The transfer portal is officially open for business. That means it’s time to dust off the old diary to provide daily recaps of everything that unfolded.

Chaos is never hard to find in the transfer portal. As Adam Luckett warns, you must keep your head on a swivel. Things can change quickly.

One thing that changed this year was the nature of day one. In the past, it was a day for announcing departures. This year’s transfer portal window is a few weeks later. Most departures were previously announced. That mean today was dedicated for sharing visit plans, and there were a bunch, starting with a delightful development.

Kentucky gets first dibs on Sam Leavitt

Sam Leavitt is widely regarded as the top-ranked quarterback and one of the five best players in the transfer portal after the quarterback guided Arizona State to the CFP in 2024. Just a few hours after we learned that Cutter Boley was leaving Kentucky, likely for Arizona State, Jacob Polacheck shared that there was smoke between the Cats and Leavitt. Those smoke signals grew stronger on Friday.

Leavitt officially entered the transfer portal on Friday with a “Do Not Contact” tag. That designation tells schools not to bother reaching out; he’s got it covered. By the afternoon, Polacheck and Justin Rowland reported that Leavitt is planning a visit to Kentucky.

LSU, Oregon, and Miami were previously connected to Leavitt. Lane Kiffin is currently battling Texas Tech for Brendan Sorsby. Oregon’s signal-caller, Dante Moore, may return for one more season, and there’s a belief that Miami may roll with a QB next fall who is already on their roster. The door is open if the Cats move quickly, and it appears that they’re making all of the right moves with the best available quarterback in the transfer portal.

Kentucky Could Make a Splash at Running Back

Quarterback isn’t the only position where the Wildcats are big-game hunting. CJ Baxter was a five-star talent and the top-ranked running back in the country when he signed with Texas. The early returns were exceptional, earning Freshman All-American honors after rushing for 659 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.

Injuries took his career in a different direction. He suffered a season-ending 2024 season and was limited to eight games this fall. It’s probably why he’s the No. 11 available running back in the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings. Nevertheless, his combination of size and breakaway speed makes him lethal. He’s visiting Kentucky, putting the Wildcats in a prime position to land a stud.

Minimal Transfer Portal Departures

Baxter isn’t the only running back Kentucky is pursuing. Former Delaware State running back James Jones is planning a visit to Kentucky after averaging 9.8 yards per carry last fall. On Friday evening, Dante Dowdell entered his name into the transfer portal after only one season in Lexington.

Dowdell is the 15th former Stoops player to announce a departure this offseason, but the only one of the day. It’s unclear exactly how Will Stein plans on filling the new 105 scholarships. By KSR’s estimate, this leaves the Cats with 62 players on the roster. Here’s who’s on the way out:

LB Landyn Watson

EDGE Steven Soles Jr.

QB Stone Saunders

WR David Washington Jr.

WR Preston Bowman

CB Nasir Addison

DT Austin Ramsey

WR Troy Stellato

DL Javeon Campbell

CB DJ Waller Jr.

EDGE Jacob Smith

DL Jerod Smith II

WR Montavin Quisenberry

QB Cutter Boley

RB Dante Dowdell

Significant Returner

In another somewhat surprising twist, we haven’t heard many Kentucky football players share that they are, in fact, returning to play for Stein. Up until today, Ty Bryant was the only notable returner. That changed late in the day when Sam Greene shared that he’s running it back. A hard edge-setter, the USC transfer was playing his best football when he suffered a season-ending injury in November. He’s a player with multiple years of eligibility who showed plenty of growth in 2025. His future is bright at Kentucky.

Focus on the Trenches

Will Stein earned a reputation at Oregon for his quarterback’s play, but don’t sleep on what he did in the trenches. During each of his three seasons, Oregon had one of the three best offensive lines in America, as a Joe Moore Award Finalist. Stein has a high standard, one the Big Blue Wall needs to live up to, and it’s evident in some of Kentucky’s early moves.

The Wildcats brought in a handful of offensive linemen on day one, highlighted by a pair of former starting left tackles in the SEC, Tyree Adams (LSU) and Xavier Chaplin (Auburn). In addition to all of the big uglies on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage, Kentucky is a contender for some enormous defensive linemen, like Michai Boireau (Florida) and Ian Geffrard (Arkansas). They also have their sights set on multiple pass rushers.

Texas A&M is a Top Competitor

For the longest time, a good barometer in high school recruiting was to see what other schools were involved. At the end of the Joker Phillips era, Kentucky was competing against MAC schools for players. Well, that same logic can be applied in the transfer portal. It’s clear the Cats are fishing in the right waters, but they’re up against deep pockets.

Kentucky was able to get Tyree Adams to Lexington before taking any other trips, but the left tackle, who started in nine games for LSU, also plans on visiting Texas A&M. Malcolm Simmons was a blue chip talent signed by Auburn, and exploded for a couple of 100-yard games after Hugh Freeze was fired. Kentucky is getting the explosive wide receiver on campus, but A&M and Arkansas will host him for trips. If you want to big-game hunt, there will be competition.

Transfer Portal Players Planning to Visit

Jan. 2

Xavier Chaplin, Offensive Tackle, Auburn, 6-7, 350
Tyree Adams, Offensive Tackle, LSU, 6-7, 310
Tavion Wallace, Linebacker, Arkansas, 6-1, 240
Marquis Johnson, Wide Receiver, Missouri, 5-11, 187
Ory Williams, Offensive Tackle, LSU, 6-8, 335
Coleton Price, Interior Offensive Lineman, Baylor, 6-3, 280

Jan. 3

Hasaan Sykes, Cornerback, Western Carolina, 6-0, 185
Ahmad Breaux, Defensive Lineman, LSU, 6-3, 280
Antonio O’Berry, EDGE, Gardner-Webb, 6-5, 240

Jan. 4-5

Anthony Hawkins, Safety, Villanova, 6-3, 170

Jan. 7

Kourtney Kelly, Defensive Lineman, West Georgia, 6-3, 280
Tae Woody, Defensive Lineman, ULM, 6-3, 290

Jan. 9

Kamauryn Morgan, Outside Linebacker, Baylor, 6-5, 250

Date TBD

CJ Baxter, Running Back, Texas, 6-1, 225
Ian Geffrard, Defensive Tackle, Arkansas, 6-6, 370
Hunter Osborne, Defensive Lineman, Virginia, 6-4, 301
Michai Boireau, Defensive Lineman, Florida, 6-5, 350
Quentin Taylor, Cornerback, Iowa State, 6-0, 205 (TBD)
Khalil Poteat, Defensive Lineman, Temple, 6-5, 280
Malcolm Simmons, Wide Receiver, Auburn, 6-0, 170
Sam Leavitt, Quarterback, Arizona State, 6-2, 195
James Jones, Running Back, Delaware State, 6-2, 205
Jordan Norman, EDGE, Tulane, 6-4, 241

I Like Kentucky’s Chances for…

LB Tavion Wallace, IOL Coleton Price, and RB CJ Baxter. Things are also looking pretty, pretty good for the biggest fish of them all, Leavitt. We’re expecting 4-5 commitments this weekend. Keep your head on a swivel. Happy Portaling!