Who is the best UK transfer in the Mark Stoops era? We’ve seen a wide range of outcomes.

If Kentucky football is to have a special 2024 season, it will need big performances from another group of high profile transfers.

Quarterback Brock Vandagriff, linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson and wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin lead that group, but as many as 12 transfers could play key roles. The transfer portal has generally been kind to Mark Stoops and Kentucky in recent years, but not every hyped transfer has panned out.

With an eye toward the 2024 season, here is a closer look at the best transfers from four-year colleges during Stoops’ Kentucky tenure.

You probably forgot they were Wildcats

Of the 42 transfers from four-year colleges to sign with Kentucky during the Stoops era, two never actually appeared in a game despite making it to campus.

One of the most-hyped transfers to sign with UK in the Stoops era, Ohio State offensive lineman Marcelys Jones, a high-school All-American, committed to UK in June 2015 but was kicked off the team for an undisclosed rules violation just two months later during preseason camp. Former Michigan State wide receiver Tre’Von Morgan transferred to UK before the 2021 season but did not appear in a game that fall while battling a hamstring injury and re-entered the transfer portal the following January.

Already one member of the 2024 transfer class can be included in this group as former Texas A&M wide receiver Raymond Cottrell enrolled at UK in January then re-entered the portal after failing to break into the primary rotation at his position during spring practice.

Special teams contributors, backups and some bad luck

Tight end Greg Hart (Nebraska) deserves special mention as one of Stoops’ earliest transfers but he caught just nine passes for 57 yards and one touchdown across three years at UK.

Linebacker De’Niro Laster sat out the 2015 season as a transfer from Minnesota then totaled 14 tackles in five games before suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2016. He played his final season of eligibility at North Carolina Central.

Like Jones, linebacker Xavier Peters (Florida State) was a much-hyped four-star high school recruit who spurned Kentucky for a traditional power before eventually transferring to UK. After leaving Florida State, Peters was granted a waiver from the NCAA to play at UK two games into the 2019 season, but he would appear in just three of the final 11 games, totaling one tackle. In June 2020, Peters transferred to Garden City Community College. He spent his last two college seasons at Florida Atlantic.

There was hope Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood would start at quarterback when he committed to Kentucky, but he was not declared eligible until one game into the 2020 season after the SEC waived a rule requiring intra-conference transfers to sit out a season. Gatewood played in seven games for UK, starting one against Georgia, but left the program after losing the starting job to Will Levis during preseason camp in 2021. He landed at UCF, where he moved to wide receiver. Gatewood then transferred to Louisville, where he played tight end, catching a touchdown against Kentucky in the 2023 Governor’s Cup rivalry game.

Class of 2021 transfers Justice Dingle (Georgia Tech) and Luke Fulton (Michigan State) played primarily on special teams across multiple seasons at UK. Tennessee transfer Dee Beckwith tried multiple offensive positions in one season at Kentucky but appeared in just three games in 2022.

Running back Ramon Jefferson tore his ACL on his second carry as a Wildcat after transferring from Sam Houston State in 2022 but did return to tally 28 carries for 184 yards in his seventh and final season of college football in 2023. After transferring to UK from Division II Livingstone College, cornerback Jordan Robinson redshirted in 2022 then totaled 13 tackles and two pass breakups in 11 games last season before transferring to Cincinnati in May.

Former Alabama offensive guard Tanner Bowles appeared in all 13 games for Kentucky as a backup and special teams contributor last season but elected not to use his extra pandemic season of eligibility to continue playing in 2024. The rare long snapper signed to a scholarship as a transfer, Ron Gaines arrived at a position of need for Kentucky in 2023 but suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice after appearing in three of the first four games.

Two walk-on transfers of note merit mention here too.

Former UCF wide receiver Rahsaan Lewis gained attention as the son of Hall of Famer Ray Lewis but eventually worked his way into the rotation with six catches for 65 yards and one touchdown in 2022. After following offensive coordinator Eddie Gran and quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw from Cincinnati to Kentucky, quarterback Luke Wright started one game in place of a banged-up Stephen Johnson in 2016, completing 3 of 4 passes against Austin Peay before being replaced by Johnson with UK trailing 14-0.

More information needed

Kentucky’s 2024 roster still features 12 members of the 2022 or 2023 transfer classes. From that group, several players are still looking to establish themselves as regular contributors.

Three transfers from Ohio State in the last two classes will hope for more prominent roles in 2024. Defensive lineman Darrion Henry-Young showed glimpses of promise in his second season as a Wildcat last year but missed most of the last four games and spring practice with an injury. Defensive back Jantzen Dunn came on strong down the stretch and left spring practice as the No. 2 cornerback but now looks more likely to contribute at nickelback after the addition of Michigan transfer DJ Waller. Offensive guard Ben Christman will look to justify his four-star high school recruiting ranking after missing all of last season with a knee injury.

Cornerback JQ Hardaway (Cincinnati) started one game during his first season at Kentucky but seems likely to open 2024 as a backup. Linebacker Daveren Rayner (Northern Illinois) should be an important part of the rotation with starters D’Eryk Jackson and Dumas-Johnson this fall. Offensive tackle Courtland Ford (USC) will compete for the starting right tackle spot with incoming Tennessee transfer Gerald Mincey in preseason camp after missing spring practice with an injury. Running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (N.C. State) is likely to open 2024 in a timeshare with incoming Ohio State transfer Chip Trayanum after totaling 208 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in his UK debut.

The top 20

20. OL Dylan Ray (West Virginia)

After arriving at UK as a walk-on who had played just 32 snaps in two years at West Virginia, Ray has already vastly exceeded expectations. He started 10 of 13 games for Kentucky last season, filling in at both guard positions after Kenneth Horsey missed most of the year with an injury. Ray may not start in 2024 due to the addition of Florida transfer Jalen Farmer, but he could continue to serve a valuable depth role at guard and tackle.

19. P Matt Panton (Columbia)

Panton averaged 42.3 yards per punt in one season at Kentucky, but his most important legacy was establishing the Australian punter pipeline that later sent UK All-American and Ray Guy Award winner Max Duffy.

18. Keeshawn Silver (North Carolina)

Kentucky traded former five-star nose guards in the 2023 offseason when it added Silver after losing Justin Rogers to Auburn. Silver was far less experienced than Rogers though having barely played in two seasons at North Carolina. Still, he could arguably be considered an upgrade after starting 12 of 13 games as a sophomore. With backup nose guard Josaih Hayes likely to miss most of the season, Kentucky needs Silver to step up even more this fall.

17. Tashawn Manning (Auburn)

Manning will not get as much attention as other Kentucky offensive line transfers, but he started all 12 games he played in as a Wildcat. The fact that UK’s offensive line was among the worst in the country in 2022 while Manning was on the roster hurts his legacy though.

16. E.J. Price (USC)

Price’s UK tenure was tumultuous. He sat out the 2017 season after transferring from USC then briefly quit the team during spring practice in 2018. Price returned to the squad two days later and ended up starting 11 games at left tackle after a season-ending injury to projected starter Landon Young. Price was a key starter on UK’s first 10-win season since 1977 but left the team for good in February 2019, one month after police responded to his residence due to a “reported altercation between Price and his girlfriend” that did not result in charges being filed.

15. Alex Raynor (Georgia Southern)

Raynor converted 10 of 11 field goal attempts and 48 of 49 extra points in his first season at Kentucky, bringing much-needed consistency to a kicking unit that was a source of frequent stress in 2022. Raynor does not have the strongest leg, but he established a career long with a 50-yarder last season. He already holds the UK record for field-goal percentage in a season with at least five makes and could extend his lead in career field goal percentage with another strong season in 2024.

14. Zion Childress (Texas State)

It took time for Childress to adjust in making the leap from the Sun Belt to the SEC, but he began to make an impact late in the 2022 season. He then emerged as a key leader for the defense last fall while starting every game. Childress still needs to find more consistency, but the potential is there for a big season in his final year as a Wildcat in 2024.

13. Ahmad Wagner (Iowa)

On paper, Wagner’s UK statistics suggest he belongs more in the backups and special teams contributors category than the top 20, but he is a unique talent in the Stoops era. Wagner played basketball at Iowa then spent the 2018 season relearning football after transferring to Kentucky. In 2019, he caught 15 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, but those numbers were suppressed by wide receiver Lynn Bowden being forced to play quarterback for much of the season. UK’s best passing threat that season was often a jump ball to Wagner, which resulted in 12 pass interference penalties on 42 targets in two years at UK.

12. Braylon Heard (Nebraska)

The first transfer of the Stoops era, Heard sat out the 2013 season before totaling 368 yards and four touchdowns on 73 carries in 2014. His performance was quickly overshadowed by the run of all-time great running backs that followed him, but it’s easy to wonder if he would be more fondly remembered if he had stuck around for the 2015 season rather than declaring for the NFL draft.

11. Tayvion Robinson (Virginia Tech)

Considering he was hyped as an instant impact star when he arrived at Kentucky, Robinson’s two seasons as a Wildcat have to be considered something of a disappointment. Still, he left UK as one of just 35 players in program history with at least 1,000 receiving yards as a Wildcat.

10. Marques Cox (Northern Illinois)

If Cox had left UK for the NFL draft after the 2023 season it is likely he would have been quickly forgotten due to a lackluster team performance. By returning for his pandemic season of eligibility, he has a chance to help reestablish the reputation of UK’s offensive line. Cox started all 13 games in 2023 and enters 2024 as the Wildcats’ best lineman. With a year in the program, he appears poised to take on more of a leadership role too.

9. Dare Rosenthal (LSU)

Rosenthal lived up to the hype that came from the addition of a part-time LSU starter by starting all 12 regular season games at left tackle during the 10-win 2021 season. Still, the lingering impression of his UK career is “what if?” Rosenthal declared for the NFL draft after one season at UK despite clearly having more room for growth. He went undrafted and Kentucky failed to replace him adequately. Without Rosenthal, the 2022 offensive line was one of the worst in the country.

8. Devin Leary (N.C. State)

Yes, Leary failed to live up to the hype of the being the No. 1-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal during an inconsistent season at UK that featured highlight reel throws sprinkled around misses of wide-open receivers and tipped balls at the line of scrimmage. But he still threw 25 touchdowns. Only three UK quarterbacks have thrown more in a single season in program history and only one who did not run the “Air Raid” offense.

7. Keidron Smith (Ole Miss)

Smith left Ole Miss after four seasons in search of a program that believed he could play cornerback full time. He found that at Kentucky and responded with 46 tackles, two interceptions and five passes defended. Smith returned an interception for a touchdown in UK’s 2022 win at Florida. SEC coaches named him second-team All-SEC after his one season as a Wildcat.

6. Jacquez Jones (Ole Miss)

A two-year starter and one-year team captain at Kentucky, Jones totaled 123 tackles and two interceptions as a Wildcat. Jones’ final season at UK was derailed by an injury, but he remained a key locker room presence and put in the work to return for the regular season finale in which he tallied his 300th career tackle in a rivalry win over Louisville.

5. Kelvin Joseph (LSU)

Like Rosenthal, Joseph transferred to Kentucky after a suspension for violating team rules at LSU then turned into a key starter for the Wildcats. Joseph sat out the 2019 season and only played in nine games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but he was still picked in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft. Only Will Levis has been drafted earlier among the Stoops era transfers. Joseph did opt out of the final two games of the 2020 season after totaling four interceptions.

4. Courtney Love (Nebraska)

There are transfers who played better than Love did in two seasons at UK, but you can argue none have made a bigger impact on the program. The team captain totaled 168 tackles as a Wildcat. He recovered a Lamar Jackson fumble to set up UK’s game-winning score in the 2016 upset of Louisville, one of the best wins of the Stoops era. A Youngstown, Ohio, native like Stoops and recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow, Love has continued to impact the program as UK’s director of player development and a graduate assistant coach.

3. Ray Davis (Vanderbilt)

At Vanderbilt, Davis played a key role in handing Stoops one of the most embarrassing losses of his tenure, but he more than made up for that hit to Kentucky fans with a stellar 2023 season as a Wildcat. Davis broke the school record for total touchdowns (21) while ranking fourth in the SEC in rushing yards per game (86.9). By sharing his story of going from a homeless youth in foster care to NFL draft pick, Davis surely inspired kids in similar situations around the commonwealth too.

2. Will Levis (Penn State)

It is easy to forget that Levis struggled for parts of the 10-win 2021 season, his first as Kentucky’s starting quarterback, but he combined with offensive coordinator Liam Coen to elevate expectations for an offense that had grown too run-heavy in the Stoops tenure. Injuries decimated Levis’ second season at Kentucky, but he still did enough to earn a second-round draft pick. As Kentucky’s first starting NFL quarterback since Tim Couch, he continues to serve an important role in elevating the perception of the program.

1. Wan’Dale Robinson (Nebraska)

There are plenty of examples on this list of players who transferred to Kentucky after spurning the Wildcats as highly rated high school recruits who did not pan out. Robinson does not fall into that group. After flipping his high school commitment from UK to Nebraska at a time where it was fair to wonder if Kentucky’s offense could highlight his skill set appropriately, Robinson finally agreed to become a Wildcat after the hire of Coen. He somehow managed to exceed expectations despite the years of drama surrounding his recruitment with the best single season from a wide receiver in UK history. In one season as a Wildcat, Robinson broke the school records for catches (104) and receiving yards (1,334) before being drafted in the second round by the New York Giants.

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