Former Kentucky Tight End is Excelling at Eastern Michigan

Former Kentucky Tight End Tanner Lemaster, via Eastern Michigan Athletics

The 2025 season opened with a game against a MAC school whose feature player previously suited up for Kentucky. In week three, another MAC school is coming to Lexington with a former Wildcat carving out a significant role.

There was some preseason anxiety that Chip Trayanum would run all over the Wildcats when he returned to Kentucky as a Toledo Rocket. The Wildcats bottled up the physical running back, limiting Trayanum to just 41 rushing yards on 14 carries. One week later, Chip turned 14 carries into 163 yards and two touchdowns against Western Kentucky.

Almost every Kentucky fan knew Trayanum. He was supposed to be the Cats’ bell-cow back in 2024, but injuries prevented him from getting a real shot. There probably aren’t a ton of folks who remember Tanner Lemaster from his time in Lexington.

A 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end, Lemaster was a three-star recruit in the 2023 class from Washington Court House, Ohio. Kentucky consistently played three or four tight ends, but he never cracked the rotation during his two seasons in Lexington. This offseason, Lemaster hit the portal and found what appears to be a great landing spot in Ypsilanti.

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Lemaster is not starting, but he’s been a quality player for the Eagles. He’s fourth on the team in receiving yards with 53 on three receptions. His 33-yard gain in the opener against Texas State is Eastern’s longest pass of the young season. Lemaster had the highest PFF grade on the offense in week one and the third-best in week two.

“I think that is one of the awesome things about the portal is you take a guy that does everything exactly the right way, he’s fully bought into the team, and gets an opportunity somewhere else to play,” Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said earlier this week. “And I think in those situations, you’re excited for him, maybe not on Saturday, but for the remainder of the season to get his opportunity.”

Not every transfer portal success story is one where a player climbs up the ranks. It wasn’t working at Kentucky, but Lemaster has carved out a role as a consistent contributor at Eastern Michigan.