Hello friends, and a Happy Sunday night to you. Today is the final day of Christmas break. It couldn\u2019t come any sooner. My children will be out of the house just as the transfer portal shifts into another gear of portaling. <\/p>\n
Today was a reminder that the transfer portal comes in waves. There may be a peaceful lull that creates some anxiety, but if you\u2019re patient, a wave is right around the corner, then another, then another. That is exactly what happened on Sunday evening. <\/p>\n
Big Blue Nation was getting a little restless. Commitments seemed to fly off the shelves elsewhere. Then at 5 PM ET, a switch was flipped. <\/p>\n
Two Surprising Transfer Portal Steals from the Big Ten<\/p>\n
Antonio O\u2019Berry<\/a> was the first off the board. The Gardner-Webb EDGE is a Dayton native who\u2019s been wreaking all kinds of havoc in the FCS ranks, tallying 39 pressures last season. Even though he comes from the FCS ranks, he was coveted by all sorts of big names, namely Ohio State, a school he visited before making the trip to Lexington. <\/p>\n It may not have as much pop from a name standpoint, but there was an even more surprising transfer portal commitment three hours later. After completing his visit to Kentucky, multiple 247 insiders put in Crystal Ball predictions for Hasaan Sykes<\/a> to Illinois. That did not deter the Cats. A couple of new Kentucky coaches took to Twitter with cryptic messages<\/a>, then Sykes pulled a \u201cSIKE!\u201d and committed to the Cats. The lengthy Western Carolina corner has two years of eligibility remaining. <\/p>\n Kentucky Adds a Big Body from the Bayou<\/p>\n Ahead of the transfer portal season, we had a hunch that some of Kentucky\u2019s new coaches would use their connections from prior schools to pull players to Lexington. Joe Sloan<\/a> was LSU\u2019s offensive coordinator, but the first former Tiger to join him at Kentucky was a defensive lineman. <\/p>\n With a name like Ahmad Breaux<\/a>, the Ruston, Louisiana native was destined to suit up for the Tigers. It\u2019s rare for a true freshman to play on the defensive line in the SEC, especially at a place like LSU. He did just that, earning Freshman Defensive Player of the Year honors from the team. He rotated on the line a year ago and is bringing some explosiveness to the interior of Kentucky\u2019s defensive line. <\/p>\n The Latest in the Sam Leavitt Saga<\/p>\n Sometimes the waves in the transfer portal are so turbulent, it feels more like a rocky wooden roller coaster. That\u2019s what Big Blue Nation experienced today. <\/p>\n On Sunday afternoon, we learned that Sam Leavitt<\/a> did not make his expected visit to Texas Tech. The Red Raiders\u2019 Landman has deep enough pockets to pull Leavitt away from Lexington, but the top-ranked quarterback in the portal never made it there. Why? Because they were getting their top guy, Brendan Sorsby<\/a>. <\/p>\n For a fleeting moment, it felt like the stars were aligning for Kentucky. There was just one problem. Sorsby spurned LSU to ultimately sign with Texas Tech. LSU is still in the market, and they swooped in to schedule a visit with Leavitt for Tuesday. <\/p>\n Now, Kentucky is facing another foe in this recruiting battle with deep pockets. This one has an exceptional play-caller and the allure of Tiger Stadium. Will Stein<\/a> and Joe Sloan<\/a> have their work cut out for them in this high-stakes affair. <\/p>\n Another Potential Suitor for CJ Baxter<\/p>\n CJ Baxter<\/a> was the top-ranked running back in the country and played like it as a true freshman at Texas. After two injury-riddled seasons, he hit the transfer portal and took his first visit to Kentucky. The Cats are in a good spot, but they now have somebody else to deal with. Baxter will be visiting Colorado later this wrinkle, adding a new wrinkle to the equation. <\/p>\n Transfer Portal Targets Commit Elsewhere<\/p>\n Marquis Johnson<\/a> \u2014 The Missouri wide receiver never made it to Lexington, committing to Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n Ian Geffrard<\/a> \u2014 Kentucky was one of the first schools mentioned for the Arkansas defensive lineman. Auburn and SMU were also in the mix when he committed to Texas. <\/p>\n Anthony Hawkins<\/a> \u2014 The safety was an FCS Freshman All-American for Villanova. He had a visit to Kentucky planned for Sunday, but ultimately committed to Iowa.<\/p>\n A Common Theme<\/p>\n Offensive tackles are paid a premium in the transfer portal. Along with quarterbacks and pass rushers, they are the most valued free agents on the market. It\u2019s not just the nature of the position that makes them so valuable. The best offensive tackles stay put, creating a low supply for a high-demand position. <\/p>\n Kentucky is in desperate need of offensive tackles from the transfer portal and they are not alone. The Wildcats have cast a wide net to find players who can help rebuild the Big Blue Wall. They are in the mix for two former LSU offensive tackles (Tyree Adams<\/a>, Ory Williams<\/a>), two former Alabama offensive tackles (Wilkin Formby<\/a>, Olaus Alinen<\/a>), and a former Auburn offensive tackle (Xavier Chaplin<\/a>). <\/p>\n In almost every one of those recruitments, there is a common denominator. Texas A&M and LSU are competing with Kentucky. It\u2019s early in the transfer portal process, but once one domino falls to one school, others will likely fall elsewhere. It\u2019s something to monitor as you keep your head on a swivel throughout this eventful free agency period.<\/p>\n Two More Kentucky Departures<\/p>\n We\u2019re so laser-focused on transfer portal additions that sometimes we can forget there are still players leaving the program. Nobody was surprised to learn that running back Jamarion Wilcox<\/a> plans to go portaling. It was unwelcome news to learn that Cam Dooley<\/a> is leaving Kentucky after two seasons. He was a rotational player who logged a ton of snaps before starting in the final three games, and now he may be following the old staff to Florida. Speaking of Florida safeties\u2026<\/p>\n Big-Time Visitor in Lexington on Monday<\/p>\n Jordan Castell<\/a> earned a starting spot in the Florida secondary in his second-ever college football game. Kentucky defensive coordinator Jay Bateman<\/a> was working in Gainesville when Castell started his streak of 34 consecutive starts. Now, Castell is preparing to arrive in Lexington on Monday after a visit to Ole Miss. Adding this experienced playmaker to line up alongside Ty Bryant<\/a> is just what the doctor ordered. <\/p>\n Who Could Be Next to Join Kentucky? <\/p>\n The Wildcats are up to four transfer portal additions, and there are more to come. We\u2019re keeping a close eye on Baylor IOL Coleton Price<\/a>, Texas A&M CB Cobey Sellers<\/a>, and Auburn LB Robert Woodyard Jr.<\/a>. We\u2019ll have more when I join Jacob Polacheck for a new Here Comes the Boom tomorrow afternoon. Until then, enjoy a Sunday night edition of 11 Personnel. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hello friends, and a Happy Sunday night to you. Today is the final day of Christmas break. 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