LEAD STORY: One Court Ruling, and Kentucky Is Suddenly Shopping Again
A Colorado judge ruled Friday that every player from the 2022 signing class is eligible for a fifth season, and the aftershocks reached Lexington before the weekend even started. Per CBS Sports, college football general managers spent the day scrambling to rebuild boards that were finalized weeks ago. Kentucky may be the first SEC school to cash in.
Alex Afari Jr. is exploring a return to college football, his brother told On3's Pete Nakos, with a return to Kentucky on the table. That is not a typo: Afari participated in Green Bay Packers minicamp this offseason. He piled up 123 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss and four sacks over the past two seasons, clearing 60 combined stops in each. Kentucky's linebacker room is not empty — Bo Barnes and Tavion Wallace arrived as second-year additions, Antwan Smith, Quintavion Norman and Devin Smith are all third-year players, and Grant Godfrey enters his fourth season — but none of them has produced at Afari's level in the SEC.
The basketball side moved just as fast. Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler plans to explore a fifth season and is drawing interest from Kentucky, Kansas and BYU, with a Spartans return still live, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Kohler averaged 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds last season while remaking his shot profile — up from 1.4 three-point attempts per game as a junior to 4.3 per game at 38.9 percent. Kentucky fans have seen the upside firsthand: Kohler dropped 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, 2-for-2 from deep, with five rebounds, two assists and a block in Michigan State's 83-66 win over the Wildcats in the State Farm Champions Classic. With a scholarship still open in Lexington, a stretch big who rebounds at that rate is an obvious fit.
QUICK HITS
SEC and Big Ten back the Protect College Sports Act. School presidents and chancellors from both leagues voted Friday evening to support the bill, which would cap athlete compensation and limit conference expansion. "The Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference support the Protect College Sports Act as currently drafted, following detailed and productive negotiations with Senators Cruz, Cantwell and Schmitt and their respective staffs," the leagues said in a joint statement.
Texas A&M's receiver room may be its best in years. KC Concepcion (64 catches, 919 yards, 9 TDs) is off to Cleveland as a first-round pick, but Mario Craver returns after 59 catches for 917 yards and four scores, and Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton gives the Aggies the 6-foot-4, 215-pound physical target they lacked. Ashton Bethel-Roman closed 2025 with 19 catches for 417 yards and five touchdowns over the back half, and true freshman Aaron Gregory drew rave reviews in the spring.
Vanderbilt soccer opens the doors. The Commodores' Black-Gold scrimmage goes public for the first time tonight, 6 p.m. CT at the Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex. Vanderbilt returns SEC Forward of the Year Sydney Watts, All-SEC first-teamer Courtney Jones and US U-19 representative Olivia Stafford. The open question is goalkeeper, where Alexa Gianoplus, Kennadie Marchand, UCLA transfer Layla Armas and freshman Kellyane Dumas are competing to replace SEC Goalkeeper of the Year Sara Wojdelko.
La Familia is 40 minutes from $2 million. The Kentucky alumni squad has won four straight — 2-1 over The Ville, 70-66 past Boeheim's Army, 78-65 over JHX Hoops — to reach Sunday's TBT title game. Archie Goodwin leads the entire tournament at 26.7 points per game.
Around the league: Texas A&M announced its game themes for the 2026 season, and Florida took time to remember former Gators Gerold Dickens and Willie Wilder.
PORTAL WATCH
No new transfer portal entries or commitments on the SEC board today. That quiet won't last. Friday's eligibility ruling created a fresh pool of fifth-year veterans across every conference, and Afari's situation shows the ceiling — a player who was already at an NFL camp can now credibly return. Expect SEC rosters that looked finished a week ago to reopen.
RECRUITING BUZZ
No new high school commitments today. The recruiting energy has shifted to the veteran market, where Kentucky's pursuit of Kohler is the SEC's headline item.
GAMES TO WATCH
- Tonight: Vanderbilt soccer's Black-Gold scrimmage, 6 p.m. CT, Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex. No stream or broadcast, and with no other exhibitions announced, it's the only free look at the Commodores.
- Sunday: TBT Championship, La Familia vs. Davis Steel, 1 p.m. ET on FOX from Historic Memorial Coliseum. Winner-take-all for $2 million, decided by the Elam Ending. Davis Steel, formerly Eberlein Drive, eliminated La Familia 71-70 in this same building a year ago and brings Gabe York, Terrell Brown, Nate Watson and Terry Taylor.
- August 12: Vanderbilt soccer's season opener at home against SMU.
- Five weeks out: Texas A&M and the rest of the SEC open the 2026 football season.
