Kentucky adds late commitment from 4-star WR Kenny Darby

Kenny Darby has found a new home in the Southeastern Conference.

The prolific 4-star WR from The Boot is following former LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan and Oregon playcaller Will Stein to Lexington.

Darby committed and signed with Kentucky on Friday, picking the Wildcats over the likes of Colorado, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Houston, which all made strong late runs for the No. 28-ranked WR in the Rivals300.

Darby was verbally pledged to Mississippi State as an underclassman, then flipped to LSU shortly after landing an offer from Sloan and the previous coaching staff in Baton Rouge at the tail end of his junior season for Bossier City (La.) Airline High School

“The biggest reason is I picked Kentucky because I wanna start my own trend,” Darby told Rivals of his decision on Friday. “I wanna be a part of something big. Obviously, they have a new coaching staff and I wanna be a part of that with Coach Sloan.”

Darby committed in-state Sloan and the Tigers as a junior, when he led Louisiana in receiving yards (2024). The Rivals300 pass-catcher has since posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with 32 touchdowns over that span.

As a senior, Darby accounted for 83 catches and 1,124 yards. He found the end zone eight times and averaged north of 112 yards per game for the Vikings.

He brings a big-play threat to Lexington and the offense that Stein and Sloan are curating.