Kentucky Making Moves for Defensive Targets in the Transfer Portal

Will Stein‘s offensive intuition quickly sold Kentucky fans on the new hire. That’s only half of the equation. Similar to his approach on offense, he wants to play an aggressive style of defense. He’s put it in the trusted hands of Jay Bateman, and now the former Texas A&M defensive coordinator is working to add reinforcements to his side of the line of scrimmage.

One of the first big targets in town was Tavion Wallace. I placed an RPM prediction for the Wildcats to land the former All-American linebacker, who seemed to enjoy his time in Lexington.

BBN What we thinking👀💙!!

— Tavion Wallace (@tavion_wallace) January 3, 2026

Wallace wasn’t the only linebacker on campus. The Cats also brought in a starter from Auburn, Robert Woodyard Jr., a former Top-200 talent who totaled 67 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks last fall.

New Transfer Portal Targets in the Secondary

We previously reported that Western Carolina cornerback Hasaan Sykes was expected to visit Kentucky today. There’s another cornerback with a trip to Lexington on the docket.

On3’s Steve Wiltfong reports Cobey Sellers is expected to be in town this weekend. Sellers suited up for Bateman last fall at Texas A&M. He only appeared in one game, preserving his redshirt and four years of eligibility. Sellers was a prolific high school recruit from Houston who was ranked as the No. 280 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class.

In addition to Sellers, Aaron Gates is one to keep an eye on as Kentucky works to get him on campus for a visit. The defensive back spent the last three seasons at Florida, which means his time aligns with Bateman’s in Gainesville.

Another Player to Watch

Ahmad Breaux is a Louisiana native who played in all 13 games as a true freshman for the LSU Tigers in 2024. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive tackle was a part of the rotation this fall, totaling 19 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and .5 sacks. He has a visit scheduled to Mississippi State tomorrow, but we’ve heard things have gone well on his visit to Lexington. Keep your head on a swivel, BBN.

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