Terhyon Nichols and Nasir Addison returning to UK; Quaysheed Scott enters transfer portal

The transfer portal has been super active over the past few days for the Kentucky Wildcats, as first-year head coach Will Stein is seeking key pieces for the 2026 season.

This week, we’ve had several major updates within the secondary with stay/go decisions being made by Nasir Addison, Quay’sheed Scott, and Terhyon Nichols. Addison is withdrawing from the transfer portal, while Scott is entering it, and Nichols has announced his return to UK through KSR’s Jacob Polacheck.

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Addison, the defensive back from New Jersey, withdrew his name from the transfer portal on Tuesday evening after previously entering it. Injuries limited Addison to just four games this past season, totaling 13 tackles. His best outing of the season came against a win over Auburn, where he had five solo tackles.

Because Addison appeared in just four games this season, he received a redshirt and will have two years of eligibility remaining instead of just one. He’s primarily played boundary cornerback and will give Kentucky some much-needed depth there.

Scott, who’s got two years of eligibility remaining, entered his name into the portal on Tuesday. The 6-foot defensive back saw a heavy amount of playing time during the 2025 season, logging 488 defensive snaps.

The South Carolina native appeared in every game for the Wildcats this season, ending it with 39 tackles, one interception, and two pass deflections while playing slot cornerback and safety. He’s a big loss for this secondary, which is already losing Jordan Lovett, JQ Hardaway, Jantzen Dunn, DJ Waller, and Cam Dooley.

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Finally, Nichols is returning for what will be his true junior season in 2026. He opened the season as a starting boundary cornerback before suffering a season-ending injury in the Week 9 home loss to Tennessee. He’ll be a favorite to be one of the starting boundary corners next season.

New defensive coordinator Jay Bateman has plenty of work to do in finding new players in the secondary as the transfer portal season rolls on.