Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
One of the most underrated classes in the entire conference was signed by Kentucky this portal cycle. Here’s why I’m high on the Wildcats and the rest of their 2026 Report(al) Card.
Numbers to Know
- Players Lost: 24
- Players Gained: 29
- 247Sports Ranking: No. 10
- On3 Ranking: No. 38
Headliner – LT Lance Heard (from Tennessee)
Heard is enjoying the portal era more than almost anyone. The former five-star who originally chose LSU out of high school transferred to Tennessee after one year. He’s now at Kentucky and as highly regarded as ever.
Heard was the No. 3 tackle and top 25 player in the portal for the second time in his collegiate career. Kentucky built their big blue wall in 2023 when they were second in the SEC with just 22 sacks allowed. That number rose to a combined 64 over the last two seasons, and the Kentucky rushing offense ranked tenth or worse in rushing yards per game and yards per carry.
Rebuilding the big blue wall starts with an NFL prototype at left tackle, and that is Lance Heard.
Lance Heard, Miles Kitselman…destruction😤 pic.twitter.com/D0IdqMKsoZ
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 28, 2025
Biggest Loss – RB Dante Dowdell (to Georgia)
Dowell averaged 5 yards per carry last season, but decided to leave the portal and go to another team in conference with Georgia. What surprised me most wasn’t him leaving, it was that Georgia had a pretty loaded running back room and still wanted to take a back like Dowell.
On top of that, Kentucky was losing leading running back Seth McGowan. Dowdell may not start at Georgia, and may have had a better opportunity at Kentucky. Him deciding to leave feels like it’s worse for Kentucky than him, though, because they had to immediately go to the portal to replace a known with an unknown in a year of unknowns with a new first year coach.
The way Dante Dowdell runs reminds me of Kendall Milton. 👀 #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/NEFWVPG5ku
— Top Tier Georgia (@TopTierUGA) January 16, 2026
Instant Impact – QB Kenny Minchey (from Notre Dame)
This one is pretty simple. You need a good quarterback if you’re going to compete at all in the SEC. There are roughly only five or six returning quarterbacks for next season, so getting a good quarterback in the portal was crucial.
Getting Minchey was a must, especially after losing last year’s starter Cutter Boley to Arizona State. Minchey was set to go to Nebraska, but they were outbid by Kentucky. Great start to the Will Stein era.
The Kenny Minchey Era at Nebraska pic.twitter.com/4lsSbYKQpt
— AverageHusker (@average_husker) January 6, 2026
Biggest Sleeper – WR Nic Anderson (from LSU)
If you’re gonna die on a hill it better have a good view. I’m not sure if the Nic Anderson hill has a good view or not, especially with Joe Sloan as his offensive coordinator, but I’m going to die on it anyway.
Anderson is a big bodied receiver at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. He was a four-star recruit and in last year’s portal cycle he was the No. 15 player in the country when he signed with LSU. He did not have a great year for the Tigers finishing with 12 catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He’s lost some steam since he had 38 catches for 798 yards and ten touchdowns in 2024 before he was sidelined with an injury in 2024.
Nic Anderson was the 3rd ranked receiver in the portal a year ago. The kid is talented and would be a huge get! #FeedTheStuds pic.twitter.com/WsABCXVZgP
— Brandon Vincent (@bvince1993) January 16, 2026
Everyone thought that Anderson was a prize player from the portal a season ago, and many people, including idiots like me, thought he may be good enough to have a breakout year for LSU. He’s no longer the No. 5 wide receiver and No. 15 player in the portal, as he fell to No. 51 and No. 279 respectively in this year’s cycle. He’s a great candidate to bounce back because he’s an elite talent if he wants to be.
Overall Grade – A-
There are few teams I’m more excited for going into next season than Kentucky. The Mark Stoops era had grown stale, and breathing new life into the program was a must.
What I love most about this class isn’t the amount of players that were brought in or that they gained more players than they lost. What I love most about the class is the level of talent and experience they brought in.
Kentucky signed 29 players with 20 coming from Power Four schools and 14 coming from other SEC schools.
This isn’t about Kentucky having an elite class because they signed SEC players, it’s about Kentucky being a legitimately viable option for players to seek out in the portal. That is something very new.
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