Punter Aidan Laros with UK fans. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Four Wildcats have been named to the preseason All-Southeastern Conference team by Phil Steele, it was announced this week.
Senior punter Aidan Laros was named to the second team, while graduate offensive linemen Joshua Braun and Alex Wollschlaeger earned third-team honors. Senior inside linebacker Alex Afari Jr. was listed on the fourth team.
Laros, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, transferred to UK in 2024 after two seasons at Charlotte and one at UT Martin. Last season, he saw action in all 12 games, handling kickoffs and serving as the Wildcat’s primary punter in the last nine games.
He totaled 32 punts for 1,453 yards for a 45.4 average. He totaled 10 fair catches and three touchbacks with 11 punts landing inside the 20-yard line. He had 10 punts that went over 50 yards, including a season-long 66-yard punt at Texas and a 61-yarder at Tennessee.
Off the field, Laros excels in the classroom with a double major in finance and accounting. He was named to the 2024 Division I Academic All-District Team by College Sports Communicators, was named to the Dean’s List for the Spring semester and earned a spot on the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
Braun, of Live Oak, Florida, is a 6-foot-6, 340-pound offensive lineman who transferred to Kentucky in January after two seasons at Arkansas and three seasons at Florida. He has played in 50 career games with 32 career starts. Last season at Arkansas, he started in all 12 games and played an integral role in helping Arkansas rush for 200-plus yards in its first three games of the season. In 2023, he was named second-team All-SEC by The Associated Press.
Braun earned a bachelor’s degree in classical studies from Florida in December of 2022 and a master’s of business administration from Arkansas in December of 2024. He is currently working on a graduate certificate in nonprofit management at UK.
Wollschlaeger is a 6-7, 310-pound graduate of Aurora, Illinois. He transferred to Kentucky in January after five seasons at Bowling Green State. During his career, he has amassed 2,341 career snaps as a three-year starter for the Falcons. He was a two-time All-Mid-American Conference selection and a two-time Academic All-MAC member.
In 2024, he started in 12 games at right tackle, helping lead the Falcons to a 7-5 overall record, including a 6-2 mark in conference play. He earned First Team All-MAC honors and was on the watch lists for the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award.
Wollschlaeger graduated cum laude from Bowling Green State in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in business and an emphasis in supply chain management and international business. He went on to earn a master’s of business administration from BGSU in December of 2024. He is currently working on an undergraduate certificate in business at UK.
Afari, a senior inside linebacker from Cincinnati, has totaled 132 career tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries and two pass breakups in three seasons as a Wildcat.
He ranked third on the team in total tackles as a junior with 62 and led the team in tackles for loss with 11.0. He posted a career-high 10 tackles at Tennessee and against Louisville.
Afari, a member of the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll and Dean’s List, is on track to graduate in the Spring of 2026 with a degree in communication.
Kentucky opens its 2025 football season on Saturday, Aug. 30 in Kroger Field vs. Toledo. The Rockets will be the first of seven home games. Those interested in buying tickets can take advantage of the overall value on season-ticket packages starting at $300.
3 Responses
I’ve really been digging into the analytics of Kentucky football and I found something very interesting. We have 3 all conference offensive lineman Pete, Wollshlaeger, and Braun. Then we have our best offensive lineman back from last year Jalen Farmer. Add Jager Burton who has a ton of experience and should end his career on a good note which I think he will. That’s 5 very good offensive lineman. Then you have Wood who was a freshman all sec tackle. We also have great young lineman. Like Hayes Johnson and Aba Selm. We have a good mixture of youth and experience. This will be the best offensive line we’ve had in over 4 years. Our running back room is loaded. Calzada would have thrown for 3,000 yards in the sec if he would have started all 12 games in 2021. He played in 10 games and threw for nearly 2,300 yards. That was 4 years ago. I know he’s improved since then by at least 15-20%. If he has improved I think he’s the first QB to throw for 3,000 yards in the Stoops era. He might need the bowl game to get there but I think he does. Our wide receiver room is also more deep and talented then last year. Our tight ends are better at blocking which that’s all you need from them since they never get looked at by the QB. Our defense will be much faster and more athletic. Last year we had a slow but big defense. We couldn’t get to the QB and was burned on 3rd downs. That should be fixed this year with all the secondary returning and a year better. Like I said the floor is 6-6 the ceiling is 8-4.
3rd and 4th string honors don’t say much for the makeup of our team when the highest ranked player is the punter.
Hahaha. I hate that. I remember years ago when we sucked almost every year we always had a all conference punter or field goal kicker and that was all. I agree but we will need a great punter to win the field position battle. We can flip the field with Laros. I think what will make this team great is the point that you pointed out. We dont have any clear cut all stars. That sometimes helps more than hurts your team. If you remember last year we had Brown who was supposed to be his last and final year is what he said before the season started. Then you have Key who said basically the same thing then you had Hairston and Walker who was both one foot in and one foot out. This year we have a bunch of guys with a chip on there shoulder and they want to show they can compete with the best. I think that motivation carries this team. Now if we have a ton of injuries dismiss everything I just said. For some reason we always have twice as many injuries as everyone else. If that trend continues we will probably suck again.