Pair of SEC starters visited Kentucky to begin the transfer portal visit window

Day 2 of the transfer portal window has arrived. A new batch of visitors will be on campus and over at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility as Will Stein‘s new staff attempts to build their first roster in Lexington. However, day one had some big names.

We know all about Arizona State quarterback transfer Sam Leavitt, Texas wide receiver transfer DeAndre Moore Jr., Baylor center transfer Coleton Price, and Arkansas linebacker transfer Tavion Wallace, but there were also a pair of SEC starters at positions of need for Kentucky on campus for day.

This is the latest.

Auburn linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr.

Robert Woodyard Jr. was a top-200 recruit out of Mobile (Ala.) Williamson who flipped from Alabama to Auburn in Bryan Harsin‘s first full recruiting class on the Plains. Despite being a high-profile recruit, it took some time for the 241-pound linebacker to make a splash. That happened as a redshirt junior in 2025.

The linebacker finished the season with 67 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks. Woodyard only missed six tackles all season and was consistently one of Auburn’s best players on a very good defense. Woodyard decided to enter the transfer portal in January with one year of eligibility remaining.

Kentucky got the first visit. KSR can confirm that Woodyard was in Lexington on Friday night. Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman is playing a big role in this recruitment. Baylor, Florida State, Missouri, and Texas are also involved in this recruitment.

The Wildcats simply need to add at least one starter in the transfer portal. This program likely needs to sign multiple linebacker transfers this cycle. Woodyard is one of the best players available at the position. The Cats got the critical first visit.

South Carolina offensive tackle Cason Henry

Cason Henry was a three-star recruiting win for South Carolina out of Marietta (Ga.) Walton in the 2022 high school recruiting cycle. Henry picked the Gamecocks over Mississippi State and North Carolina. The member of Shane Beamer‘s first full recruiting class in Columbia would eventually become a full-time starter.

Henry took a redshirt season in 2022 and a knee injury forced him to miss most of 2023. As a redshirt sophomore in 2024, Henry started all 13 games for a nine-win team that was one of the first teams left out of the College Football Playoff. The starting right tackle then suffered a shoulder injury in 2025 that only allowed him to play in four games. Prior to the injury, Henry was playing the best football of his career and was South Carolina’s best player on the offensive line.

The Gamecocks have made some offensive coaching changes and Henry is on the move with one year of eligibility remaining. However, that might just be two years because a medical redshirt should be possible. Kentucky got the first visit for the SEC starting right tackle, sources tell KSR.

The Wildcats have a lot of big needs on the offensive line. Multiple targets were on campus for visits to begin the only transfer portal window of the offseason.