The hits keep on coming. After a brutal showing by Mark Pope and Kentucky basketball on the hardwood, Kentucky football and Will Stein got a not-so-great update on the football field.
The nation's number 3 tight end and Kentucky kid, Seneca Driver, chose not to stay home but to take his talents to another SEC team.
Seneca Driver commits to Oklahoma
BREAKING: Elite 2027 TE Seneca Driver has Committed to Oklahoma, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 8, 2026
The 6’6 245 TE from Danville, KY chose the Sooners over Kentucky and Notre Dame
He’s ranked as the No. 1 TE in the 2027 Rivals300https://t.co/PeZsOkYNwX pic.twitter.com/FNgLzy4G2p
While Will Stein and Kentucky seemed to make up ground after the Mark Stoops firing, it was not enough to overcome the lead that Oklahoma had built. Driver becomes the second in-state prospect in a row to announce he would not be playing in Lexington.
Earlier this week Bryan Station's safety Jordan Haskins chose Louisville over Kentucky.
This one hurt a little more than that one, though. Not only is Seneca extremely talented, not only is he an in-state prospect, but in early February, Steve Wilftong predicted the Cats would land Driver.
And the fit was just perfect.
Will Stein loves using the tight ends as weapons in an offense that maximizes the talent of its players. Last year at Oregon, tight end Kenyon Sadiq was a big-time weapon. The tight end grabbed 51 catches for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns. The thought of the 6'6 240 lbs Seneca Driver in that offense was tantalizing.
But that will not be the case.
Will Stein's lockdown on the Bluegrass is lifted
When Stein was hired, he said he wanted all the best players in the state to play at Kentucky, and that the program is at its best when that happens. Well, so far, he's batting .500 in those big recruitments. While he lost out on Driver and Haskins, he landed Brady Hull and Larron Westmoreland.
Brady Hull is a 3-star offensive lineman out of Somerset, who chose the Cats over Michigan, Penn State, South Carolina, and others.
Larron Westmoreland is a 3-star athlete out of Louisville and chose the Cats over Louisville, Michigan State, and South Carolina.
Who's up next?
A name to watch after Driver chose the Sooners is 4-star George Lamons Jr. The 6'3 Quitman, GA native is someone Stein and company have been keeping in touch with.
The good news is that it's just one recruit; the bad news is that it was one of the best players in the country. But Stein and company will bounce back.