Just one day after the spring transfer window opened on April 16, Kentucky football landed two familiar names: former commits Lorenzo Cowan and Hardley Gilmore IV, who both found their way back to Lexington after brief stints elsewhere.

Cowan, a 6-foot-3 edge rusher from Savannah, Georgia, originally committed to Kentucky on Sept. 10, 2023, but after picking up an offer from Southern California just three months later, he decommitted and left Lexington for Los Angeles.

As originally reported by Pete Nakos, Cowan turned back for Lexington after a redshirt season with USC and Gilmore came back after transferring to Nebraska in the winter portal.

Gilmore, a 6-foot-1 wide receiver, committed to play for Mark Stoops and the Wildcats on Aug. 25, 2023, but after just one season in the blue and white, transferred to Nebraska alongside Dane Key, who both followed former Kentucky wide receivers coach Daikiel Shorts Jr. to Lincoln.

Now, nearly two years since their original commitments, Cowan and Gilmore find themselves reunited with coach Stoops and BBN once again.

Amid a landscape of college football where players often take off without looking back, Cowan and Gilmore’s returns are rare. These guys didn’t commit to Kentucky just once – they made the decision to do it again.

So, what kind of impact will their return have, and how do they fit into the Wildcats roster?

After the end of a disappointing 4-8 season, Kentucky’s wide receiver room has undergone a complete overhaul. The loss of starters Dane Key and Barion Brown via the transfer portal to Nebraska and LSU respectively, along with the loss of Anthony Brown-Stephens has left plenty of room for competition heading into camp this summer.

Adding to the disaster, former Louisiana Tech wide receiver, Tru Edwards, who committed to Kentucky in January, will also not be able to suit up for the 2025 season as the NCAA declared that he has used up all of his eligibility.

With that in mind, it’s looking that Gilmore will likely be taking on a significant role as the Z receiver in the Wildcat offense lining up alongside J.J. Hester at X and Ja’Mori Maclin at Y. This expanded opportunity likely played a key role in luring him back to Lexington after transferring to Nebraska for just a three month stint.

In his true freshman season at Kentucky, Gilmore turned heads in fall camp before a broken collarbone sidelined him for the first half of the season. Over the five games he played, he totaled six receptions for 153 yards and one touchdown – a 52-yard score in Kentucky’s blowout win against Murray State in week 10.

On the other side of the ball, Lorenzo Cowan could also take on a meaningful role within Kentucky’s defensive front.

The versatile edge rusher fits well into defensive coordinator Brad White’s scheme, particularly as the ‘Cats look to replace key departures and reload their pass rush following a wave of departures – Deone Walker to the NFL, Keeshawn Silver to the transfer portal and J.J. Weaver, Tre-Vonn Rybka and Octavious Oxendine to graduation.

Preserving his redshirt status, Cowan didn’t appear in a game during his stint at USC, meaning that the high-upside pass rusher will return to Lexington with four full years of eligibility remaining.

Cowan is expected to line up opposite Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace, a 6-foot-4 265 pound junior transfer from South Dakota and the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Together, the duo will bring a blend of youth and experience on the edge, and both are expected to play pivotal roles in helping reshape a defensive front that lost several key veteran contributors in the offseason.

As Kentucky looks to bounce back from an underwhelming season and a turbulent offseason, the returns of Cowan and Gilmore offer more than just depth – they bring familiarity, upside and a sense of unfinished business to Lexington.

With Kentucky Football coming off an excruciating one-point loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, let’s look ahead to some recruiting. The 2025 Recruiting Class is already taking place for Mark Stoops and company.  The class is currently sitting at #25 in the country and #11 in the conference.   

This past week Kentucky Insider had the opportunity to sit down with four-star ATH/CB Andrew Purcell. Andrew attends Enterprise High School located in Enterprise, AL. He is ranked as the 25th-best ATH in the Country.  

Purcell was also on campus this past weekend for an official visit and in attendance for the showdown against Georgia. 

Andrew Purcell comes in at just 5-foot9, 185 Pounds. However, he is very explosive with huge, big play ability. He is a dual sport athlete who is a successful basketball player and track runner. He attributes a lot of this to his incredible athleticism on the field.  

Purcell had offers from many Blue Blood programs such as Georgia, Miami, Clemson, and Florida among many others. When asked about what separated Kentucky from these other programs, Purcell said “Just the communication part, my connection with the Coaching Staff. They contacted me daily and that really separated them.”  

This is a common statement from many recruits on Mark Stoops and the rest of the coaching staff. When asked about his lead recruiter he said that Defensive Backs coach, Chris Collins was primarily the guy whom he remained in close contact with.  

There were many factors going into his ultimate decision to attend the University of Kentucky. However, when asked what made the decision much easier, he said, “I just loved everything about the school. They didn’t just care about #4, but they truly cared about me as a person.”  

Purcell also described himself as a “hard worker” and with these qualities, it will be hard for the Big Blue Nation not to enjoy getting to see him on the field.  

With the early National Signing Day for the class of 2024 being over, Kentucky’s newest signed quarterback Cutter Boley discusses why he committed to play at Kentucky.

“Just growing up in the state, you know, I’ve grown up a fan I feel like this is where my heart’s always been, and just the offense that Liam Coen runs and the job coach (Mark) Stoops does as head coach is phenomenal and I wouldn’t want to play for anybody else,” Boley tells Kentucky Insider.

Kentucky needed to get some quarterbacks after three players either graduated or transferred with Devin Leary graduating, Destin Wade transferring to Colorado, and Kaiya Sheron electing to transfer as well.

Kentucky was able to load up in the quarterback room by landing the Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff, Georgia Southern transfer Beau Allen, and then signing Boley in the class of 2024. Boley is ready to compete against them and he recognizes their talent.

“I couldn’t be any more excited to learn from them. They’re two really good quarterbacks, like I said, and they’ll have countless things to teach me from the places they’ve been and the offense that they’ve been in,” Boley tells us. “I just can’t wait to learn the things they know and just be able to work and get to work with them.”

One of the reasons why Boley committed to Kentucky is due to him having a connection since he has lived here his whole life.

“Just growing up in the state, you know, I’ve grown up a fan I feel like this is where my heart’s always been, and just the offense that Liam Coen runs and the job coach (Mark) Stoops does as head coach is phenomenal and I wouldn’t want to play for anybody else,” said Boley.

As for finally signing his National Letter of Intent, Boley feels relieved to have it finished.

“It’s definitely a relief to finally put the pen to paper and make it official,” said Boley. “It’s been a long time coming so I couldn’t be any more excited about my decision and where I’m going to be for the next four years.”

What Boley is most focused on is how the offense is run, as at this time he feels like his play style is made to play professionally.

“I’m really hoping to develop into that pro-style quarterback, but I feel like I’m definitely a pro-style quarterback right now, but really develop into just being able to play in that offense at a very high level and get really comfortable in the offense, and I just want to develop all parts of my game and really be a quarterback that the NFL looks for and that type of quarterback they want to have,” Boley tells us.

With Kentucky having a chance to develop within instead of the transfer route, fans will have a chance to see a quarterback finally develop into potentially starting in the future.