Kentucky football and coach Will Stein had a torrid stretch of transfer portal recruiting commitments this weekend. Learn more:
LEXINGTON — Will Stein has been a busy man.
His tenure as Oregon's offensive coordinator wrapped up Friday, falling to Indiana in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl. Now able to fully focus on his role as Kentucky football's newest coach, Stein wasted no time helping the program make its mark in the NCAA transfer portal.
When the clock struck midnight Monday, the Wildcats had landed 10 commitments in the preceding 48 hours. That accounted for nearly half of their 24-member transfer haul entering Monday.
Arguably the most high-profile pledge of the weekend was CJ Baxter. A former Texas running back, he was the top-ranked player at his position in the 2023 cycle according to both 247Sports and On3. Baxter had a solid three-season career with the Longhorns, but in joining the Wildcats, he'll attempt to showcase what made him a five-star prospect.
Other notable commitments for Kentucky over the weekend included ex-Tennessee offensive lineman Lance Heard (the No. 2 offensive tackle in the portal, per 247Sports) and another former Longhorn, Elijah Barnes, the No. 3 linebacker available in Rivals/On3's rankings.
Here's every transfer portal recruit who committed to Kentucky over the weekend:
- QB JacQai Long (Formerly of Marshall); Committed to UK on Jan. 11
- RB CJ Baxter (Formerly of Texas); Committed to UK on Jan. 11
- WR Ja'Kayden Ferguson (Formerly of Arkansas); Committed to UK on Jan. 11
- OL Lance Heard (Formerly of Tennessee); Committed to UK on Jan. 10
- OL Mark Robinson (Formerly of UTEP); Committed to UK on Jan. 11
- DL Dominic Wiseman (Formerly of South Alabama); Committed to UK on Jan. 10
- LB Elijah Barnes (Formerly of Texas); Committed to UK on Jan. 10
- DB Mark Manfred III (Formerly of Missouri); Committed to UK on Jan. 11
- DB Cyrus Reyes (Formerly of Mississippi State); Committed to UK on Jan. 10
- K Adam Zouagui (Formerly of South Florida); Committed to UK on Jan. 10
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football's Will Stein excelling in transfer portal
Category: General Sports
