Kentucky RB Torrance Davis enters the transfer portal

Torrance Davis is the fifth Kentucky football player to enter the transfer portal since the regular season ended on Saturday.

On Tuesday night, the sophomore running back announced that he will move on from the program after two years spent in Lexington.

“First and foremost I would like to thank god for giving me this opportunity to play the sport I love,” wrote Davis. “I would like to thank Coach Stoops and Coach Marrow for giving me the opportunity to play for the BBN. With that said, I will be entering the transfer portal.

A top-500 recruit in the class of 2020 out of Cleveland Garfield Heights High, Davis chose Kentucky over offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Tennessee, and Virginia.

After playing five games at off-ball linebacker in 2020, Davis switched to running back in 2021, but snaps were limited. The former high three-star recruit becomes the second player from the 2020 class to leave the program following Kalil Branham’s departure last season.

Roster outlook

Heading into the bowl prep, Kentucky will have five scholarship tailbacks on the roster — Michael Drennen II, JuTahn McClain, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kavosiey Smoke, and La’Vell Wright. Luckily, all are available to return for next season.

In the class of 2022, the Wildcats currently do not have a running back committed to the program. The departure of Torrance Davis comes just after Travis Tisdale entered the portal, and it leaves Kentucky a bit thin at tailback.

Rodriguez has an important draft decision to make, and the result of that will determine how aggressive Kentucky gets when looking at potential high school recruits or transfers. If the 1,000-yard rusher returns, Kentucky could stand pat and try to get through the 2022 season with just five scholarship tailbacks.

That is a small number, but it’s manageable with three proven tailbacks in McClain, Rodriguez, and Smoke.