Kentucky football coach Will Stein spoke to the media on Saturday, and confirmed that Alex Afari was currently on the roster, taking advantage of the recent court rulings on the NCAA's 5-for-5 rule. However, that same rule has also resulted in the loss of a player next season.
Stein announced that pass rusher Antonio O'Berry would no longer be eligible in 2026, having used all five of his seasons. He transferred to Kentucky earlier this year.
The NCAA has notified us that Antonio O’Berry has exhausted his college eligibility. So we pursued every single option that we could for him.
O'Berry spent three seasons at Tiffin, though he redshirted in one of them. He then transferred to Gardner-Webb, where he spent two years. He was seeking one more year in Lexington, but the new rule grants players five season with no exceptions for injury, redshirts, or waivers.
It's an unfortunate ruling for O'Berry and the Wildcats. Stein and Kentucky had worked this offseason to get him eligible, but have lost that battle. We wish him the best of luck going forward.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky pass rusher declared ineligible under new rule