Alex Afari Jr. cleared to play and rostered for season opener
- Kentucky fifth-year defender Alex Afari Jr. was cleared and listed on the 2026 roster as an inside linebacker before the Youngstown State opener.
- Afari has 31 collegiate starts and could immediately help Kentucky's linebacker concerns if he is in game shape after an uneven fall camp availability process.
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Checking out the health of SEC teams after preseason practice and going into week-one for 2026
- Auburn linebacker J.J. Faulk is out for the year, with tight end Jonathan Edwards, tackle Tai Buster and corner Devin Williams still uncertain. Florida reported no major camp loss; Georgia remains without Amaris Williams and likely Dante Dowdell, while center Drew Bobo should play. Kentucky running back Tovani Mizell is out, with Jovante Barnes and receiver Nic Anderson questionable.
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Podcast: Early 2026 Kentucky Season Preview | Cover 3 Podcast Summer School
- Kentucky deliberately held out many veteran receivers and its top running backs during the spring game, prioritizing getting established players healthy to fall camp.
- The staff showed only a four-play offensive and four-play defensive menu in the spring game, so the public scrimmage offered very little evidence about the final schemes or depth chart.
- The optimistic 7-5 path presented by the panel begins with the rebuilt offensive line staying...
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Podcast: Kentucky’s New Front Office Hire + the Wildcats Who Could Swing the 2026 Season | 11 Personnel
- Kentucky's secondary outlook improves substantially if Gates is healthy, with Ty Bryant, Jordan Castile and a potential Teraya Nichols nickel role forming the rest of a group the staff can trust.
- Gates completed his first fully healthy offseason and participated in spring practice, but Kentucky limited him at the start of fall camp and continued managing his workload.
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Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Youngstown State
- Kentucky opens the Will Stein era against Youngstown State after Stein spent three seasons coordinating Oregon offenses that reached the College Football Playoff in consecutive seasons.
- Stein built his first Kentucky roster heavily through the portal, with the class ranked top 10 by The Athletic, ESPN, and 247Sports.
- Stein said Kentucky had a strong fall camp, created toughness, and learned its identity in all three phases before the opener.
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Cats’ D-Line Adapting to ‘Fast, Aggressive’ Defense
- The Kentucky defensive front, with several contributors returning, could be among the strong parts of the UK defense in 2026.
- Following Wednesday’s practice, Kentucky defensive line coach Anwar Stewart talked about his group and the defense as a whole.
- The Cats defensive line figures to be one of the strengths of the defense, and Stewart is liking what he’s seeing from his unit so far this fall.
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