Sam Leavitt Watch: The mood is tense. I have been on some serious, serious reports. Nothing quite like this. Sorry, it’s late, and I need some Anchorman humor to keep myself entertained after a day of scouring the transfer portal.

The top-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal is all anyone around Big Blue Nation wants to talk about, and boy, folks are on edge after a roller coaster of emotions over the last 24 hours.

It started with tons of excitement. After all, folks were blown away by the possibility that Will Stein gave Kentucky a shot at reeling in the big fish. Not long after we learned he was on campus, up late watching film with the Kentucky head coach, patience ran thin. Would he commit on the spot or will the waiting game continue?

On Saturday evening, about an hour before he was set to dine with the Kentucky coaches (sans Stein, who returned to Oregon this afternoon), we learned that he planned a visit to Texas Tech. Some Kentucky fans immediately busted out the brown paper bags to prevent a panic attack. After all, the Red Raiders are throwing around money like no other. However, there were a few things to remember:

1. Devin Leary was once the top-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal. He took another visit after a trip to Kentucky and still ended up being a Wildcat.
2. Texas Tech’s top priority is Brendan Sorsby. He was on campus Friday before taking a trip to LSU.
3. The transfer portal is all about leverage, playing angles to improve value. Could these quarterbacks be in a game of cat and mouse between schools and agents?

As of Saturday night, a lot is up in the air. It’s difficult to handicap the situation. Candidly, it doesn’t feel great for Kentucky football fans. That doesn’t mean the race for Leavitt is over. It’s a process, and dominoes still have to fall. Until then, the mood is tense.

Package Transfer Portal Deal?

DeAndre Moore Jr. adds to the excitement and anxiety to Leavitt Watch. He made a last-minute change of plans, ditching Ole Miss to arrive in Lexington late Friday night. The former Top-50 prospect was a standout at Texas, who is intrigued by the idea of playing with Leavitt. It feels like he would be a Cat if Leavitt is in the fold. Without Leavitt? That’s hard to say. Nevertheless, he looks good in Kentucky Blue.

Moore also has trips lined up to Ohio State, Colorado, and Louisville. He visited Kentucky with another former Texas teammate, CJ Baxter. Regardless of what Leavitt does, it feels like the Cats are in a good position to land a player who has dealt with plenty of injuries but was once the top-ranked high school running back in America.

The First Commitment

The anxiety during Leavitt Watch was slightly put at ease when Kentucky landed its first commitment of the transfer portal cycle. Tavion Wallace is making the move from Arkansas to Lexington. The younger brother of former Wildcat Trevin Wallace, Tavion was an All-American linebacker in high school who always liked Kentucky, but initially opted to take a different path. After one year in Fayetteville, he’s following his heart back to Lexington.

Wildcats Transferring Elsewhere

Kentucky has a chance to make a transfer portal trade. As the Wildcats pursue Leavitt, Cutter Boley made it official late Saturday night, announcing he will transfer to Arizona State.

Closer to home, a Kentucky Wildcat is making the move to Louisville. Vince Marrow recruited DJ Waller in high school, then convinced him to transfer from Michigan to Kentucky. Now Waller is following Marrow to Louisville. He may not be the last. The Smith Twins visited Louisville over the last 24 hours.

Transfer Portal Visitors with Kentucky Connections

Jordan Castell — The talented defensive back emerged as a starting safety in his second-ever game for the Gators and held onto that starting spot for three years. Jay Bateman was on the Florida staff when he was a Freshman All-American. Now, he’s on the move and Kentucky is fighting LSU and Ole Miss for his services. He’ll visit all three schools in the next week.

Tony Diaz — A breakout player at the FCS level, Diaz was named Southland Conference Freshman of the Year after the wide receiver hauled in 67 receptions for 881 yards and 11 TDs. Diaz played high school football in San Marcos (TX) with another transfer portal target, former LSU OT Ory Williams. Between Joe Sloan and Joe Price, Kentucky might have something going here for a productive player from the lower ranks.

Upcoming Transfer Portal Visitors

By our count, Kentucky hosted 15 transfer portal players over the first two days of the recruiting period. That number will grow on Sunday. Here’s who we’re expecting on campus, and judging by how things have gone so far, this list will grow.

Anthony Hawkins, Safety, Villanova, 6-3, 170
Markus Strong, Defensive Lineman, Oklahoma, 6-5, 270
Jovantae Barnes, Running Back, Oklahoma, 5-11.5, 185

Trending Elsewhere

Western Carolina cornerback Hasaan Sykes was expected to be on campus on Saturday. He also has a trip lined up to Illinois for tomorrow. Before that visit, a trio of 247 Sports reporters placed Crystal Ball picks for Sykes to Illinois. Maybe don’t write it in Sharpie, but it’s probably safe to cross this one off the board.

There was another player on the big board, former UTSA tight end Houston Thomas, who kicked around the idea of visiting Kentucky. He never made it out of College Station, committing to Texas A&M on Saturday.

Positive Smoke for Kentucky

I still feel pretty good about Kentucky’s chances with IOL Coleton Price and RB CJ Baxter. It also feels like the Cats are in a good spot with LSU DT Ahmad Breaux, Texas A&M CB Cobey Sellers, and Akron IOL Delvin Morris. We’ll see if the Cats can stack up commitments with a few more on Sunday. Happy Portaling!