Monday Headlines: Rise of Alex Afari - Cincinnati Sports News

Kentucky v Florida — Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images

The senior is on the Butkus Award Watch List.

Kentucky football has had quite the roster turnover for the upcoming season.

So many core players either went on to the NFL, headed to another program in the transfer portal or simply graduated after their final year of eligibility.

This season feels like a “make or break” year for head coach Mark Stoops and his staff.

Despite the team’s relative success under Stoops at the peak of his time at Kentucky, the last few years — including last season’s 4-8 finish — have been quite the disappointment.

One of the factors leading to that disappointment has been a lack of culture and identity in the locker room as well as on the field.

This fall, senior linebacker Alex Afari is one of the veteran players who is ready to step up and be a leader.

132 tackles and counting. @UKFootball linebacker, Alex Afari Jr., returns for his senior season, ready to lead a reloading Wildcat defense. @hhamelbackTV caught up with the veteran defender at Media Day to hear his mindset heading into the new season. pic.twitter.com/kObY6van4P

— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) August 3, 2025

He’s spent his entire career with Kentucky and clearly has a lot of pride when it comes to representing Big Blue Nation.

Over those three seasons, Afari has totaled 132 career tackles (19.5 for a loss), 3.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.

Starting his career as a defensive back, Afari transformed his body to become stronger and added weight to be able to hold up against the physicality that comes with playing in the Southeastern Conference.

He has a clear advantage over other SEC linebackers, too, with his experience and instincts at defensive back adding to his skillset all while playing much closer to the line of scrimmage.

Afari is in a fantastic position to have a standout season for Kentucky and solidify his resume for NFL scouts where he can take the next step in his football journey.

It all starts with Week One, though, where Afari and the Wildcats will look to bounce back from last year’s “season to forget.”