Less than a month after former Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy was fired by the program, players started jumping ship to enter the transfer portal, hoping to find a new place to call home for the rest of their collegiate careers.
Two weeks ago, star offensive lineman Noah McKinney decided Stillwater was no longer the place for him, and he has already narrowed down his search to five schools.
None other than the Kentucky Wildcats are one of the five schools atop McKinney's list, alongside the Oklahoma Sooners, UNC Tar Heels, Virginia Cavaliers, and TCU Horned Frogs.
As a high school prospect, McKinney was rated a three-star recruit. Now, with three years of collegiate football under his belt, the offensive lineman is rated as a four-star transfer, making him increasingly desirable for programs across the country.
At 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds, he is not just physically massive, but his presence at the line of scrimmage has been one of the few constants for Oklahoma State this season. Through the first half of the year, McKinney earned the fourth-highest pass blocking grade among Big 12 O-Linemen.
A native of South Carolina, McKinney did not include either of the powerhouse programs from his home state within his final five schools: the South Carolina Gamecocks or the Clemson Tigers.
Oklahoma State transfer OL Noah McKinney's top 5 schools, his agency @TBACFB tells @SWiltfong_ and me: TCU, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia and Oklahoma.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) October 23, 2025
The 6-foot-4, 330-pound OL has the fourth-best pass blocking grade among Big 12 guardshttps://t.co/BuXA5s7eOg pic.twitter.com/TPlaw9l6IP
McKinney is no stranger to the transfer portal, having started his collegiate career with the UNLV Rebels. As a true freshman at UNLV, he did not see any playing time and opted to utilize his redshirt season.
Once he came to Oklahoma State in 2023, McKinney played in 14 games, but he didn't earn a true starting role until the 2025 season after only appearing in four games in 2024.
When it comes to recruiting, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has already landed 15 commitments from the class of 2026, including two four-star prospects and 13 three-star prospects. The Wildcats' upcoming class currently ranks 48th in the nation and No. 14 in the SEC.