Kentucky Wildcats lose commitment of 2027 QB DJ Hunter

Lexington, Ky. — The Kentucky Wildcats’ 2027 recruiting class took a hit Tuesday when Buford (Ga.) quarterback DJ Hunter announced he is reopening his recruitment, ending a pledge that had been in place since April 2025.

Hunter, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound three-star prospect rated the nation’s No. 38 quarterback in the 2027 cycle by 247Sports, said the December coaching transition from Mark Stoops to offensive coordinator-turned-head coach Will Stein planted the first seeds of doubt.

“After consideration, my family and I felt it was in my best interest to go ahead and decommit and fully open my recruitment back up,” Hunter told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “It’s been in the back of my mind ever since the head coaching change went down. After this weekend, [it] just felt like the right time to do it.”

The decommitment trims Kentucky’s current 2027 class to just two known pledges: three-star offensive lineman Brady Hull and unranked safety Larron Westmoreland.

Hunter’s recruitment is expected to heat up quickly. He listed South Florida, Maryland, West Virginia, Florida State and Duke as programs in contention, with USF, Duke, Maryland and West Virginia likely to receive official visits. Auburn, Kennesaw State, UAB, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech all checked in on Hunter during January in-person evaluations at Buford High School.

With more than two years until national signing day for the 2027 class, Stein and his revamped staff will now pivot to replace their longest-standing quarterback commitment while simultaneously working to expand a class that currently ranks near the bottom of the SEC.