Kentucky feels good about linebackers, but adding Alex Afari Jr. would be major boost

Alex Afari Jr. has rejoined the Kentucky football program. He’s able to participate in practice, but his status for Week 1 against Youngstown State remains up in the air. The Cincinnati (OH) Lakota West product is one of the many 2022 high school recruits looking to gain a fifth year of eligibility. A multi-year starter at linebacker for Kentucky (2022-25), Afari went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft. He signed a mini-camp deal with the Green Bay Packers soon after, but did not make the training camp cut in July. With the new court rulings out of Colorado, he’s eligible to play another college season — for now, at least. A final ruling could come next week. The Wildcats’ coaching staff went the entire winter, spring, and most of the summer without Afari in the fold. The linebacker room already had plenty of talent without the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder, which the coaches have felt comfortable with to this point, but there was room for another impact piece. Adding a veteran with 31 college starts and nearly 200 career tackles who knows the program is about as perfect as it can get. New defensive coordinator Jay Bateman was eager to throw praise Afari’s way when asked about him following Saturday’s scrimmage, adding that he’s hopeful Afari can officially be cleared to join the roster. “He’s a talented kid. I really like him,” Bateman said of Afari. “I got the chance to meet him a little bit when I first got here. I remembered him out of high school. He’s kind of a unique player out of high school — you weren’t really sure what he was going to become. I knew he’d become a good player. I honestly thought he’d get drafted. “I don’t know many D coordinators that would be disappointed if a guy like that was able to come. I’m fired up about him, hope it happens, but feel good about the linebackers either way.” A former four-star recruit, Afari made multiple position changes while at Kentucky, settling in at a hybrid Sam/Nickel position before making the move to linebacker in 2024. That allowed him to have his best season as a senior in 2025: 61 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries, 2.5 sacks, and a pass breakup. Afari isn’t someone who should need extended time to catch himself up to speed with a new coaching staff. He’s a four-year letter winner at UK with 48 games played. While it’s true he hasn’t been with the program during an important offseason stretch, it’s not like he hasn’t been keeping himself ready to go in case an NFL opportunity (or this surprise return to college) emerged. “I think he’s in fairly good shape,” Head coach Will Stein said of Afari on Saturday. “He was a Division I athlete not too long ago. He was in an NFL rookie camp. So he’s had to stay in shape. I think since all these findings have been coming out, he’s obviously been excited. I’m sure he’s been working even harder to get himself ready for practice.” All that being said, there will still be a learning curve for Afari. He’ll have to adapt to Bateman’s scheme. But if all goes well there in the coming weeks, and he ends up being officially cleared, Kentucky’s defense just received a huge boost. Take advantage of our KSR+ FALL CAMP SALE to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including game threads, in-depth scouting reports, and recruiting and roster intel. Annual memberships are 75% for a limited time — that’s ONLY $30 for your first year of scoop!