Kentucky Transfer Portal Watch: 3 Potential UK Playmakers Enter
‘Twas the night before the transfer portal opened, and all through college football, players were already stirring, ready to jump in headfirst. Monday, Dec. 5 marks the opening day of the first ever postseason transfer portal window, allowing underclassmen to leave their current schools and commit to another one. Before the madness begins, three players that could be on Kentucky’s radar announced they will be looking for a new home for Christmas.
QB Graham Mertz
In 2019 Graham Mertz did the unthinkable. ESPN’s top-ranked quarterback signed with Wisconsin. A graveyard for quarterbacks, he defied all norms when he made his debut during the pandemic-plagued 2020 season. Mertz completed 20-of-21 passes for 248 yards and set a school record with five touchdown passes in a win over Illinois.
Paul Chrst had seen enough. He chose to ride with the former blue chip prospect over Jack Coan. The decision appears to have formed a wedge in the locker room, with Coan transferring to Notre Dame, serving as the beginning of the end for Chryst.
Mertz failed to take flight after receiving the keys to the run-heavy Wisconsin offense. Despite his struggles through 2021, this fall he threw for 2,136 yards and completed 57.3% of his passes for 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Some of the shine has been taken off this former blue chip recruit, but the tools as a proficient passer are still there. He will be a coveted quarterback in the transfer portal market.
QB D.J. Uiagalelei
Like Mertz, DJU was once the No. 1 ranked high school quarterback in his class who burst onto the scene with an outstanding primetime performance. Unlike Mertz, he’s leaving Clemson after he got passed by another blue chip prospect.
With Trevor Lawrence sidelined by COVID-19, Uiagalelei threw for 439 yards and two touchdowns in a double overtime loss at Notre Dame. Despite the defeat, life after Lawrence appeared bright. Then he ran into a buzzsaw in the 2021 season-opener against Georgia and never could consistently return to top form. This fall he threw for 2,521 yards, completed 62.1% of his passes for 22 TDs and 7 interceptions, but he was benched for Cade Klubnik in the ACC Championship Game.
Uiagalelei participated in the QB Collective that Rich Scangarello coached in during the NFL offseason. The connection to Kentucky was apparent under the old OC. Will Kentucky’s next play-caller still be interested in the big quarterback with a big arm?
RB Ray Davis
Kentucky fans know this name all too well. The Vanderbilt running back was one of only four 1,000-yard rushers in the SEC in 2022. He picked up 129 of them in Lexington, the third-most of his four-year college career. Davis had a 45-yard run (the second longest run of his career) to set up a Vanderbilt touchdown, and he scored another from the 1-yard line. Davis finished the season strong with three 100-yard nights in his final four games, totaling 1,042 yards and five touchdowns.
Sunday night the 5-foot-9, 205-pound tailback from San Francisco announced he will be entering the transfer portal as a grad transfer. Seeking out his third different school, Ray Davis spent two seasons at Temple before transferring to Vanderbilt.
Kentucky is getting thin in the backfield. With Chris Rodriguez likely moving on, the Wildcats could use a physical presence in the backfield. You won’t find too many better in the transfer portal than a 1,000-yard back from the SEC.
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