Oregon's season came to a crashing halt last night as they ran into a buzzsaw named Indiana, losing 56-22. That also means the Will Stein era in Eugene is officially over, and his time in Lexington can begin.
As for the offense last night, they did actually outgain Indiana, but it was the turnovers that really did them in. Two fumbles and an INT led to 21 points. As sad as that is for Oregon, it does mean Kentucky will have its head coach for the last week of the Transfer Portal.
What to expect today in the Transfer Portal from Kentucky football
Now, that won't be as helpful as it would have been this week because there is a dead period coming up:
- Jan 11th (Quiet Period): Visits have to be on campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made.
- Jan 12-14th (Dead Period): It is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution's campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes.
The portal itself closes on the 16th, so you really are pushing it there. But it is better than him not being on campus at all.
Why in the world would they put a dead period in the middle of the only Transfer Portal window? Because the coaches all get together and have the AFCA conference on the 11th through the 13th. They voted to have this period here.
Speaking of the portal, let's discuss the latest news there.
First up, the good news: Kentucky's tight end room stays strong with both Willie Rodriguez and Mikkel Skinner saying they were willing to run it back in Lexington under Stein. Additionally, Kentucky picked up a commitment from S/WR Jesse Anderson from Pitt.
Now, the not-so-good news: the tackle market took a nose dive, and Kentucky did not grab either of its top targets.
Xavier Chaplin chose Florida State, and Tyree Adams is heading to Texas A&M. That leaves Kentucky looking to other options. I'm not saying those options won't work, but missing on your top two guys at a position of need is big. Then you add in losing Darrin Strey, a former 4-star tackle, and that leaves just Malachi Wood as the only guy with any type of playing time at tackle.
Kentucky continues to make moves all over the roster, though. Richard Young is a running back who fell out of favor with Alabama over the season but is a former top-60 player out of high school. He has a lot of talent and will be visiting Kentucky tomorrow.
WR Ja’Kayden Ferguson will also be on campus. He was previously recruited by the former Kentucky staff and is familiar with Lexington. He had no stats with the Razorbacks but has a track background.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cats stay busy there, too. Elijah Barnes, a former top-70 player in last year's class, is in Lexington tomorrow as well. The former Texas Longhorn could be a big addition to a linebacker room that needs some top-end talent.
With Stein back in Lexington, expect more visits to accumulate before the dead period and in the days that follow.