, Malachi Wood.

[KSR Plus: Offensive Tackle Big Board]

A Surprise Transfer Portal Commitment

We’ve reported on plenty of visitors and targets, but plenty of players slip through the cracks. That’s purposeful. The Kentucky coaching staff is happy to sneak visitors on campus and secure commitments before any other school can try to pry them away.

It happened previously with IOL Max Anderson. It happened today with another Anderson, Pittsburgh DB Jesse Anderson.

Kentucky’s newest commitment was a two-way star for Ft. Lauderdale (Fl.) Cardinal Gibbons. Upon arriving at Pitt, he redshirted, then primarily served as a special teams player. After splitting time at defensive back and wide receiver, he entered the transfer portal to find a better fit. Jay Bateman is offering him that opportunity. Kentucky will regularly deploy three safeties, and Anderson can work his way into the secondary rotation.

Addition by Retention

For the second straight day, we got some good news from the Kentucky tight end room. Unlike Willie Rodriguez, we didn’t see Mikkel Skinner on the field last fall during his true freshman season. You’re gonna see a lot of this guy in Will Stein‘s offense next fall.

The only Top-300 talent in the 2025 Kentucky football recruiting class, Skinner brings a rare blend of size and athleticism to the tight end position. A flex tight end, Stein can use Skinner to create mismatches in the passing game and develop the South Carolina native into a weapon in the SEC.

Transfer Portal Visitors

Kentucky had a star-studded group of prospects on campus when Will Stein was in town last Saturday. You can expect more when the head coach arrives after tonight’s Peach Bowl loss. Here’s who was in town today (plus one on the guest list for tomorrow).

RB Richard Young, Alabama — Once the top-ranked running back in the country, the 5-11, 211-pound running back is a north-south runner who actually played his way into the RB1 position for the first game of the season. He could not hold onto that spot, and now he’s looking for a new home. Kentucky already has one running back commitment, but the Cats need at least one more weapon in the backfield.

LB Elijah Barnes, Texas — After landing Tavion Wallace, Kentucky has cast a wide net in search of its next inside linebacker. Bateman has his eyes on another former Blue Chipper. Barnes was the No. 60 player in last year’s recruiting class and is currently the third-ranked linebacker in the transfer portal. He preserved his redshirt, but in 19 snaps in the bowl game, he had three tackles and a sack. This a prospect with a high ceiling who could reach that sooner, rather than later.

WR Ja’Kayden Ferguson, Arkansas — The pass-catcher will be in Lexington tomorrow. It’s not his first visit to Kentucky. He was committed to the Cats for a long time as a high school senior before the Texas native had a change of plans late. Now, he’s giving Kentucky a second chance, and it very well may result in a transfer portal commitment. It’s worth noting that Kentucky wide receivers coach Joe Price is from Ferguson’s hometown of Houston.

Transfer Portal Commitments

Player	Position	High School	Former School	Year
Olaus Alinen	G/T (6-6, 322)	Windson (Conn.) The Loomis Chaffee School	Alabama	Redshirt Junior
Jesse Anderson	DB	Ft. Lauderdale (Fl.) Cardinal Gibbons	Pitt	Redshirt Junior
Max Anderson	iOL (6-5, 311)	Frisco (Texas) High	Tennessee	Redshirt Sophomore
Jovantae Barnes	RB (6-0, 211)	Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines	Oklahoma	Redshirt Senior
Ahmad Breaux	iDL (6-3, 278)	Ruston (La.) High	LSU	Junior
Jordan Castell	S (6-2, 213)	Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange	Florida	Senior
Xavier Daisy	WR (6-3, 210)	Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian School	UAB	Junior
Aaron Gates	Nickel (6-0, 198)	Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian	Florida	Redshirt Junior
Jamarrion Harkless	iDL (6-3, 315)	Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass	Purdue	Redshirt Junior
Kenny Minchey	QB (6-2, 208)	Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II	Notre Dame	Redshirt Junior
Antonio O’Berry	EDGE (6-6, 240)	Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne	Tiffin (D-II) | Gardner-Webb	6th-Year Senior
Coleton Price	iOL (6-3, 318)	Bowie (Texas) High	Baylor	Redshirt Senior
Hasaan Sykes	CB (6-0, 185)	Tuckert (Ga.) High	Western Carolina	Junior
Tavion Wallace	LB (6-1, 239)	Baxley (Ga.) Appling County	Arkansas	Sophomore

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.