Where will UK’s outgoing transfers play in 2024? For its archrival, Deion Sanders and more.

The transfer portal was good to Kentucky football this offseason.

Mark Stoops and company added projected starters at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, right guard, right tackle, inside linebacker, safety and punter while losing only two players who were expected to compete for starting jobs had they stayed in Lexington.

Still, there were a handful of young players who could have been important pieces for the future who left Kentucky via the portal. To prepare you for the 2024 season, here is a reminder of where the former Wildcats landed and how they project to fit with their new teams.

DB Jaremiah Anglin (Pittsburgh)

A former three-star recruit, Anglin left Lexington without ever playing in a game for the Wildcats. He missed the entire 2023 season while rehabbing from a knee injury but did return to the field for spring practice. After closing the spring game with an interception, Anglin entered the portal, eventually landing at Pittsburgh. Anglin was not listed on the two-deep depth chart in Pitt’s game notes released Monday.

WR Ardell Banks (Kent State)

Viewed as a project for the future when he signed with Kentucky, Banks redshirted as a freshman before entering the transfer portal after spring practice. The 6-foot-3, 187-pound Massillon, Ohio, native will play for Kent State this season, less than 35 miles from his hometown. He could match up against Anglin in the season opener versus Pittsburgh.

OL Grant Bingham

A four-star recruit in the class of 2022, Bingham appeared in two games across two seasons at UK before entering the portal. An injury affected his availability in 2023. The former Johnson Central standout has not publicly announced a new school.

WR Dekel Crowdus (Hawaii)

UK coaches long raved about the potential for Crowdus to develop into a key player, but the former Frederick Douglass star left Lexington with just four receptions in three seasons. The 5-foot-11 speedster almost matched those totals in his first game at Hawaii with three catches for 49 yards and one touchdown in a season-opening win over Delaware State.

WR Raymond Cottrell (West Florida)

If you blinked you might have missed the Cottrell era of Kentucky football. The former four-star high school recruit transferred from Texas A&M to UK in December, then left Lexington after spring practice. The hope was that the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Florida native could add some size to UK’s wide receiver room, but he was rarely mentioned as an immediate contributor in spring practice. Cottrell will play for Division II West Florida in 2024.

TE Izayah Cummings (Louisville)

Cummings closed the 2023 season on a high note for UK with four catches for 98 yards in the final two games of the regular season, but with several tight ends ahead of him on the depth chart set to return from injury he still entered the portal in November. The former Male High School star has since returned home to play for Louisville. He had some fun on social media since the transfer with a playful back-and-forth with Vince Marrow, his former UK position coach, predicting Kentucky’s recent dominance in the Governor’s Cup rivalry would “be changing soon.”

DL Jamarius Dinkins (Purdue)

When Dinkins entered the portal after the end of the regular season, he appeared blocked from a larger role at Kentucky despite an encouraging 2023 season. That loss looks much more significant for UK now after injuries sidelined nose guards Josaih Hayes and Tavion Gadson for most, if not all, of the 2024 season. Dinkins was listed as a third-string lineman on Purdue’s week one depth chart.

LB Luke Fulton

After transferring from Michigan State to Kentucky, Fulton appeared in 18 games across three seasons, playing primarily on special teams. Fulton tweeted in January he had committed to Kent State but is not listed on the Golden Flashes’ current roster.

S Jalen Geiger (Tulane)

Geiger started four of 35 games across five injury-plagued seasons at UK. He totaled nine tackles in 10 games last season before entering the transfer portal. Geiger reunited with former UK assistant coach Jon Sumrall at Tulane, where he appears to be in line for a starting job. Geiger was one of the most experienced transfers Kentucky lost, but the Wildcats appear still well stocked at safety with Zion Childress, Jordan Lovett, Ty Bryant and Alabama transfer Kristian Story all expected to play.

QB Deuce Hogan (New Mexico State)

Perhaps best known as the “other” quarterback featured alongside Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson in the fourth season of popular reality TV show “QB1: Beyond the Lights,” Hogan started his career at Iowa then spent two seasons as a backup at UK. He arrived as a walk-on but was quickly added to scholarship. He appeared in three games for UK, completing six of seven passes. Hogan will open 2024 as the top backup at New Mexico State.

WR Cole Lanter (Gardner-Webb)

Lanter arrived at UK as a walk-on but was awarded a scholarship before the 2023 season. He first entered the portal in December but returned to UK for spring practice. The former Boyle County star reentered the portal after spring practice before committing to FCS Gardner-Webb.

RB JuTahn McClain (retired)

McClain totaled 135 carries for 643 yards and one touchdown in 40 games at UK as a backup running back. While he announced after the regular season he would enter the portal as a graduate transfer, McClain has since announced he has given up football to focus on his business career.

WR Shamar Porter (Connecticut)

A four-star signee in UK’s 2023 high school class, Porter did not catch a pass in one season at Kentucky. He first entered the portal in December but elected to return for the spring semester. Porter returned to the portal after spring practice, eventually committing to UConn. There he is one of several incoming transfers expected to compete for a featured role in the Huskies’ offense. The Hartford Courant recently reported Porter had impressed during preseason camp.

DB Elijah Reed (Akron)

A former three-star recruit from Pleasure Ridge Park, Reed played in all 12 regular season games on special teams last season but recorded just one tackle. He will play for Akron this fall.

CB Jordan Robinson (Cincinnati)

After transferring to UK from Division II Livingstone College, Robinson started in one of 12 appearances last season but was among the defensive backs on the field for the disastrous final drive against Clemson in the Gator Bowl. He was not mentioned among the candidates to replace cornerback Andru Phillips in spring practice. Robinson returned to the transfer portal in May, eventually enrolling at Cincinnati.

QB Kaiya Sheron (UT Martin)

The former Somerset star appeared in nine games with one start as UK’s backup quarterback the last two seasons but elected to transfer when it became apparent Kentucky would turn to the portal to replace Devin Leary. Sheron landed at FCS UT Martin, where he enters the season as the backup to incumbent Kinkead Dent.

K Jackson Smith (Western Kentucky)

The son of former UK punter Andy Smith, Jackson did not appear in a game in two years as a Wildcat. The Boyle County graduate landed at WKU, where he was listed as the backup kicker and punter on the week one depth chart.

LB Martez Thrower

A special teams contributor across three seasons at UK, Thrower initially transferred to Georgia State but reportedly reentered the portal in April. He has not publicly announced another commitment.

QB Destin Wade (Colorado)

A four-star recruit rated as an athlete in high school, Wade never proved himself as a quarterback at Kentucky. His lone game appearance came with a start in the 2022 Music City Bowl in which he threw two interceptions returned for touchdowns. At Colorado, Wade will serve as a backup to star quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

OLB Keaten Wade (Colorado)

Like his twin brother, Destin, Keaten transferred to Colorado in December. Unlike Destin, Keaten was projected to be a key part of Kentucky’s plans in 2024 though. He played in every game in two seasons at UK and was listed as the top strongside linebacker on the depth chart as a sophomore. Tracking Wade’s progress at Colorado, where he is projected to open the season as a backup, versus UK’s returning edge rushers will be a storyline to follow throughout the season.

RB La’Vell Wright (Austin Peay)

Once viewed as a future starter for Kentucky, Wright’s UK career was derailed by injuries. He missed all of the 2023 season with an injury before entering the portal. The former North Hardin star will play for FCS Austin Peay in 2024, offering him a chance to rebuild his stock with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

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