Kentucky's roster has flipped in significant way

Kroger Field under the lights vs. Georgia - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

A roster overhaul was expected for the Kentucky football program this offseason. We have seen that play out during the winter transfer portal window. The spring semester started in Lexington on Monday and Kentucky has added 18 scholarship players to the roster. Mark Stoops will have a lot of new faces in the starting lineup come Labor Day weekend.

All of those additions are replacing former high school signees who are no longer on the roster.

The 2021, 2022, and 2023 classes were all slated to be upperclassmen who would fill starting positions on the roster. Only a few remain in the Kentucky football program.

Jager Burton (2021)
Kahlil Saunders (2021)
Jordan Lovett (2021)
Alex Afari Jr. (2022)
Josh Kattus (2022)
Grant Godfrey (2023)
Kendrick Gilbert (2023)
Tavion Gadson (2023)
Jamarion Wilcox (2023)
Austin Ramsey (2023)
Ty Bryant (2023)
Malachi Wood (2023)
Nasir Addison (2023)

Only 13 players from the three combined classes remain on the roster. Burton, Saunders, and Lovett are the only three players from a 18-player signing class in 2021 to remain on the roster in year five. Afari and Kattus are the only two players from a 20-players signing class in 2022 to remain on the roster in year four. Only eight players from a 19-player signing class in 2023 remain on the roster.

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Kentucky needed a massive roster overhaul in the transfer portal because only 13-of-57 players originally signed to play key veterans roles for the 2025 team are no longer on the roster. The program has had some recruiting misses, multiple offensive lineman retire early due to injuries, and has seen some productive players leave for other programs.

The Wildcats have had to morph into a transfer-heavy program for the 2025 season. To prevent that in the future, the hit and retention rate of the 2024 and 2025 high school classes must improve. Kentucky’s recruit-and-develop model now must succeed at getting transfers ready to role in multiple areas this fall.