Five Wildcats Named to Collegiate All-Commonwealth Team
Five Kentucky football players, Alex Afari Jr., Ty Bryant, Jager Burton, Fred Farrier II and Josh Kattus, have been named to the 12th Annual Collegiate All-Commonwealth Team, announced by the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame, the nation’s only state-specific professional football hall of fame, and presented by Community Trust Bank.
The Collegiate All-Commonwealth Team is a preseason recognition award honoring football players attending Kentucky colleges and universities. The team represents the best college football players in the Commonwealth.
The purpose of the award is to promote college football in Kentucky and to honor players whose leadership on the field and in the classroom reflects their potential as future leaders beyond the game. Players were nominated by their head coaches for exhibiting these exceptional qualities.
Afari, a 6-foot-2, 222-pound senior inside linebacker from Cincinnati, is a three-year letterwinner who has played in 38 career games with 21 starting assignments. Last season, he was third in total tackles with 62 and led the team in tackles for loss with 11.0.
The communication major was on the Dean’s List in the spring of ’24 and was named to the Southeastern Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll.
Bryant is a 6-0, 197-pound junior defensive back from Lexington, Kentucky. He has played in 25 career games with 13 starts. He got 10 starting nods last season and totaled 41 tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss. He added an interception and a team-high tying two forced fumbles.
Also a communication major, Bryant is a three-time member of the Dean’s List and was named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll in 2023 and the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll in 2024. Additionally, he was named to the 2024 Division I Academic All-District Team by the College Sports Communicators.
Burton, a 6-4, 316-pound senior offensive lineman of Lexington, Kentucky, has played in 38 career games with 34 starts. Last season, he graded at 99 percent for his assignment and 76 percent for technique. He totaled 46 blocks at the point of attack and had five knockdown blocks.
Burton graduated in December of ’24 with a degree in communication and is currently working on a graduate certification in sport, fitness and recreation management. He is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was on the Dean’s List in the Fall of ’24.
Farrier II, a 6-1, 182-pound senior wide receiver of Frankfort, Kentucky, played in all 12 games last season with two starting nods after transferring following three seasons at UAB. He totaled 13 catches for 126 yards (9.7 yards per catch) for the Wildcats.
Off the field, Farrier II is majoring in community and leadership development.
Kattus is a 6-4, 246-pound senior tight end from Cincinnati. He is a three-year letter winner who has played in 33 career games with 15 starting assignments. He has totaled 21 catches for 310 yards and five scores, including six grabs for 77 yards and two touchdowns in 2024.
Off the field, he represented the Wildcats on the SEC Community Service Team and was named a finalist for the Pop Warner College Football Award. He also represented the football team on UK’s prestigious Frank G. Ham Society of Character, which recognizes student-athletes who give their best to everything they do.
Academically, Kattus, a communication major, is a three-time Dean’s List honoree, a two-time member of the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, and he was named to the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll as a freshman. In 2024, he was named to the Division I Academic All-District Team by CSC.
A ceremony recognizing the 2025 Collegiate All-Commonwealth Team will be held Friday, June 27, in Frankfort. The players will also be honored during the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Purple Jacket Dinner Party and Induction Ceremony that evening at 6 p.m. ET at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Lexington.
ABOUT THE KENTUCKY PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: Founded in 2003, the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame is dedicated to recognizing players, coaches, officials, media figures, and executives with ties to Kentucky who have impacted professional football. With 112 inductees to date and five more joining this year, the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame continues to honor NFL legends and pioneering figures who exemplify dedication, skill, and passion. The Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame has a clear mission: “Celebrating Kentucky’s Football Legends to support Kentucky’s children and young people.” Over the years, the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame has raised over $1 million for youth and children’s charities, with the Foster Care Council of Kentucky as its current beneficiary.
