We talked earlier about how thin Kentucky's secondary was getting. You had starter DJ Waller hit the portal, JQ Hardaway declare for the NFL Draft, and then former top 200 player Cam Dooley announce he too was going in the portal. Will Stein needed to find some wins somewhere in the defensive backfield. Here is win number 1: Hasaan Sykes.
Committed💯 pic.twitter.com/pg9XfUyF3b
— Hasaan Sykes (@hasaansykes) January 5, 2026
Will Stein finds Kentucky's first secondary addition
After locking up former 4-star LB Tavion Wallace, Kentucky made a splash, grabbing Ohio State target Antonio O'Berry to be portal addition number 2. Western Carolina corner, Hasaan Sykes becomes number 3 according to Matt Zenitz. It is so funny that a head coach known for offense has seen 0 offensive commitments and 3 defensive commitments in the first 48 hours of the Transfer Portal.
That isn't to say he is not securing visits, you had DeAndre Moore Jr, CJ Baxter, and Sam Leavitt all on campus. All 3 of those guys will continue to take their visits, with Moore and Baxter reportedly visiting Colorado, and Leavitt taking a visit to Baton Rouge to talk with Lane Kiffin.
Sykes joins a secondary that gave up a lot of yards last year, they struggled to really prevent anything resembling a functional passing offense. Gone is the old staff, though, and the new staff seems to be making an impression.
Sykes had 49 tackles, 3 INTs, and a forced fumble last year for the Catamounts of Western Carolina. He is a shifty and agile athlete who can cover a lot of ground. At 6 feet even, he is not the 6'3 that Waller was, but he is more agile. He was also the GHSA 5-A state champion in the long jump, which will come in handy when trying to break up passes on taller receivers.