Kentucky Football Spring 2024 Transfer Portal Tracker

The transfer portal is open for business. From April 16 through April 30, college football players can seek out greener pastures by submitting their names into the transfer portal. Bookmark this post as Kentucky Sports Radio continuously provides roster updates over the next two weeks.

The spring window is shorter than its December counterpart. Most players are settling in for the next season, but there will be roster attrition as depth charts take shape following spring practice.

Thirteen players from last year’s Kentucky football team left the team in December. Two players, Shamar Porter and Jordan Dingle, submitted their name, then withdrew from the transfer portal. Kentucky added 10 players from the transfer portal during the December signing period.

In addition to KSR’s Transfer Portal Tracker, you can follow every move around college football with the On3 Transfer Portal wire and by following On3’s Transfer Portal account on Twitter.

Miami the Leader for Damien Martinez

All was quiet on the transfer portal front for the Kentucky football program on Wednesday. We did learn more about the Wildcats’ pursuit of the best-available player in the portal.

There’s some good news and some bad news. First, the good news. Martinez canceled his official visit to Tennessee. The Vols are not in the mix and appear to have their sights set on Peny Boone, who is transferring from Louisville after only going through spring practice with the Cards. The bad news, tonight Miami conducted an in-home visit with the talented running back. Pete Nakos tells Josh Newberg they’re the favorite, so much so that he was surprised Martinez is scheduling visits to other schools.

One More Thing to Consider

One wrinkle did not hit me until after the transfer portal opened for business. In this new era of college athletics, there are no rules. A lawsuit in West Virginia opened the floodgates for transfers to receive immediate eligibility, no matter how many times they previously transferred.

One rule has stayed in place and that will not likely change until it is challenged by a lawsuit. The SEC does not allow players to transfer within the conference and receive immediate eligibility during the spring portal window. Kentucky took two players from Georgia in December, Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Brock Vandagriff. Georgia wide receiver Tyler Williams is currently the seventh-best player available in the transfer portal, but he cannot play next season for an SEC school.

This rule has become a deterrent for SEC players, making this transfer portal cycle less chaotic than its predecessor.

Former Kentucky Commit Enters the Portal

Remember Kaden Moorman? He was a running back for the Franklin County Flyers that was once committed to Kentucky, but the two parties split a few months before the 2022 Early Signing Period. Moorman eventually landed at Louisville as a preferred walk-on where he carried the ball five times for 38 yards. After one season he entered the transfer portal.

Targets Emerge

It was unclear which positions Kentucky would target during this cycle. After a rash of injuries to the defensive line, the Cats are searching for more depth with Rene Konga, a versatile Rutgers transfer with two years of eligibility remaining.

They’re also swinging for the fences with the best player currently available. Former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez is an All-American candidate who will have his pick of the litter. Kentucky has him scheduled for a visit next week. It may be a long shot, but it’s worth a shot for a player of this caliber. We discussed all of the developments Tuesday night in a new edition of 11 Personnel.

A First for Kentucky

There’s always a first time for everything. Up until December, the transfer portal was only open for players to make one move and receive immediate eligibility. Thanks to a lawsuit, that barricade has been lifted, allowing players to come and go as often as they please. It set the table for what happened Tuesday afternoon.

Ray Cottrell is the answer to a Kentucky football trivia question. He’s the first player to transfer into the program in December, then leave following spring practice. The wide receiver from Texas A&M is not the only one making similar moves this offseason. Kadyn Proctor‘s back-and-forth between Alabama and Iowa is the most noteworthy.

Cottrell was one of three pass-catchers recruited during the first transfer portal window. He was competing with Fred Farrier to be the fifth wide receiver for the Cats and to be frank, he was nowhere close. Best of luck to Cottrell as he continues to look for the right fit.

Kentucky is in the Defensive Line Market

Mark Stoops was forced to alter the format for the spring game after suffering multiple injuries on the defensive line. While the Kentucky head coach believes most will be good to go this fall, he’s not confident enough to remain content. The Cats are kicking the tires on a big body from the Big Ten.

According to On3’s Steve Wiltfong, Kentucky is a team to watch in the pursuit of Rene Konga. A 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive lineman from Ontario, he played in ten games last fall for Rutgers and recorded a strip sack. He has two years of eligibility remaining and is also considering Penn State, Wake Forest, Kansas, Cincinnati, and Miami.

Early Kentucky Football Departures

A few players got ahead of the news by announcing their intent to go portaling before it officially opened. Running back La’Vell Wright will enter the portal as a grad transfer. The North Hardin product received 39 of his 48 career carries in 2022, primarily during Chris Rodriguez’s four-game suspension at the start of the season. He missed the entire 2023 season due to injury.

Another in-state product is also on the move. Wide receiver Cole Lanter shared on social media that he will be transferring after spending two seasons in Lexington.

There will be more roster attrition. As Mark Stoops noted following the spring game, Kentucky needs some players to leave to get to 85 scholarship players. They also need to make room for some new additions. Kentucky will likely be in the market for a few new players in the secondary, particularly at cornerback. Adam Luckett broke down a few potential positions of need the Wildcats may address this spring.

Familiar Name in the Portal

One of the first big names to hit the transfer portal is one Kentucky fans know well. Karmello English was a four-star talent, ranked as the No. 28 wide receiver in the 2023 recruiting class. English officially visited Kentucky and Scott Woodward kept the Cats in the mix until the end, but the wide receiver ultimately chose Michigan over UK and Auburn. English is now back on the market, but don’t expect Kentucky to be in the mix after adding three pass-catchers from the portal in December.