The Kentucky football program entered yet another offseason with a major need on the offensive line. Head coach Will Stein, offensive coordinator Joe Sloan, and offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich needed to find five new starters. A big one was found on Sunday afternoon in a true transfer portal surprise.

Tennessee transfer Lance Heard will be a Cat. The multi-time SEC transfer who is expected to be one of the best tackles in college football next season will spend his final year at Kentucky.

The Wildcats have found their new LT1. Lance Heard will be Kentucky’s most accomplished starting left tackle since Landon Young. An argument can be made that he will be this program’s best left tackle in a very long time. After missing on Tyree Adams (LSU to Texas A&M) and Xavier Chaplin (Auburn to Florida State), UK quickly pivoted to the best available tackle on the market and got a deal done. Odds are high that Heard could be the highest-paid player on UK’s roster in 2026.

What will the this high-profile transfer bring to the Kentucky program? KSR takes a closer look.

A short-stint at LSU for this five-star recruit

Lance Heard was a five-star prospect in the 2023 high school recruiting cycle at Monroe (La.) Neville. The blue-chip prospect ended up doing what many Louisiana recruits do. Heard took visits to Florida State and Nebraska ahead of his senior season before ultimately committing to LSU and joining Brian Kelly‘s first full recruiting class.

Heard arrived on campus and immediately found a role in 2023. During a season where Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy and LSU had one of the most dangerous offenses in college football, Heard played in five games for the offense with every snap occurring at right tackle. Heard even earned a start against Army and looked like a future cornerstone piece for Kelly’s program.

But things can change quickly in modern college football.

With future first-round pick Will Campbell entrenched as the starter at left tackle, Heard decided to leave LSU after one season. The tackle remained in the SEC.

Two seasons at Tennessee

Lance Heard entered the winter transfer portal after the 2023 season ended and quickly landed at Tennessee. Oklahoma was the other major contender in this portal recruitment. The Vols were looking for an upgrade at left tackle and found one with Heard.

That transfer addition ultimately led to Gerald Mincey leaving the Tennessee program in the spring and transferring to Kentucky after he started six games for the Vols in 2023. Heard dealt with a knee injury during the preseason and then suffered an ankle injury in September that caused him to miss two games. The offensive tackle would make 11 starts for the Vols but was hobbled for most of the season due to these injuries. That led to his worst season. Heard then had a big bounce-back in 2025.

As a junior, Heard started all 13 games for Tennessee and was part of one of the better offensive lines in the SEC. The tackle only allowed one sack in the regular season, according to PFF data. Heard also became an impact player in the run game as a valuable puller and good athlete who could climb to the second level and crush linebackers.

Heard was a third-team All-SEC selection. The tackle left the 2025 season as a future draft pick and one of the best tackles heading into 2026.

Multiple factors led to Lance Heard leaving Tennessee

At LSU, Lance Heard found himself behind former top-50 recruit Will Campbell and was not going to have a spot in the starting unit at left tackle. That led to the former blue-chip recruit entering the transfer portal. Something similar played out at Tennessee this offseason.

David Sanders Jr. was a top-10 prospect in the 2025 high school recruiting cycle who signed with the Vols. Sanders started at right tackle for Josh Heupel‘s offense as a true freshman and there has been heavy speculation that the plan is for Sanders to shift to left tackle in 2026. That put Heard in an interesting situation. Instead of switching to right tackle or entering the draft, the multi-year starter decided to jump in the transfer portal.

There was also a contract dispute. Tennessee was unwilling to meet the the price that Heard’s representation was asking for. That led to a move into free agency. Heard announced his intentions to enter the portal on Jan. 1 and came off the board to Kentucky on Jan. 10.

Luckett’s Scouting Notebook: Lance Heard

Lance Heard will enter his final year of eligibility in 2026 at his third SEC school. The Louisiana native has played over 1,800 starts in his career and was a two-year starter at Tennessee after being a rotational backup as a true freshman at LSU.

The Kentucky signee was one of the best offensive tackles available in college football free agency this offseason. This is my scouting-write up the big-ticket transfer addition.

Lance Heard (6-6, 330) is an experienced starting left tackle with prototypical size, terrific length (36-inch arms), and good positional athleticism. The former blue-chip recruit did not play offensive tackle until his junior year in high school. Heard moved to tackle in the 2021 season and then took off. The big man owns a rare combination for play strength and foot agility.

The multi-time transfer plays with heavy hands, stays balanced with a wide base in pass protection, and can swallow up rushers due to his natural size and wingspan. Does a good job working through stunts and staying square. Hands are vice grips when the left tackle gets locked on in his pass set. Also has jolting power in the run game. Heard was an excellent puller on Tennessee’s tackle wrap concept. Creates easy movement on doubles and works up well to linebackers. Shows comfort in zone concepts that require lateral movement. Pad level could use some refinement in all areas. Rushers who can bend and get underneath his pads gave Heard the most issues. Penalties (14 in 1,640 snaps at Tennessee) could be cleaned up.

Heard is proven left tackle with good play strength, size, and movement ability that can provide value in the run game. Two-way producer at tackle who will make an immediate impact on Kentucky’s offense. Some overall refinement is needed to take his game to first-round pick level, but this is an addition at a priority position with an established high-floor. Should immediately upgrade UK’s play at left tackle and take some pressure off the rest of the unit.