SEC · Lexington, KY

Kentucky

Wildcats

Unranked2026: 4-1 (2-1 conf) Kroger Field

National titles

Last: 1950

Heisman winners

CFP berths

since 2014

All-time

553-607-37

.477 win pct

Weeks ranked

of 104 polls since 2020

Weeks at No. 1

since 2020

The program

Overview

Kentucky's most celebrated era came under Paul 'Bear' Bryant (1946-53), whose 1950 team beat top-ranked Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl; the school claims that season as a national title. Though better known nationally for basketball, the Wildcats enjoyed a sustained run of bowl appearances under Mark Stoops, who passed Bryant as the program's winningest coach.

Rivals

LouisvilleGovernor's Cup

Tennessee

Institution: University of Kentucky
Nickname: Wildcats
Founded: 1865
First season: 1881
Conference: SEC
Head coach: Will Stein (since 2026)
Fight song: On, On, U of K
Colors
X / Twitter: @UKFootball

Since 2020

AP poll history

Season	Preseason	Best	Final / latest	Weeks ranked
2026	NR	24	NR (Week 6)	1/6
2025	NR	NR	NR (Final)	0/17
2024	NR	NR	NR (Final)	0/17
2023	NR	20	NR (Final)	2/16
2022	20	7	NR (Final)	9/16
2021	NR	11	18 (Final)	8/16
2020	NR	23	NR (Final)	2/16

4-1 overall

2026 season

Latest poll →

Sep 5
YounYoungstown State13
Kentucky (home)45
Sep 12
#6Alabama45
Kentucky (home)17
Sep 19
Kentucky31
Texas A&M (home)21
Sep 26
South Alabama21
Kentucky (home)45
Oct 3
Kentucky35
South Carolina (home)34
Oct 10
#10LSU
Kentucky (home)
Oct 17· FLEX: 3:30 - 4:30pm OR 6 - 8pm ET start
Kentucky
Oklahoma (home)
Oct 24· NIGHT: 6 - 8pm ET start
Vanderbilt
Kentucky (home)
Nov 7· NIGHT: 6 - 8pm ET start
Kentucky
#15Tennessee (home)
Nov 14· NIGHT: 6 - 8pm ET start
#16Florida
Kentucky (home)
Nov 21· NIGHT: 6 - 8pm ET start
Kentucky
#14Missouri (home)
Nov 28· EARLY: Noon - 1pm ET start
Louisville
Kentucky (home)

2026 roster

Roster & stats

Passing leader

1,148 yds

#3 Kenny Minchey

Rushing leader

361 yds

#1 CJ Baxter

Receiving leader

322 yds

#19 Kenny Darby

Tackles leader

42 tkl

#5 Jordan Castell

Full roster111 players · 54 with stats

#	Player	Pos	Class	Ht / Wt	Hometown	Season stats
50	Max Anderson	OL	JR	6'5" / 311	Frisco, TX
52	Cameron Miller Jr.	OL	FR	6'5" / 341	Hammond, IN
53	Lance Heard	OL	SR	6'6" / 325	Bonita, LA
55	Aba Selm	OL	JR	6'4" / 327	Independence, KY
57	Jordan Knox	OL	SR	6'2" / 329	Rock Hill, SC
60	Mason Howard	OL	FR	6'4" / 321	Fort Thomas, KY
61	Jason Ekperuoh	OL	SO	6'6" / 354	Montreal, PQ
62	Ben Myers	OL	FR	6'4" / 286	Paducah, KY
64	Ryan Meeker	OL	FR	6'1" / 311	Wheelersburg, OH
66	Tino Merlo	OL	SR	6'2" / 278	Youngstown, OH
67	Mark Robinson	OL	JR	6'5" / 328	Altamonte Springs, FL
68	Alexander DiMartino	OL	SO	6'4" / 306	Fort Lauderdale, FL
69	Hank Timon	OL	FR	6'6" / 318	Guilford, IN
70	Rob Fogler	OL	SR	6'7" / 325	Cincinnati, OH
71	Malachi Wood	OL	SR	6'8" / 329	Richmond, KY
72	Coleton Price	OL	SR	6'3" / 308	Bowie, TX
73	Olaus Alinen	OL	SR	6'6" / 329	Pori
74	Jermiel Atkins Jr.	OL	FR	6'8" / 326	Trotwood, OH
75	Hayes Johnson	OL	JR	6'4" / 310	Campbellsville, KY
77	Tegra Tshabola	OL	SR	6'3" / 329	West Chester, OH
78	Cameron Jones	OL	SR	6'6" / 335	Weirton, WV
79	Jay Clark	OL	SO	6'4" / 318	Cleveland, OH
3	Kenny Minchey	QB	SR	6'2" / 211	Hendersonville, TN	97/142, 1,148 pass yds, 11 TD, 1 INT · 25 car, -1 rush yds, 0 TD
9	Matt Ponatoski	QB	FR	6'1" / 205	Cincinnati, OH
10	Callum Wither	QB	SR	6'4" / 217	Toronto, ON	0/1, 0 pass yds, 0 TD, 0 INT · 1 car, 3 rush yds, 0 TD
14	Brennen Ward	QB	SO	6'4" / 227	Gahanna, OH
15	Carson Cruver	QB	SR	6'3" / 203	Austin, TX
16	JacQai Long	QB	JR	6'2" / 203	Hurricane, WV
17	William Drakeford Jr.	QB	FR	6'2" / 195	Gaithersburg, MD
82	Kendall Tambling	QB	FR	6'5" / 240	Gainesville, FL
1	CJ Baxter	RB	SR	6'1" / 230	Boynton Beach, FL	68 car, 361 rush yds, 6 TD · 7 rec, 62 yds, 0 TD
2	Jovantae Barnes	RB	SR	6'0" / 211	Las Vegas, NV	20 car, 126 rush yds, 1 TD · 1 rec, 4 yds, 0 TD
21	Tovani Mizell	RB	JR	6'0" / 213	Fort Lauderdale, FL
22	Delvecchio Alston II	RB	FR	6'0" / 210	Trussville, AL
26	Jason Patterson	RB	JR	5'10" / 204	Sneads, FL	45 car, 355 rush yds, 3 TD · 2 rec, 18 yds, 0 TD
28	Ahmir Smith	RB	JR	5'10" / 200	Santee, SC	3 car, 12 rush yds, 0 TD
29	Jordan Colbert	RB	JR	6'2" / 215	Merced, CA	2 car, 14 rush yds, 0 TD
34	Isaiah Jackson	RB	FR	5'10" / 185	Richmond, KY
8	Mikkel Skinner	TE	SO	6'4" / 234	Greer, SC	3 car, 17 rush yds, 0 TD · 7 rec, 91 yds, 1 TD
11	Lincoln Watkins	TE	FR	6'4" / 234	Port Huron, MI
44	Justin Kattus	TE	JR	6'1" / 216	Cincinnati, OH
81	Willie Rodriguez	TE	JR	6'4" / 249	Taylor Mill, KY	2 car, 5 rush yds, 0 TD · 22 rec, 194 yds, 1 TD
85	Elijah Brown	TE	SR	6'6" / 263	Dayton, OH
87	Henry Boyer	TE	SR	6'6" / 270	Chicago, IL	1 car, 2 rush yds, 0 TD · 8 rec, 116 yds, 3 TD
4	Nic Anderson	WR	SR	6'4" / 208	Katy, TX	9 rec, 120 yds, 1 TD
5	Ja'Kayden Ferguson	WR	SO	6'2" / 184	Houston, TX	3 rec, 19 yds, 0 TD
6	Shane Carr	WR	SR	6'2" / 185	Bakersfield, CA	3 rec, 26 yds, 1 TD
7	DJ Miller	WR	SO	6'3" / 208	St. Louis, MO	5 rec, 96 yds, 0 TD
12	Brock Coffman	WR	SO	6'0" / 181	Lexington, KY	3 rec, 53 yds, 0 TD
13	Denairius Gray	WR	FR	6'2" / 181	Boynton Beach, FL
18	Xavier Daisy	WR	JR	6'3" / 212	Norcross, GA
19	Kenny Darby	WR	FR	6'1" / 180	Bossier City, LA	1 car, 9 rush yds, 0 TD · 25 rec, 322 yds, 3 TD
33	Rico Crowder	WR	JR	6'4" / 201	Glasgow, KY
37	Spencer Leadbetter	WR	SR	6'3" / 198	Glenview, IL
39	Saxton Howard	WR	SO	6'0" / 177	Lexington, KY
80	Ashton Cozart	WR	SR	6'3" / 202	Flower Mound, TX
83	Prince Jean	WR	FR	6'1" / 187	Valdosta, GA	2 rec, 27 yds, 1 TD
84	Davis McCray	WR	FR	6'2" / 196	San Antonio, TX
89	Cash Harney	WR	FR	5'9" / 177	Covington, KY
0	Martels Carter Jr.	DB	SO	6'0" / 205	Chattanooga, TN	5 car, 37 rush yds, 0 TD
1	Andre Clarke Jr.	DB	FR	6'1" / 176	Richmond, VA
3	Aaron Gates	DB	SR	6'0" / 199	Newnan, GA	7 tkl, 1 TFL
5	Jordan Castell	DB	SR	6'2" / 211	Orlando, FL	42 tkl, 2 TFL · 2 INT
10	Dyllon Williams	DB	SO	6'2" / 191	Demopolis, AL	2 tkl
11	Braxton Urquhart	DB	SR	6'3" / 200	Birmingham, AL
12	Hasaan Sykes	DB	JR	6'0" / 192	Tucker, GA	18 tkl, 1 TFL
13	Cyrus Reyes	DB	JR	6'1" / 192	Katy, TX	9 tkl
14	Ty Bryant	DB	SR	6'0" / 196	Lexington, KY	38 tkl, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sk
16	Jesse Anderson III	DB	SR	6'0" / 185	Fort Lauderdale, FL
18	Mark Manfred III	DB	SO	6'2" / 171	Marietta, GA
19	Kevis Thomas	DB	SR	6'0" / 181	Perry, FL	1 tkl
20	Terhyon Nichols	DB	JR	5'11" / 194	Cincinnati, OH	13 tkl, 0.5 TFL
21	Nasir Addison	DB	SR	6'0" / 204	Irvington, NJ	2 tkl
24	Jaden Smith	DB	SO	6'3" / 205	Charlotte, NC	7 tkl, 1 TFL
26	Andrew Purcell	DB	SO	5'10" / 201	Enterprise, AL
27	Isaiah McMillian	DB	FR	6'1" / 176	Katy, TX	13 tkl, 1 TFL
28	Demarcus Gardner	DB	SO	6'0" / 177	Cedartown, GA	3 tkl
30	Grant Grayton	DB	SO	6'3" / 194	Laurel, MD	6 tkl
36	Andrew Weber	DB	JR	6'0" / 179	Cincinnati, OH
38	Tyler Wright	DB	FR	5'11" / 178	Bixby, OK
92	Ben Duncum	DE	FR	6'5" / 224	Austin, TX	1 tkl
97	Tyler Thomas	DE	SR	6'5" / 260	Mobile, AL	3 tkl
7	Jamarrion Harkless	DL	SR	6'3" / 346	Lexington, KY	1 tkl, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sk
23	Brian Robinson	DL	JR	6'5" / 257	Youngstown, OH	1 tkl, 1 TFL, 1 sk
90	Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace	DL	SR	6'4" / 271	Cincinnati, OH	14 tkl, 3 TFL, 2.5 sk · 1 INT
91	Jaden Williams	DL	SR	6'4" / 290	Inglewood, CA	9 tkl, 1 TFL
93	Kalen Edwards	DL	SO	6'4" / 335	Dyersburg, TN	3 tkl, 0.5 TFL
94	Tavion Gadson	DL	SR	6'5" / 303	Savannah, GA	14 tkl, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sk
6	Ahmad Breaux	DT	JR	6'3" / 278	Ruston, LA	6 tkl, 1 TFL, 1 sk
96	Dominic Wiseman	DT	SR	6'2" / 298	Davenport, IA	2 tkl
0	Elijah Barnes	LB	SO	6'1" / 242	Dallas, TX	25 tkl
2	Sam Greene	LB	SR	6'2" / 251	Washington, DC	17 tkl, 0.5 TFL · 1 INT
3	Alex Afari Jr.	LB	SR	6'2" / 227	Cincinnati, OH	11 tkl
4	Antwan Smith	LB	JR	6'3" / 226	Atlanta, GA	4 tkl · 1 INT
8	Lorenzo Cowan	LB	JR	6'3" / 250	Savannah, GA	8 tkl, 1 TFL
15	Cedric Works	LB	SO	6'5" / 247	Dayton, OH	7 tkl
17	Justyn Hartley	LB	FR	6'1" / 192	Hoover, AL
22	Grant Godfrey	LB	SR	6'3" / 240	Suwanee, GA	42 tkl, 3 TFL, 2 sk · 1 INT
25	Tavion Wallace	LB	SO	6'1" / 241	Jesup, GA	6 tkl
31	Quintavion Norman	LB	JR	6'3" / 223	Covington, GA
32	Devin Smith	LB	JR	6'0" / 231	Brunswick, GA	1 tkl, 1 TFL, 1 sk
53	Ben Reeves	LB	JR	6'2" / 242	Edgewood, KY
33	Sam Brown III	S	FR	5'11" / 172	San Clemente, CA
40	Cole Marszalek	LS	SR	5'11" / 197	Goodyear, AZ
59	Jack Wheeler	LS	FR	6'4" / 248	Charlotte, NC
97	Spencer Radnoti	LS	JR	6'3" / 237	Canton, GA
48	Thomas O'Hara	P	SR	6'1" / 201	Melbourne, VIC
93	Wilson Berry	P	SR	6'4" / 206	Melbourne, VIC
35	Matthew Obermeier	PK	FR	5'11" / 160	Carmel, IN
88	Adam Zouagui	PK	SR	5'11" / 191	Reston, VA	6/7 FG
91	Jacob Kauwe	PK	JR	6'1" / 216	Billings, MT	0/1 FG

Home field

Kroger Field

Capacity

61,000

Lexington, KY

Opened: 1973; 53 seasons ago
Surface: Artificial turf
Roof: Open air
Elevation: 1,009 ft
Time zone: New York
Avg. home crowd: 53,418; 88% of capacity · 42 games since 2020
Biggest crowd since 2020: 62,120; vs Vanderbilt, 2024
Zip: 40506
Map: 38.022, -84.505

Titles & awards

Trophy case

National championships1

1950

Heisman Trophy winners0

No Heisman winners yet.

College Football Playoff0

No playoff appearances yet.

1895–2026

Program history

Win %★ National title season

Best seasons

195011-1Bear Bryant★
197710-1Fran Curci
201810-3Mark Stoops
202110-3Mark Stoops
19499-3Bear Bryant
19849-3Jerry Claiborne

On the sideline

Head coaches

Coach	Tenure	Record	Pct	Best final AP
Will Stein	2026	0-0	—	—
Mark Stoops	2013–2025	82-80	.506	#18
Joker Phillips	2010–2012	13-24	.351	—
Rich Brooks	2003–2009	39-47	.453	—
Guy Morriss	2001–2002	9-14	.391	—
Hal Mumme	1997–2000	20-26	.435	—
Bill Curry	1990–1996	26-52	.333	—
Jerry Claiborne	1982–1989	41-46-3	.472	#19
Fran Curci	1973–1981	46-52-2	.470	#6
John Ray	1969–1972	10-33	.233	—
Charley Bradshaw	1962–1968	25-41-4	.386	—
Blanton Collier	1954–1961	41-36-3	.531	—
Bear Bryant	1946–1953	60-23-5	.710	#7
Bernie Shively	1945	2-8	.200	—
A.D. Kirwan	1944	3-6	.333	—
A.D. Kirwan	1938–1942	21-22-4	.489	—
C.A. Wynne	1934–1937	20-19	.513	—
Harry Gamage	1927–1933	32-25-5	.556	—
Fred Murphy	1924–1926	12-14-1	.463	—
J.J. Winn	1923	4-3-2	.556	—
William Juneau	1920–1922	13-10-2	.560	—
Andrew Gill	1918–1919	5-5-1	.500	—
Daddy Boles	1917	3-5-1	.389	—
J.J. Tigert	1915–1916	10-2-3	.767	—

25 picks · 2 first-rounders

NFL Draft since 2020

20264 picks

#113Jalen FarmerOffensive Guard · Indianapolis
#153Jager BurtonCenter · Green Bay
#168Kendrick LawWide Receiver · Detroit
#237Seth McGowanRunning Back · Indianapolis

20252 picks

#30Maxwell HairstonCornerback · Buffalo
#109Deone WalkerDefensive Tackle · Buffalo

20244 picks

#70Andru PhillipsCornerback · New York
#72Trevin WallaceLinebacker · Carolina
#128Ray DavisRunning Back · Buffalo
#218Devin LearyQuarterback · Baltimore

20233 picks

#33Will LevisQuarterback · Tennessee
#193Chris Rodriguez Jr.Running Back · Washington
#232Carrington ValentineCornerback · Green Bay

20224 picks

#43Wan'Dale RobinsonWide Receiver · New York
#46Josh PaschalDefensive End · Detroit
#65Luke FortnerCenter · Jacksonville
#145Darian KinnardOffensive Guard · Kansas City

20216 picks

#19Jamin DavisInside Linebacker · Washington
#44Kelvin JosephCornerback · Dallas
#192Quinton BohannaDefensive Tackle · Dallas
#200Brandin EcholsCornerback · New York
#206Landon YoungOffensive Tackle · New Orleans
#232Phil HoskinsDefensive Tackle · Carolina

20202 picks

#80Lynn Bowden Jr.Wide Receiver · Las Vegas
#121Logan StenbergOffensive Guard · Detroit