Kentucky has now made it three offensive line transfer additions in a row with Wallace Unamba committing to the Cats this afternoon. Unamba is ranked as the #14 inside offensive lineman in the transfer portal and comes in with excellent size at 6’4 330 pounds. Unamba was scheduled to start a visit to Virginia today, but the former JUCO All-American decided to end the process before making it to Charlottesville.
Player Background
Unamba began his career at Kilgore C.C, the same place future NFL Hall-of-Famer Lane Johnson started his career. In his time there, he would become a two-time First Team All-Conference and NJCAA All-American. After being unranked out of high school, Unamba became a three-star and top 125 JUCO prospect before committing to Tom Herman at FAU before the 2023 season. After only four snaps in south Florida, Unamba went to New Mexico where he would play 699 snaps in ten games for the Lobos. Unamba allowed zero sacks and only ten pressures at right tackle this past season, but the protection numbers get even more impressive. Unamba also did not allow a sack in his three years at Kilgore while playing for an offense that rushed for over 200 yards a game.
Program Fit
Kentucky has made a concerted effort to get better in pass protection, and Unamba fits the mold again. I feel the need to reiterate that he has given up ZERO sacks in four seasons of playing time. Unamba is a well-rounded blocker who bullies defenders by staying low and driving his legs in run-blocking situations. He gets a little too much waist bend at times, but he is typically balanced in his pass-blocking sets. Unamba does appear to lack SEC athleticism, however, making me think a move to guard is more likely as he takes a jump in competition from the Mountain West to the SEC. The footwork and lateral quickness showed up with three of his six penalties coming against Power 4 competition, making me believe he would fit better on the inside where he can use his strong hands to stay in front of slower defenders.
Position Outlook
Kentucky made big splashes on the offensive line with the additions of Joshua Braun and Alex Wollshlaeger earlier in the week. Unamba joins them as players with a boatload of experience and proven production. I don’t know if the staff intends to keep him as a tackle or guard, but my current guess is Unamba will serve as a backup for all five positions on the line. Could he start at right tackle and push Wollshlaeger over? Could he start over Jalen Farmer at guard? Will he be the one to move to left tackle and fill the starting role? I wouldn’t say I’m confident in any of those situations playing out as of now, but Unamba could serve as a quality backup for every position given his guard-like skillset and extensive experience at tackle.
