We continue with our ongoing look at the rebuild of Kentucky football. The school’s all-time winningest coach, Mark Stoops, is out after 13 years. In his place is former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein. As a result, there’s been quite an overhaul with the program. Nearly 30 players are gone from 2025, with almost the same number incoming for this season. In case you missed it, we started with the mostly brand new quarterback room featuring incoming QB1 Kenny Minchey. From there, we featured a running back group returning one of its top four rushers from 2025. Lastly, we took a look at the building blocks of a brand new “Big Blue Wall.” Today, our focus is on the pass catchers, another group that’s seen a huge turnover. You’ll need a scorecard to keep everyone straight, and that’s why we’re here. Let’s get to our Kentucky post-portal depth chart: receivers.
Another Remade Room
Who’s Gone From 2025
Several Wildcats receivers, Kendrick Law, Ja’Mori Maclin, Fred Farrier II, and J.J. Hester, are out of eligibility. Law recorded 53 catches, Maclin 13, Farrier 11, and Hester eight. In addition, six other Cats hit the transfer portal. They are Preston Bowman, Hardley Gilmore IV, Cam Miller, Quinton Simmons, Troy Stellato, and David Washington. Of the players they lost, Gilmore hauled in 28 passes, which was second on the team, while Miller had 13.
With all those players heading out of Lexington, let’s turn our attention to who’s new with our Kentucky post-portal depth chart: receivers.
Return To Form?
Coming out of high school, Nic Anderson was a four-star recruit from Katy, Texas. He ranked as the 56th-best player in Texas and 61st best wide receiver. Anderson originally committed to Oregon during the 2021 season. However, he flipped to Oklahoma, where his brother Rodney played from 2015 to 2018. He had a breakout season as a redshirt freshman back in 2023. During that campaign, Anderson caught 38 passes for 798 yards and 1o touchdowns. If you are scoring at home, that’s a whopping 21 yards per catch. In addition, his 10 scores ranked him second in the Big 12 among receivers.
Unfortunately, the injury bug hit him the last couple of years. A quad injury caused him to miss most of the 2024 season. At the end of the year, he hit the portal, ending up at LSU. Expectations were high with the Tigers, but things didn’t quite work out. He was involved in a car wreck in the summer. Then he missed the last three games of the year due to a knee injury. Anderson finished the year with 12 receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He hit the portal again and committed to Kentucky on January 16th.
If he can return to form, it’s a huge pick-up for Stein and the Cats. If not, UK will have to rely on some other targets we’ll cover with our Kentucky post-portal depth chart: receivers.
Pushing For Playing Time
Xavier Daisy comes to Lexington via UAB. Last year, the junior to-be hauled in 18 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown. Stein also landed Ja’Kayden Ferguson, who was previously at Arkansas. He played in six games last season but had no receptions. Ferguson committed to Kentucky back in 2024. However, he reopened his recruitment and ended up at Arkansas. Now, he’s back in Lexington.
Stein went to the FCS ranks to get another new Wildcat. Southern Utah standout Shane Carr picked the Cats over Washington State. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Carr totaled 81 receptions for 1,391 yards and 10 touchdowns while playing for the Thunderbirds. He didn’t hold a ranking coming out of high school, but 247 Sports now has him as the 169th-best receiver in the portal. If he can handle the adjustment from FCS to the SEC Carr could be a big time weapon.
Southern Utah WR Shane Carr (@Shane_carr2) is flying under the radar in FCS circles — but that might not last much longer.
Listed at 6'2", 190 lbs, Carr consistently attacked the middle of the field with confidence, emerging as a reliable target for the Thunderbirds in a… pic.twitter.com/5ECr2Q60u9
— Bryan (@BGauvin23) April 16, 2025
Finally UK added transfer Brock Coffman, who was previously at Louisville. The Lexington native and Sayre High School star appeared in two games for the Cardinals last season but did not catch a pass. He was the 20th-best player in Kentucky coming out of high school.
Two players returning for 2026 are DJ Miller and Ashton Cozart. Miller hauled in 13 receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns last season. He had a huge game in the loss to Tennessee with five catches for 120 yards and two scores. Cozart didn’t see action after transferring from SMU.
Let’s wrap up the Kentucky post-portal depth chart: receivers with some incoming freshmen.
Instant Impact Players
The first big recruit for the Stein era came when Kenny Darby committed to the Cats. Hailing from Bossier City, Louisiana, Darby is the ninth-best player in Louisiana and 27th-best receiver in the country. As a senior, he had 83 receptions for 1,185 yards and eight touchdowns. In addition, he ran for another 547 yards and nine more scores. He should be a day one contributor for UK.
Denarius Gray flipped from Kentucky to Auburn. The Florida native is the 165th-best receiver in the 2026 class. Prince Jean is the 172nd-best player in the class and 125th best player in Georgia. Lastly, the Cats also have Texas receiver Davis McCray. He’s listed as the 199th best receiver in the 2026 class.
Final Thoughts
When you break it down, many of Kentucky’s top targets went elsewhere, leaving Stein and his staff hustling to fill roster spots. Much like the running back position, it’s a high-risk, high-reward proposition. If Anderson returns to his freshman form and Carr adjusts to the SEC, the Cats have two big-time playmakers. Furthermore, Darby could be a day one starter, and look for a breakout season from Miller. Put that all together, and UK is looking really good in 2026. If that doesn’t happen, then it could be another long year.
Thanks for checking out our Kentucky post-portal depth chart: receivers. In our next installment, we’ll look at the tight ends.
Main Image: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images
