Kentucky’s fall camp is right around the corner. Before the Cats officially begin the 2026 season, KSR is taking a closer look at the roster and analyzing each position group. Personnel, storylines, questions, and one bold prediction will be included.
Linebacker is up next where Kentucky is very unproven entering the 2026 campaign.
Position Preview: Running Back
Position Preview: Wide Receiver
Position Preview: Offensive Line
Position Preview: Defensive Line
Expected Starters
Grant Godfrey (6-3, 240, 4th)
The Greater Atlanta native was a significant recruiting win for Kentucky in the 2022 high school cycle. There were many Jamin Davis comps for Godfrey during the recruiting process. The former four-star recruit carved out a role in year three. Godfrey recorded 34 tackles, two tackles for loss, and played 253 snaps. The linebacker only missed one tackle, per PFF data, and simply looked the part in his first extended playing time.
Godfrey is being asked to fill a big position at linebacker for the new staff. Expectations are high for the returnee.
Bo Barnes (6-1, 242, 2nd)
A former top-100 recruit from Dallas, Barnes spent one season at Texas as a backup before entering the transfer portal following defensive staff changes. The transfer is a true Mike linebacker. Barnes can be a thumper in the middle of Jay Bateman’s defense but also owns the speed (10.96 in 100 meters as high school junior) and athleticism to make plays in pursuit.
Barnes’ commitment at Rupp Arena created a ton of buzz in January. The SEC transfer was a plug-and-play addition who will need to play a lot of snaps for Kentucky this fall.
Kentucky’s Linebacker Room
Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman coached linebackers at Florida and Texas A&M but will be shifting into more of a CEO role at Kentucky. That means a specific linebackers coach was needed. Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth defensive coordinator Dillon Sanders was hired by Will Stein in July after former former Indiana defensive coordinator Chad Wilt left the program. Sanders was a graduate assistant and analyst at UK from 2016-18 and earned defensive coordinator experience at Murray State.
The Northern Colorado alum inherited room without much experience. This group has a lot to prove in 2026.
Quintavion Norman (6-3, 223, 3rd)
A late addition to the 2024 signing class, Norman has appeared in only three games through two seasons. The Covington (Ga.) Newton is competing for a rotational spot.
Antwan Smith (6-3, 226, 3rd)
A former three-star recruit out of Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake, Smith brings great speed to the table. This class of 2024 recruit is undersized but has played over 100 career snaps through his first two seasons on campus.
Smith was LB3 leaving spring practice. The coaching staff has talked highly of the linebacker and believes he’s ready to help this defense in 2026.
Devin Smith (6-0, 231, 3rd)
Kentucky beat out LSU for the Brunswick (Ga.) High off-ball linebacker. Smith dealt with injuries and redshirted his first season on campus. Those injuries did not go away in 2025. The three-star recruit was a highly productive player (28 total tackles for loss as junior/senior) in high school.
Injuries have derailed Smith’s college career to this point. Can he stay healthy and join the playing rotation this fall?
Tavion Wallace (6-1, 241, 2nd)
The younger brother of former Kentucky stalwart Trevin Wallace spent one season at Arkansas and played mostly on special teams before entering the transfer portal. The younger Wallace was also a blue-chip recruit in South Georgia who owns similar physical traits to his older brother. The free agent addition has great speed and good positional size. Wallace owns one of the highest ceilings on the team.
Wallace is a high upside prospect who still needs development but the physical traits are rare. Expect to see him in the rotation this fall.
Justyn Hartley (6-1, 192, 1st)
The Hoover (Ala.) High EDGE prospect recorded 75 tackles and 11 tackles for loss as a senior. This undersized linebacker prospect owns long arms, quick burst, and showed some twitch during his senior campaign.
Hartley was a fairly unknown prospect before his Kentucky commitment. The three-star recruit did not arrive on campus until the summer and will transition into the box after playing on the edge in high school.
Luckett’s Scouting Notebook: What Kentucky added to the roster in the 2026 high school class
Big Question: Will Kentucky add to this position room?
The entire sport is currently in holding pattern regarding the 5-for-5 injunction that could make all class of 2022 signees eligible for the 2026 college football season. Kentucky should have some room to play-add on to the roster. Will they use this new free agency pool to address linebacker?
Alex Afari Jr. is a former four-star prospect in that 2022 cycle who spent four years at Kentucky. The West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West prospect would seemingly be eligible if things move forward since he only attended minicamp with the Green Bay Packers. The veteran earned 42 starts during his time in the Commonwealth with with nearly 1,800 snaps played with 193 tackles and 26.5 tackles for loss. Afari could address the lack of experience for this group in a big way.
Kentucky is very young at linebacker. There is a lot of faith in Grant Godfrey but he must take the next step after finally receiving extended playing time in year three. Some other young players need to emerge. An unexpected August addition could raise the floor of this position room.
Inside Kentucky Football: Where 2026 roster sits after Hardley Gilmore’s departure
Top Storyline: The impact of the transfer additions
Kentucky entered the winter transfer portal window in January knowing that a plug-and-play starter and at least one more addition at linebacker was needed. Instead of bringing in a veteran with experience, the Cats went with youth and upside.
Bo Barnes and Tavion Wallace were both blue-chip recruits in the 2025 high school cycle who didn’t really see the field on defense in the regular season last year in the SEC. Instead of rolling the dice on a lower level linebacker, UK is betting on physical traits. That bet could determine the ceiling and floor of this position group this fall.
The Cats need Barnes to become a productive starters and for Wallace to be a rotational player that can be counted on. Much is riding on these transfer additions with multiple years of eligibility remaining.
Bold Prediction: Grant Godfrey leads team in tackles
Grant Godfrey has only played 301 defensive snaps through his first three seasons on campus. The veteran has only started two games and was pulled from the starting lineup when Alex Afari Jr. returned against Louisville after a multi-game absence. This fourth-year player still has a lot to prove.
He will prove it this fall.
Godfrey will lead Kentucky in tackles and will be a player that Jay Bateman will not want to take off the field this year. The linebacker’s tape against Florida and Vanderbilt was impressive. Godfrey showed range, strong tackling skills, and appeared comfortable in coverage. His physical traits flashed at Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett started to come together.
This linebacker becomes a draftable prospect in 2026.