This Wildcat could have started for defending national champs, but he chose UK instead

The majority of Kentucky football’s incoming transfers in the portal era have fallen into three categories.

There are players like Will Levis and Brock Vandagriff, who arrived from a traditional power where they were blocked on the depth chart. Others like Marques Cox and Zion Childress had proven themselves at a smaller program and arrived at UK looking to prove they could still perform against Southeastern Conference competition.

There has also been the occasional veteran who was already starting at a Power Five program who transferred to Kentucky, but most of that group either had a local tie to the Bluegrass State or faced an uncertain playing time situation if they remained at their former program.

New UK cornerback DJ Waller does not neatly fit into any of those categories.

A sophomore, Waller is similar to many Kentucky transfers from high-profile programs in that he remains a work in progress, but he was not blocked on the Michigan depth chart. Media reports in Michigan when he entered the transfer portal described him as “ among the favorites to start ” for the Wolverines in 2024 after a strong spring.

So why pass up on the opportunity to start for the defending national champions in order to transfer to Kentucky?

“Coach (Mark) Stoops, coach (Vince) Marrow, being from Youngstown, I had ties already here,” Waller said. “My goal, really, was just come here, show people I could play corner in the SEC. Show as a 6-foot-3 corner I could run everything, just do everything they asked me to do.”

A Youngstown, Ohio, native, Waller was recruited to Michigan by former UK assistant Steve Clinkscale, who like Stoops and Marrow was raised in Youngstown. When Clinkscale followed Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL, Waller began considering other options.

“We recruited him the first cycle through,” defensive backs coach Chris Collins said. “And so we loved his length, his competitive nature. … When things kind of changed at Michigan, for us now it was about he already kind of knew what the plan would be in terms of his development.”

Stoops and Marrow have used their Youngstown ties to boost Kentucky’s roster before.

Those connections helped land Lynn Bowden, who posted one of the best single seasons in program history in 2019, and Courtney Love, a team captain whose impact was felt even after graduation when he remained on the coaching staff.

Youngstown native Jordan Jones was named second-team All-SEC as a linebacker for Kentucky in 2016. Safety Marcus McWilson and running back Braylon Heard served as starters for multiple seasons at UK after arriving from Cardinal Mooney High School, Stoops’ and Marrow’s alma mater. Youngstown Christian graduate Tymere Dubose appeared in 33 games with five starts in his UK career.

Not all of UK’s Youngstown additions have panned out — linebacker Luke Fulton totaled just two tackles in three seasons at UK after transferring from Michigan State — but the majority have been at least steady contributors.

Early indications suggest Waller could join that group.

“That’s why we brought DJ in: to continue to elevate the standard,” Collins said. “And the guys in the room understand that, right? They get it. They understand that, ‘Hey, man, I’m here to compete every single day, every single rep, and we just trying to stack days.’”

All-SEC defensive back Maxwell Hairston is a lock to start at one cornerback position, but the competition to replace NFL draft pick Andru Phillips at the other cornerback remains ongoing.

Former Ohio State transfer Jantzen Dunn appeared to be the leader in the competition after spring practice, but his best position might be at nickel back. Coaches have praised former Cincinnati transfer JQ Hardaway and sophomore Nasir Addison for their progress entering preseason camp, but it would be a surprise if Waller did not eventually lock down the starting job.

“I think that’s an area where we still need to grow,” Stoops said of the position after UK’s first preseason scrimmage. “We got to figure that out and have some guys step up. We have options.

“I like the options. I feel like we have some depth and some ability. We just got to get it out of it.”

Waller was unavailable for Saturday’s scrimmage due to a minor injury that was not expected to sideline him for longer than a week.

At 6-foot-3, 202 pounds, he brings a similar frame as former UK cornerback Lonnie Johnson, a second-round pick in 2019. Length alone will not assure Waller has a Johnson-like impact — Hardaway struggled in his first year after transferring to UK despite being listed at 6-foot-3 — but it elevates his ceiling.

Waller admitted he struggled with the decision to leave the defending champions, even after Michigan’s coaching change, but he had no regrets as he opened his first camp at Kentucky.

“Now, it’s about being consistent in that plan, why he’s here,” Collins said. “I’m excited about where he can be if he continues to invest in that process.”

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