Kentucky Transfer Portal Target Jaylon Stone Commits to SEC Foe

The transfer portal was kind to Kentucky early in the spring window. As one day passes to the next, it’s going to get harder and harder for Mark Stoops’ program to lock up players. Jaylon Stone made that abundantly clear on Tuesday night.

The defensive lineman from Southeast Missouri State planned to make an official visit to Lexington this upcoming weekend. That visit isn’t happening. On Tuesday night, Stone committed to Vanderbilt.

Just a few days ago, Stone told Jacob Polacheck that he was visiting Oklahoma today, followed by a trip to Kentucky, then Illinois. Vanderbilt wasn’t even a part of the equation. Plans change quickly in the portal.

“Really, [I want to commit] in these next couple of weeks,” he said. “I’ll try to fit all the schools I can in these next three weeks. Then, it’ll be decision time.”

Plans change when money is changing hands.

Stone was a fine player at SEMO. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound redshirt freshman posted 35 tackles, 6 TFLs, and 2 sacks in 2024. Would he have been a solid addition to the Kentucky defensive line? Sure. But you can only prioritize so many players during this brief free agency period.

Kentucky desperately needed a running back who could play right away. They targeted Seth McGowan early and made it happen. They added depth at wide receiver and edge. Whatever they get now is gravy. As free agency nears a close, the supply of players is getting smaller. That means programs must spend stupid amounts of money to get players who aren’t worth it.

Kentucky is still in contention for TE Keayen Nead, who would be a nice depth piece at the position. Keelan Marion is going to command a high-dollar amount. Even if they do get the former BYU wide receiver on campus, will it be worth the price of admission?

The spring transfer portal window remains open through Friday. We may see a few more names emerge, but the more programs that are in the mix for potential portal prospects, the more challenging it will be for the Cats to close.

2025 Transfer Portal Class

PlayerPositionFormer SchoolYearSam GreeneEDGE (6-2, 248)USCRedshirt SophomoreLandyn WatsonLB (6-1, 245)TCU/MarshallRedshirt SeniorJoshua BrauniOL (6-6, 342)Florida/ArkansasSuper SeniorAlex WollschlaegerT (6-7, 310)Bowling GreenSuper SeniorJ.J. HesterWR (6-5, 201)Missouri/OklahomaSuper SeniorZach CalzadaQB (6-4, 230)Texas A&M/Auburn/Incarnate WordSuper SeniorHenry BoyerTE (6-6, 265)IllinoisRedshirt JuniorKendrick LawWR (6-0, 203)AlabamaSeniorDante DowdellRB (6-2, 227)Oregon/NebraskaJuniorJaden WilliamsiDL (6-4, 291)WyomingRedshirt JuniorKevis ThomasCB (6-0, 181)MarylandJuniorEvan WibberleyiOL (6-5, 301)WKURedshirt JuniorKam OldsEDGE (6-4, 252)Buffalo/Kent StateSeniorDavid GustaiDL (6-3, 316)Washington StateRedshirt SeniorTroy StellatoWR (6-1, 178)ClemsonRedshirt SeniorMi’Quise Humphrey-GraceDL (6-4, 265)South DakotaRedshirt JuniorTru EdwardsWR (6-2, 200)Hawaii/Louisiana TechSuper SeniorShiyazh PeteT (6-8, 321)New Mexico StateRedshirt SeniorHardley Gilmore IVWR (6-1, 165)NebraskaSophomoreLorenzo CowanEDGE (6-3, 247)USCRedshirt FreshmanSeth McGowanRB (5-11.5, 215)New Mexico State/OklahomaSenior

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