Kentucky football will face numerous top-50 players this season

A highly anticipated Kentucky football season is right around the corner. Head coach Will Stein and his first team will face quite the challenge in 2026. The schedule is loaded.

UK will play 10 power conference foes in the regular season for the first time since the 2020 COVID-19 season as the SEC shifts to nine league games in 2026. The Wildcats are expected to face one of the toughest schedules in the country. That slate is difficult because of the teams on it. Those teams are challenging because of the talented players on the roster.

PFF’s top-50 has been published. Kentucky will face a dozen of those players this season.

PlayerPositionSchoolRankingAhmad HardyRB (5-10, 210)MissouriNo. 6 overallBray HubbardS (6-2, 217)AlabamaNo. 15 overallClev LubinEDGE (6-3, 260)LouisvilleNo. 17 overallCayden GreenT (6-5, 324)MissouriNo. 18 overallDylan StewartEDGE (6-5, 250)South CarolinaNo. 20 overallDavid StoneiDL (6-4, 275)OklahomaNo. 31 overallMario CraverWR (5-9, 165)Texas A&MNo. 35 overallJadan BaughRB (6-1, 228)FloridaNo. 37 overallDijon Lee Jr.CB (6-4, 204)AlabamaNo. 38 overallSam LeavittQB (6-2, 216)LSUNo. 41 overallJordan SeatonT (6-5, 307)LSU No. 42 overallTrey’Dez GreenTE (6-7, 237)LSUNo. 49 overall

There were no Kentucky players on the list this season. Sam Leavitt is the only quarterback. Alabama, LSU, and Missouri are the only teams with multiple top-50 players. Pass rushers Clev Lubin (Louisville) and Dylan Stewart (South Carolina) should challenge Kentucky’s new starting tackles. The schedule is tough because of the opposing players on the other side.

Stein does not have a preseason top-50 player on this list but he left a program with a ton of them. There were six Oregon players in this PFF ranking with quarterback Dante Moore leading the way.

Game DateOpponentVenueTV/WindowSept. 5Youngstown StateKroger Field1:00 p.m. ET (ESPN+)Sept. 12AlabamaKroger Field3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)Sept. 19Texas A&MKyle Field3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN2)Sept. 26South AlabamaKroger Field12:45 p.m. ET (SEC Network)Oct. 3South CarolinaWilliams-Brice StadiumFlex (3:30 p.m. ET or later)Oct. 10LSUKroger FieldNight (6-8 p.m. ET start)Oct. 17OklahomaGaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumFlex (3:30 p.m. ET or later)Oct. 24VanderbiltKroger FieldNight (6-8 p.m. ET start)Nov. 7TennesseeNeyland StadiumNight (6-8 p.m. ET start)Nov. 14FloridaKroger FieldNight (6-8 p.m. ET start)Nov. 21MissouriFaurot FieldNight (6-8 p.m. ET start)Nov. 28LouisvilleKroger FieldEarly (Noon-1 p.m. ET start)