Kentucky earns commitment from SEC cornerback transfer
By David Wasson
Published:
The Kentucky Wildcats picked up a transfer portal commitment Sunday, as former Missouri defensive back Mark Manfred III is reportedly headed to Lexington.
On3 reported that Manfred, who took a redshirt season at Missouri in 2025, will join the Wildcats along with new coach Will Stein for 2026. Stein was hired in December after Kentucky fired veteran coach Mark Stoops.
Manfred will have four years of eligibility remaining.
A 6-foot-1, 175-pounder from Marietta, Ga., Manfred was a 3-star product out of Sprayberry High School. With Manfred’s addition, Kentucky has now landed six defensive backs out of the portal in this cycle alone as part of 19 overall transfers into the program.
Kentucky ranked 14th in the SEC and 104th nationally in passing yards allowed in 2025, giving up 239.9 yards per game. The Wildcats were 12th in the conference and 67th nationally in total yards allowed at 374.2 per outing.
Stein, who played collegiately at Louisville, comes to Kentucky after a three-season stint as offensive coordinator at Oregon. The Ducks excelled in Stein’s tenure in Eugene, going 38-5 overall and 25-2 in conference play along with a pair of College Football Playoff berths. Oregon was 13-2 in 2025, advancing to the CFP semifinals before falling to Indiana.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
