Kentucky Football continues to aggressively reshape its roster in the transfer portal, adding a massive piece to the offensive line with the signing of former Alabama lineman Olaus Alinen.
On3’s Pete Nakos
reported that Alinen has officially signed with the Wildcats after visiting both Lexington and Auburn during his time in the portal. He will arrive with two years of eligibility remaining.
A native of Pori, Finland, Alinen’s father, Klaus Alinen, played professionally in NFL Europe and spent a season on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad.
Ahead of Alinen’s junior year of high school, the family moved to the United States, where he enrolled at a prep school in Connecticut, then began garnering major interest from college programs like Alabama.
At 6-foot-6 and 322 pounds, Alinen was a 4-star recruit ranked 167th overall, 14th among offensive tackles, and first in the state of Connecticut in the class of 2023. He chose Alabama over offers from Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, and Oregon.
After redshirting in his first season with the Crimson Tide, he spent the next two years working primarily on special teams and as a reserve offensive lineman.
While he has not played a lot, Kentucky is betting on upside, physical tools, and previous SEC experience as he looks to become a key player for the Big Blue Wall moving forward.
Check out some high school highlights of the new Wildcat in action!
