Bio Blast: Kenny Darby

The early signing period is always good for a recruiting surprise or two. When there is a coaching change, you should expect the unexpected. Kentucky made their first big recruiting splash of the Will Stein era on Friday. Get out your spatulas.

Kenny Darby decommitted from LSU on Tuesday. New broke that Kentucky hired former LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan on Thursday. The Cats then added Darby to their recruiting class on Friday. There is never a dull moment in college football recruiting.

Kentucky is kicking off the Stein era with a BANG!

4-Star wide receiver Kenny Darby, a former LSU commit, is signing with the Wildcats. https://t.co/hdqoCcBW5w pic.twitter.com/qchVwxP3q7

— KSR (@KSRonX) December 5, 2025

The Bossier City (La.) Airline wideout instantly becomes the highest ranked player in Kentucky’s 2026 class. Darby is the kind of talent that could benefit from Stein’s “Feed the Studs” philosophy. What have the Wildcats added to the program?

Let’s take a closer look.

Ridiculous production in high school

Kenny Darby quickly become one of the most coveted Louisiana recruits in the 2026 cycle. The Airline star began to make a big name for himself during his junior season in 2024.

Darby recorded 100 catches for over 1,700 yards with 24 touchdowns as a junior. He then backed that up with 83 catches for 1,124 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. That’s nearly 3,000 receiving yards and 32 scores over his final two seasons in college football.

This wideout went from unranked prospect to a top-200 national recruit after that big junior season put him on the map. He will leave high school football as a top-10 prospect in Louisiana and the No. 30 overall wide receiver in the 2026 Rivals Industry Ranking.

A coaching change ends a long-term commitment

Kenny Darby decided to lock in a commitment during his junior year at Airline. The blue-chip receiver committed to the Tigers in November after he flipped from Mississippi State following a commitment to the Bulldogs prior to his junior season.

“I committed to LSU because they showed me mad love,” Darby told On3/Rivals. “The atmosphere and the environment was crazy and the fans always pack the stadium.”

LSU wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton was the lead recruiter for the Bayou Bengals, but offensive coordinator Joe Sloan was also involved in this recruitment. However, less than a year after that commitment, some big changes came to the LSU football program.

Head coach Brian Kelly was fired after eight games. Sloan was also dismissed. LSU started a coaching search that landed Lane Kiffin. After a long public back and forth with Ole Miss, Kiffin officially moved to LSU on Sunday. That create some coach and player movement.

Darby decided to decommit from the Tigers just a couple of days later. The wideout entered the early signing period without a home. Colorado and Mississippi State emerged as early favorites, but Kentucky quietly made a big push for the four-star prospect. The Cats hired Sloan and Will Stein during this period. There was enough time for UK to pull ahead in front.

The coaching carousel is called the silly season for a reason. Some late movement in the calendar gave Kentucky an opportunity to land a blue-chip receiver.

Luckett’s Scouting Notebook: Kenny Darby

Later this weekend at KSR+, My yearly scouting notebook for Kentucky’s recruiting class will be published. As always, there will be write-ups on each new addition. This is a quick preview of what to expect.

Kenny Darby instantly becomes one of the most exciting young players on UK’s roster.

A record-setting receiver at Bossier City (La.) Airline, Darby led the state of Louisiana in receiving yards (1,754) as a junior. This was a highly productive wide receiver who scored over 30 total touchdowns with 180-plus receptions in his final two seasons of high school ball. The late recruiting win is a true generator with plus route-running skills.

Darby touched the ball in numerous ways (tailback, jet sweeps) and generated explosive play touchdowns as a senior on kickoff return and at tailback. On vertical concepts, this Darby is excellent at getting on the toes of cornerbacks and then snapping routes off to create easy separation. Shows the ability to run through contact as a tailback. Owns good awareness in space allowing blocks to to develop and flashes feel for when to stop and start plus change direction. Possesses a sizable catch radius on tape with good ball skills.

This is a wide receiver with true inside-outside versatility and a tremendous YAC skill set who could provide value in the return game. A potential plug-and-play addition who could give the offense a spark in year one on schemed-up touches. Owns a high-ceiling as a receiver due to versatility and route-running potential.

Lock in for a pivotal Kentucky Football offseason KSR Plus! We’re giving you behind-the-scenes intel you won’t find anywhere else. Join the most vibrant online community in the BBN for the exciting start of the Will Stein Era.