Jordan Castell Tabbed the Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week

LEXINGTON, Ky. – After helping lead the defensive effort in an upset bid at No. 9/8 Texas A&M, 31-21, Kentucky safety Jordan Castell has been tabbed the Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week for Week 3 of the 2026 college football season, it was announced Wednesday by Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation.

Castell, a 6-foot-2, 211-pound senior from Orlando, had a career day for the Cats in the win over the Aggies. He registered a team-high and career-best 13 tackles, a pass breakup and snatched a critical fourth-quarter interception that helped seal the victory.

Kentucky’s defense stymied a Texas A&M offense that had averaged 49.0 points per game entering the matchup. In UK’s masterful third quarter, UK’s defense did not allow a single first down. The Cats held A&M to a mere 20 total yards in the stanza, and just 2.2 yards per play. Texas A&M had the ball for just 3:42 in the quarter and were 0 for 2 on third down and UK also stopped the Aggies on a fourth-down effort.

With Texas A&M attempting to mount a comeback late in the fourth quarter, Castell picked off Texas A&M’s Marcell Reed with 6:34 remaining. Reed floated a pass that Castell hauled in at his own 12-yard line, thwarting any potential comeback bid for the home team.

It marked the second consecutive season that Castell has earned an interception at Kyle Field. He also snared picks in back-to-back weeks against Texas and at Texas A&M a season ago.

A transfer from Florida, Castell has made an immediate impact for UK and leads the team with 29 total tackles through three games. He has added 2.0 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and two interceptions. He has an interception in back-to-back games, both against Southeastern Conference opponents and Associated Press Top-10 squads.

In addition to today’s honor, Castell was also named the Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week.

The Wildcats (2-1, 1-1 SEC) return home on Sept. 26 to play host to South Alabama at 12:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network. Tickets are available on ukathletics.com.