Kentucky Football had its head coach for about a day when the portal opened. On that day, they had CJ Baxter, DeAndre Moore Jr., Sam Leavitt, and more on campus with Will Stein.
Then, Stein had to leave for Eugene to prepare his Oregon offense for a semifinal matchup with Indiana.
That matchup did not go well; they were down 28-7 before they could really figure out what happened. Turnovers doomed them, ending Will Stein’s tenure in Oregon with a 56-22 loss.
But that was kind of good news for Kentucky.
They get their head coach back just before a really odd dead period is about to happen.
College football enters dead period for recruiting
Why, in the middle of the only two-week portal window, would the NCAA schedule a dead period? It wasn’t them; blame the coaches themselves. Once the window was set for January 2nd through the 16th, the coaches were asked if they wanted the dead period to be intact while the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) convention took place from the 11th to the 13th. They said yes.
So what does it mean exactly?
- Day 1 (Jan 11): Coaches can talk with recruits only on their campus. So the visit had to be scheduled, and they had to be on campus for any recruiting activity to take place.
- Days 2-4 (Jan 12-14): These are total dead periods. No activity can happen at all.
- The Final Push (Jan 15-16): The last two days to really make a push to sign guys.
That is why Oregon losing when it did helped Kentucky. Stein can now be on campus for the most crucial days of the portal. Had Oregon won, he likely would not have been back in Lexington until the 20th at the earliest.
What has Kentucky landed so far?
- LB- Tavion Wallace – Arkansas
- EDGE- Antonio O’Berry – Gardner-Webb
- CB Hasaan Sykes- Western Carolina
- DT Ahmad Breaux – LSU
- C Coleten Price – Baylor
- QB Kenny Minchey – Nebraska/Notre Dame
- RB- Jovantae Barnes – Oklahoma
- OL Max Anderson – Tennessee
- DB Aaron Gates – Florida
- S Jordan Castell – Florida
- OL Olaus Alinen – Alabama
- WR Xavier Daisy – UAB
- DL Jamarrion Harkless – Purdue
- S/WR Jesse Anderson – Pitt
- DL Dominic Wiseman – South Alabama
- OT Lance Heard – Tennessee
- K Adam Zouagui – South Florida
- S Cyrus Reyes – Mississippi State
- LB Elijah “Bo” Barnes – Texas
Quite a haul for a team with their head coach balancing a roster overhaul and a playoff run. It all started with Tavion Wallace—former Wildcat LB Trevin Wallace’s younger brother—and only picked up steam from there. They landed Coleton Price to quarterback the offensive line; Price is one of the best interior offensive linemen available.
Next up was one of the wildest 24 hours of the Transfer Portal.
Kenny Minchey backed up CJ Carr at Notre Dame, and when Dylan Raiola was entrenched as the starter at Nebraska, he decided it was time to leave. Minchey was all set to jump at the chance to play for Nebraska. However, after UK target Sam Leavitt indicated his recruitment might linger on, Stein didn’t want to wait. He contacted Minchey before he could sign with Nebraska, and Minchey decided he would be better off in Lexington.
That left Nebraska fans furious and BBN elated. Stein had his QB.
The next few days were about building depth and finding starters along the line and the defensive backfield. And now, Stein is back in Lexington looking to solidify the roster.
What does Kentucky need next?
The question becomes, where else does Kentucky need to find some help? The biggest need seems to be WR depth. They have DJ Miller returning and Xavier Daisy already on board. But Stein needs a true No. 1 option and some guys to replace the production lost to the portal.
DeAndre Moore is still out there, and Kentucky is in the mix, but if he chooses to go elsewhere, the Cats need to move quickly. Isaiah Horton is a big-time prospect who left Alabama, and Stein should call to see if he is interested. He is currently scheduled to visit Texas A&M, but has no other visits lined up right now. That could change.
And of course, you have the teams that have lost the CFP semifinals (Oregon and Ole Miss), who may have players jump into the portal now. Stein may even convince a few Oregon players to follow him to Lexington.
If Week 2 is anything like Week 1, BBN is in for a treat.
