Kentucky lands a former 5-star recruit who was among the top players in the transfer portal.
BOOM!
While Kentucky fans were enjoying the final moments of a blowout victory on the hardwood, it was the football program that stole the show by landing a monster commitment late on Saturday night.
Texas Longhorns transfer freshman linebacker Elijah “Bo” Barnes has committed UK, per Hayes Fawcett of On3. The Texas native is ranked 89th among transfer portal prospects and fifth among linebackers by On3. He was previously a 5-star prospect ranked 32nd nationally and fourth among linebackers in the high school recruiting class of 2025 by On3.
Making the commitment even more special was that Barnes made the commitment during his Saturday night visit to Rupp Arena, making the pledge to Will Stein in front of the UK student section, according to Matt Jones.
Barnes is an exceptional athlete who will have four years to develop in the Stein system should he choose to do so.
Landing a former 5-star, top-tier piece of talent like Barnes is exactly what the BBN needed to get fully on board with the new era of Kentucky Football.
At 6-2, 235 pounds, you have to project Elijah “Bo” Barnes to come in and make an immediate impact with his size and pedigree. Playing in the SEC, there will be no shortage of need for a versatile defensive stopper. This also signals to other players in the portal that the Cats are a legitimate landing spot for elite players.
After rarely playing in 24 total snaps in the 2025 regular season, Barnes recorded three tackles and a sack in Texas’ Citrus Bowl victory over Michigan while logging 19 snaps. He’ll be a redshirt freshman next season under Coach Stein.
Welcome to Lexington, Bo!
Category: General Sports
