Last week, the college sports world took a quick turn when a U.S. District Court judge ruled that all upcoming fifth-year athletes will be granted that extra year. It comes after those players previously had to request a waiver to play.

The 5-for-5 rule did not grandfather those from the 2022 recruiting class, as it was set to begin the upcoming season. But now, that is not the case, and as a result, it has led to a huge pool of transfers for coaches across the country to add to their rosters. That includes Will Stein and Kentucky, who could see a big benefit from the new ruling.

Why could it pay off big-time for Kentucky in Will Stein’s first season as head coach? The offensive side of the ball has received a lot of praise this off-season, specifically the playmakers around quarterback Kenny Minchey and the offensive line, which is projected to be one of the best units in the SEC. On defense, though, depth is an issue up front, which is where one former Wildcat could help out.

Kentucky linebacker Alex Afari Jr. is exploring a potential return to college after the new ruling. The former Wildcat was one of the top contributors on defense and would help out tremendously at linebacker. Last season, Afari totaled a team-high in tackles for loss and ended third in overall tackles. He even put together a streak of nine straight games with a tackle for loss, one of the longest in school history.

At Media Day on Monday, Stein discussed his approach to the new ruling, which is something he is going to try to take advantage of.

“If there’s a five-for-five option that we believe can make us better, we’re going to attack it full-force,” Stein said. “I think it’s still a wait and see. People are not quick to act just because it’s something that’s reported on Twitter, and there’s some judges that are ruling in favor of student athletes getting their fifth year back. But any time that we can enhance our roster, I’m going to be full steam ahead.”

As a team overall, the Wildcats are expected to be bottom-feeders next season, in large part due to their gruesome schedule, which is seen as one of the hardest in the entire country. Actually, ESPN has it tabbed as the fourth-hardest schedule in all of college football… But bringing back Afari would boost an area of weakness and could help Kentucky make some noise and surprise people on that side of the line.

We’ll see what Kentucky can do with the roster following the ruling. Stein sure is going to work hard to make something happen.

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