Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace 'should be fine' following ankle injury: "He's a little banged up."

One of Kentucky‘s top portal additions appears to have avoided a serious injury after a brief scare in the team’s win over Toledo in the opener.

Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace, who transferred from South Dakota as the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, went down with an ankle issue in the second half against the Rockets. Mark Stoops initially said the Wildcats were in “decent shape” leaving week one overall, but couldn’t nail down a specific timeline for return with the standout pass-rusher.

“We’ll see,” Stoops said at his weekly press conference. “He’s day-to-day. We got a lower body, little ankle (issue), but we’ll see.”

After letting it marinate for a few hours, additional clarity came during the head coach’s call-in radio show to close out Monday evening. It’s not a groundbreaking update, but Stoops didn’t rule out a return for Humphrey-Grace against Ole Miss on Saturday.

When Tom Leach asked for a status update, the Kentucky coach was hopeful while confirming the junior lineman ‘should be fine’ long-term, despite being spotted wearing a boot after the win.

“Yeah, I hope so,” Stoops said of the Wildcat newcomer’s availability this week. “He’s definitely a difference maker. He should be (back this week), should be fine, but he’s a little banged up.”

Humphrey-Grace played in 30 games with 15 starts prior to his time in Lexington, racking up 101 career tackles, 26.0 tackles for loss, 15.0 sacks, nine pass deflections, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

His injury comes following an offseason of praise, the Kentucky coaching staff never missing an opportunity to talk about the South Dakota transfer’s importance for the defense in 2025.

“Really excited about Quise. I think he’s got a really high upside,” UK defensive coordinator Brad White told KSR in August. “He’s been a really steady, consistent, high-level performer through spring, through fall camp for us. Expecting big things from him this year.”

Fortunately, this ankle issue appears to be something that won’t keep him off the field long. Considering the pass rush was one of the team’s biggest strengths against Toledo, racking up three sacks and six tackles for loss, it’s massive news to get one of the top pieces back sooner rather than later.