Is Elijah Barnes starting?
Elijah Barnes is the projected starter at WLB for Kentucky Wildcats.
Redshirt freshman · #0 · 6'1", 242 lbs
See full Kentucky Wildcats depth chart ›Depth at WLB · Kentucky Wildcats
- 1086Elijah BarnesStarter
- 2985Alex Afari Jr.
- 3463Antwan Smith
Kentucky Starting Lineup
- DE
- NT
- DT
- LOLB
- WLBElijah BarnesThis player
- MLB
- ROLB
- LCB
- SS
- FS
- RCB
- NB
- RES
Top linebackers in the SEC
The Story
Making His Case
A 4-star recruit out of Dallas Skyline, ranked #68 nationally coming out of high school. This season: 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sacks. That's 1% of the team's production at his spot — good for a 86 overall (Great tier).
- Jersey
- #0
- Class
- RS FR/TR
- Height
- 6'1"
- Weight
- 242 lbs
- Transfer
- Texas
Stats
| Season | Tkl | TFL | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.
Recruiting Profile
- Stars
- ★★★★☆4-star
- Composite
- 0.9661
- National Rank
- #68
- High School
- Dallas Skyline
- Hometown
- Dallas, TX
Why this rating?
On a 84-rated defense; 55th-percentile production at transfer origin (×0.99 for competition level) put them +2 vs unit starters → 86.
2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.
2026 Game Log
Oct 10WLSUTKL 12
- TKL
- 12
- SOLO
- 6
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 35-34 OT
Oct 3WSCTKL 7
- TKL
- 7
- SOLO
- 5
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 35-34 OT
Sep 19WTA&MTKL 8
- TKL
- 8
- SOLO
- 2
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 31-21
Sep 12LALATKL 3
- TKL
- 3
- SOLO
- 0
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final L 45-17
Sep 5WYSUTKL 7
- TKL
- 7
- SOLO
- 4
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 1
Final W 45-13
| OPP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10 | WLSU | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3 | WSC | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 19 | WTA&M | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 12 | LALA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 5 | WYSU | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Elijah Barnes's 2026 game-by-game stat log.
The People's Ratings
Team Role
Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.