Ty Bryant is a candidate for the 2026 Lott IMPACT Trophy

Keeping Ty Bryant around for the start of the Will Stein era was massive for Kentucky football.

Earlier this week, Bryant was tabbed as one of 42 candidates for the 2026 Lott IMPACT Trophy, an award that goes to the defensive player who has had the biggest impact on his team both on and off the field. Bryant is one of 17 defensive backs on the watch list. 16 defensive linemen and nine linebackers make up the rest of the candidates.

This list is filled with All-Conference and All-American players. Bryant, a rising senior, made the watch list after a 2025 season that saw him make the All-SEC Second Team thanks to a team-high 76 tackles and four interceptions. The Lexington native is a three-time Dean’s List member and made the SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll in 2023. He was also named a First Team Academic All-American by College Sports Communications back in January.

Bryant has a chance to be one of the best defenders in the Southeastern Conference next season. He’s one of 13 SEC players on the watch list. The winner will be announced on December 9, 2026.

DB @Ty_Bryant32 x @TheLottTrophy 👀📈 pic.twitter.com/trq8EGRLfy

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) May 22, 2026

It’s tough to overstate the importance of Kentucky retaining Bryant for the upcoming 2026 campaign. He would have had plenty of options had he elected to enter his name into the transfer portal. But the homegrown product intends to see his time at Kentucky all the way through. He’ll suit up for Stein and new defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, who comes over from Texas A&M. Josh Christian-Young, UK’s new safeties coach, has been hired to fill the same role with the Wildcats and will serve as Bryant’s new position coach.

As a junior in 2025, Bryant set the tone for his season early with a pair of interceptions against Ole Miss in Week 2. It was the first time a Kentucky player logged two picks in an SEC home game since Anthony Wajda in 1999 vs. LSU. A team captain, he also secured an interception in the win over Florida and in the loss at Vanderbilt. Bryant ended up being the only Wildcat selected by the coaches to one of the All-SEC Teams.

A three-star recruit out of Frederick Douglass High School, Bryant made an impact from day one at Kentucky. He played in all 13 games as a freshman in 2023 before appearing in all 12 in 2024. Across this three-year college career, Bryant has racked up 162 total tackles, four tackles for loss, five interceptions, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles across 37 games played. 

Stein’s offensive expertise has controlled the headlines since he arrived in Lexington, but Bryant will help give Kentucky’s defense a real chance to thrive.