Olaus Alinen chose the University of Kentucky
Olaus Alinen has confirmed his transfer to the University of Kentucky on his social media accounts. The Finnish giant announced his jump to the transfer portal for college athletes the day after Alabama’s Rose Bowl loss.
Olaus Alinen’s new team is the University of Kentucky Wildcats. The Wildcats play in the same SEC conference as Alabama. Kentucky has traditionally placed in the middle of the conference and finished the 2025 season with a 5–7 record, missing out on a bowl game.
The long-time head coach of the Wildcats, Mark Stoops, was dismissed after a disappointing season in December 2025, and the new head coach is 36-year-old Will Stein, a former offensive coordinator at Oregon, who is actively building his coaching staff and recruiting players for the 2026 season.
Stein has entered the transfer portal with a clear profile. He has primarily targeted previously highly-ranked prospects who are seeking a fresh start for various reasons. One prospect meeting the criteria is Finland’s Olaus Alinen. The clean slate offered by the new coach opens a real opportunity for the Finnish lineman to compete for a spot in the Wildcats’ starting offense. To keep his NFL dreams alive, Alinen now needs plenty of playing time and repetitions.
Coaching changes initiated a cycle that culminated today in the transfer
Alinen chose Alabama’s legendary Crimson Tide team after receiving scholarship offers from a record 46 high-level universities. A major reason for Alinen’s choice was considered to be coaching legend Nick Saban, who had strongly communicated his desire for the Finnish giant’s physical play in his famous offensive line.
After Alinen’s redshirt freshman season, Saban retired, and he was replaced by Kalen DeBoer, who had previously served as head coach at Washington Huskies. DeBoer favored lighter and more mobile linemen and less raw power, unlike Saban’s traditional line, which emphasized strength and size. DeBoer brought in Chris Kapilovic as the offensive line coach, who introduced familiar linemen and principles from Washington, affecting both the line’s technique and the overall chemistry of the group.
Alinen stated in the spring that he responded to the new coaching staff’s challenge by adjusting his physique to meet their expectations. Unfortunately, the chemistry between the Finnish lineman and the new coaching staff did not align, playing time was scarce, and Alinen made the only right decision by seeking important playing time for his NFL dreams in a new team.
Alinen is not the only Crimson Tide player who expressed dissatisfaction with his position at Alabama. A total of 18 players jumped into the transfer portal immediately after the smoke cleared from the Rose Bowl blowout loss.
Read also:
- Olaus Alinen fights for a starting spot at Alabama
- Kentucky football adds an Alabama offensive lineman from portal
Graphics: UK Athletics