Alex Afari
Afari in 2025 | |
| No. 3 – Kentucky Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 7, 2004[1] Pordenone, Italy |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 224 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
Alex Afari Jr. (born May 7, 2004)[1] is an Italian college football linebacker for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Early life
Afari was born in Pordenone, Italy, and later moved to Ghana before relocating to the United States in 2012.[2] He attended Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio. Afari was rated as a three-star recruit and the 69th overall athlete in the class of 2022, receiving offers from school such as Akron, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Michigan State.[3] Ultimately, he committed to play college football for the Kentucky Wildcats.[4]
College career
In the 2022 season opener, Afari recorded six tackles with one and a half being for a loss, and one sack in a victory over Miami Ohio.[5] He finished his freshman season in 2022, appearing in 13 games with three starts, recording 21 tackles with three being for a loss and a sack.[6] In week 5 of the 2023 season, Afari totaled nine tackles with one being for a loss, in an upset win versus Florida.[7] During the 2023 season, he made 12 starts, totaling 49 tackles with five and a half going for a loss, a sack, a pass deflection, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.[2] Afari finished the 2024 season with 62 tackles with 11 being for a loss.[8]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | Bench press | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+3⁄4 in (1.87 m) |
224 lb (102 kg) |
32+5⁄8 in (0.83 m) |
8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) |
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
4.78 s | 17 reps | ||||||
| All values from Pro Day[9] | ||||||||||||
References
- ^ a b @AlexAfari8 (May 7, 2022). "Thank you God 🙏🏾 18🎂" (Tweet). Retrieved January 26, 2026 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Black, Ryan (August 6, 2024). "Kentucky football's Alex Afari carries Ghana heritage with him wherever he goes on journey". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ Moberg, McClain. "Michigan State Offers 3-Star ATH Alex Afari". Michigan State Spartans on SI. SI.com. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ Springer, Scott (May 7, 2021). "Top football prospect Alex Afari of Lakota West selects Kentucky". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ Hale, Jon. "This Kentucky football freshman could be key in slowing Florida star QB Anthony Richardson". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ Luckett, Adam. "Kentucky defense must find permanent home for Alex Afari Jr". On3.com. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ McDonald, Ethan. "Alex Afari Has Career Day Against Florida". The West Press. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ "Five Wildcats Named to Collegiate All-Commonwealth Team". BVM Sports. May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ "Alex Afari College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
External links