Hometown linebacker enters the portal after Kentucky football breakthrough

Another name has joined Kentucky’s growing list of transfer portal departures, and this one is a local story.

From Lafayette and Lexington Catholic to Kentucky football and now the portal

Linebacker Hayden Dawahare has announced he will enter his name into the portal. A Lexington product who played quarterback at Lafayette before transferring to Lexington Catholic as a senior, Dawahare turned himself into a versatile defender. As a high school senior he piled up 90 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hurries and three pass breakups, earning All City honors from the Lexington Herald Leader, All District recognition and a spot on PrepZone’s 4A All State First Team.

He chose to walk on at Kentucky over an offer from Coastal Carolina, reuniting with high school teammates Max DeGraff and Jack Monday. The first two years of his college career were about development and the classroom. Dawahare practiced with the team in 2023 and 2024 and made the Dean’s List in both semesters that were noted, Fall 2023 and Spring 2024.

In 2025, he finally saw that work pay off with game snaps. He appeared in games for the Wildcats and recorded 2 total tackles, 1 solo and 1 assist. It is not a stat line that will make national headlines, but for a hometown walk on who had to grind his way just to get on the field, it mattered.

Now he will look for a new opportunity where he can turn that special teams and depth role into something bigger. For Kentucky, it is another reminder that roster churn under a new staff is inevitable. For Dawahare, it is a chance to take that Lexington toughness and academic track record and sell it to a program that needs experienced depth in the linebacker room.

To see the full list of Kentucky players who have entered the transfer portal, click the link right here.