Alex Afari no longer practicing with Kentucky football, per Will Stein
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Former Kentucky linebacker and 2026 5th-year hopeful Alex Afari is no longer practicing with the Wildcats after the U.S. Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay, pausing Judge Charlotte Sweeney’s preliminary injunction from Aug. 1. The NCAA’s win, for now, removes the blanket order granting all Class of 2022 athletes a 5th year of eligibility.
Afari began practicing with the team last week on August 15, taking advantage of the Sweeney ruling after spending 4 seasons in Lexington as a member of the 2022 recruiting class.
“We’ll monitor it and act accordingly,” Kentucky head coach Will Stein said on Saturday. “He was obviously practicing with us and getting prepped, but I think everybody’s still in limbo, trying to figure it all out and waiting for these rulings to happen. We will be ready to roll whenever whatever side is ruled on.”
Later, Stein added: “We’re not going to practice with a guy that’s not eligible to play, so he wasn’t out there today. We’ll play with the guys we’ve got.”
As mentioned above, Afari spent his previous 4 seasons with Kentucky and posted 2 productive seasons in 2024 and 2025. He posted a career-high 35 solo tackles in 2025 with 2.5 sacks and a pass deflection against Auburn.
Asked if Afari could continue pursuing another year of eligibility, Stein told KSR, “That’s all on him.”
The Wildcats kick off the 2026 season on September 5 against Youngstown State.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
