Kentucky football roster watch: Dekel Crowdus, others, enter transfer portal

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The NCAA transfer portal officially opens Monday. But that didn't stop a handful of Kentucky football players from already announcing their intentions to leave the program before the team's bowl destination and opponent (the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl versus Clemson on Dec. 29) were even revealed.

Four Wildcats on Nov. 28 posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, they were planning to put their names into the transfer portal: offensive lineman Grant Bingham, wide receiver Dekel Crowdus, defensive lineman Jamarius Dinkins and defensive back Jalen Geiger.

Later in the week, three more UK players joined the outgoing transfer group: tight end Izayah Cummings, linebacker Luke Fulton and running back JuTahn McClain.

Another Wildcat, running back Ray Davis, declared for the NFL draft Nov. 27. Davis also said he would not participate in Kentucky's bowl game, becoming the first Wildcat to opt out of the postseason contest. Two days later, offensive lineman Kenneth Horsey announced he'd also opt out of the bowl to begin preparing for the draft. Defensive back Andru Phillips joined that group Thursday, announcing he wouldn't be around for the bowl as he looks ahead to a professional career.

Players weren't the only members of the program departing prior to the bowl, though: Kentucky parted ways with wide receivers coach Scott Woodward, who had served in the role for three seasons.

Even with 10 players moving on, UK received good news last week as two-fifths of its offensive line stated they would be back for the 2024 campaign: Eli Cox and Marques Cox. (They are not related.)

Keep this page bookmarked throughout the offseason to see who Kentucky and coach Mark Stoops add and lose to the transfer portal as well as the NFL. The winter transfer portal closes Jan. 2. There will also be a spring transfer period from April 15 to 30.

Kentucky football players entering the transfer portal

Grant Bingham (OL)

A consensus four-star prospect in the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports Composite, Bingham was one of the state's best players as a senior. Per 247Sports, he was the No. 2 prospect, regardless of position, in the state of Kentucky in the 2022 cycle. But after enrolling early — he joined the program in January 2022 — Bingham found playing time tough to come by. After redshirting during the 2022 campaign, his only two appearances as a Wildcat came in the first two games this season (Ball State and Eastern Kentucky). During Stoops' final radio show of the season, he revealed Bingham had battled an injury all fall. Bingham will have three seasons of eligibility remaining at his next school.

Dekel Crowdus (WR)

It was a frustrating three-season stint with the Wildcats for Crowdus, a Lexington native who starred at local powerhouse Frederick Douglass. He played in 20 games the past two seasons after redshirting during his freshman campaign in 2021. In those 20 appearances, Crowdus had four receptions for 82 yards, all coming in 2022. He didn't record a single stat in 10 games this fall. Crowdus was a four-star prospect in the 2021 cycle, per the 247Sports Composite, ranked as the No. 4 player in Kentucky that year.

Izayah Cummings (TE)

A star at Male High, where he was named the Class 6A Player of the Year by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association in 2019, Cummings arrived at UK as a wide receiver but later shifted to tight end. He played in 47 games over the past four seasons, catching 18 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns. Cummings had a strong finish this fall, with all of his receptions (four) and receiving yards (98) occurring in UK's final two regular-season contests, at South Carolina and Louisville, respectively.

Jamarius Dinkins (DL)

Dinkins saw more playing time each year — three appearances in 2021, nine in 2022 and 11 this fall. But it wasn't enough to convince him to stay another season. He leaves Kentucky with 19 tackles (2.5 for loss) and a sack in 23 career games. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Dinkins was a three-star prospect in the 2021 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Luke Fulton (LB)

Much was expected from Fulton coming out of Cardinal Mooney High of Stoops' hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. Per the 247Sports Composite, Fulton was a four-star prospect and the No. 15 overall player in Ohio in the 2019 cycle. He started his college career at Michigan State, where he played in just one game over two seasons (2019 and 2020). Fulton joined Kentucky as a transfer, but extensive playing time was as scarce as it had been in East Lansing — he appeared in 16 games over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, all on special teams. This season, he played in two games as a backup linebacker. Fulton leaves Kentucky having tallied two tackles, both coming against Akron this year.

Jalen Geiger (DB)

A South Carolina native, Geiger dealt with multiple injuries during his five seasons in Lexington, particularly the past two. He entered the 2022 campaign as a starting safety, but suffered a season-ending injury in the Wildcats' second game. Though he was healthy at the beginning of this season, he was no longer a starter, usurped by third-year sophomore Jordan Lovett. Geiger, a graduate transfer with one season of eligibility remaining, played in 35 games (four starts) for the Wildcats, recording 38 tackles (1.0 for loss) and three passes defended. He notched a pair of defensive touchdowns at UK: He had a pick-six versus Vanderbilt in 2021 and returned a fumble for a score in this year's opener against Ball State.

JuTahn McClain (RB)

McClain appeared in 41 games across the past four season at Kentucky, making one start. But after spending the 2023 season No. 2 on the running back depth chart (behind the record-setting Ray Davis), McClain entered the transfer portal. McClain might have played a more prominently role in the UK offense in its final three games, but he suffered a neck injury Nov. 4 during a controversial sideline skirmish with Mississippi State offensive lineman Kameron Jones. McClain, who will have two years of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer, ran for 643 yards and a touchdown on 135 carries and added 27 receptions for 158 yards and two scores during his career as a Wildcat.

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football roster updates: Dekel Crowdus enters transfer portal