Cats building roster for '26 and beyond

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

With the NCAA transfer portal window set to open in less than two weeks, new Kentucky football head coach Will Stein has been hard at work building his roster for the future — but he’s far from finalizing the Wildcats’ players for 2026.

Stein, who’s still serving as Oregon’s offensive coordinator through the Ducks’ run in the College Football Playoff, wasted little time getting to work despite pulling double duty over the past three weeks.

Kentucky is expected to dip heavily into the transfer portal to fill out the depth chart for next fall, especially since the Cats are expected to lose players to the portal and the NFL after the dismissal of former coach Mark Stoops. The window for current player movement is open from Jan. 2-16, followed by a late signing period in February in which UK can add high school recruits.

But Stein isn’t starting from scratch.

Kentucky still holds signatures from 14 incoming players from the JUCO and high school ranks, led by four-star wide receiver Kenny Darby and four-star quarterback Matt Ponatoski.

Darby, a 6-foot, 175-pound Louisiana native, decommitted from LSU on Dec. 2 and landed in Lexington just a few days later. As a senior this season, he recorded 83 receptions for 1,124 yards and eight touchdowns, along with 51 rushes for 547 yards and nine touchdowns.

Ponatoski, a 6-1, 195-pounder who will also play baseball at UK, committed to the Cats in July and later signed even after Stoops was fired. This season, the Cincinnati Moeller star threw for 2,402 yards and 28 touchdowns with one interception.

Darby leads an incoming group of receivers that also includes three-star Dallas Dickerson from Bogart, Georgia; three-star Denairius Gray from Hollywood, Florida; three-star Prince Jean from Valdosta, Georgia; and three-star Davis McGray from San Antonio, Texas.

Much like his attitude on the field, Stein’s recruiting recipe is a tactic that’s paid off — and it’s a simple formula.

“I think it all starts at the high school ranks, I really do,” he said. “I think the first thing that we have to win is Kentucky, win this state. When Kentucky is at its best, the best players in the state play for the Wildcats. It always starts in high school. You build your roster out and manage it according to your numbers, according to where your needs are.

“The portal is a great supplemental tool. It’s not the end-all, be-all, but I would like to think it always starts with high school ranks. That’s where your development happens, retention. That’s where you get to know these people the best, their parents, the people that matter to them. Then they want to stay at your university longer.”

If No. 5 Oregon beats No. 4 Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl quarterfinal, the semifinals will be held Jan. 8-9, with the CFP National Championship Game set for Jan. 19.

Despite landing his “dream job” at UK, Stein’s loyalty to the Ducks never wavered. He aims to bring that same mindset to Kentucky.

“I wouldn’t be the position I am without these players, these coaches, without (head coach Dan Lanning),” Stein said before the playoffs began. “I mean, I would feel like a complete fraud if I left these guys throughout this playoff run and this opportunity in front of us to coach in Auzen another time.

“We poured so much of our lives, so much of our time, our family’s time into this team and this program. Coach Lanning gave me an opportunity from UTSA. The last thing I would ever do would be leave these players.”

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos