Is Kentucky about to land its first big portal win of the Will Stein era? It certainly seems so.
All signs are pointing toward Florida State cornerback Ja’Bril Rawls, and if the buzz is right, this would be a huge first defensive statement for the new staff. Rawls hit the transfer portal after the season and immediately became one of the more coveted defensive backs available.
At Florida State, Rawls flashed exactly what Kentucky has been missing on the back end: size, physicality, and production in a league that punishes you if you’re even a step late. He recorded around 40 tackles with multiple pass breakups and an interception this past season in the ACC, despite missing time with injury. That’s not projection, that’s live, high-major tape.
Recruiting services now have him graded as a 4-star transfer and one of the top corners in the portal. The message there is pretty clear: he’s a better player now than when he came out of Pensacola Catholic as a three-star in the 2023 class.
A badly needed reset in Kentucky football’s secondary
From a Kentucky perspective, the fit is almost too clean. This defense got torched on explosive plays last season. Tackling in space was inconsistent. Contested catches repeatedly went the wrong way. Rawls brings experience, ball skills, and the kind of confidence you need to hold up in the SEC when everyone on the field knows you’re getting targeted. When Eastern Michigan and Toldeo are pushing 300 yards against an SEC defense on the road, something is broken.
If Kentucky closes this, he’s not coming in to be depth. He’s coming in to compete for CB1 reps on day one.
There’s still work to be done of course. Portal recruitments can flip with one phone call but this is exactly the type of player Stein and Jay Bateman needed to be aggressive on. He is proven, ascending, and hungry for a bigger role. After a year where the secondary was a weekly sore spot, landing Rawls would feel like more than just a roster move.
It would feel like the first real defensive turning point of the Will Stein era.