Kentucky Wildcats Football Offseason Preview

Longtime college football watchers know that Kentucky football has been punching above its weight the past few years. Coach Mark Stoops, who was once on the hot seat and seemed unlikely to survive on a long-term basis in Lexington, managed to turn the program around and is doing one of the better coaching jobs in the country. Kentucky has won January bowl games twice in the past four seasons. That’s remarkable. The Wildcats are coming off a 10-3 season in 2021 in which one of their losses was to eventual national champion Georgia. Kentucky is winning all the games it is supposed to win and is picking off a few extra games which are either 50-50 propositions or are expected to go the other way. Can the Wildcats maintain momentum, or will the pursuers in the SEC East, chiefly Tennessee and Florida, catch up with Kentucky this season? It will be fascinating to find out.

Key Personnel Lost

The Wildcats lost junior cornerback Vito Tisdale to a season-ending injury. Kentucky loses receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, a top-45 NFL draft pick, and Josh Paschal, a top-50 pick at defensive end. Center Luke Fortner was a top-65 NFL draft pick. There are players at several positions Stoops will have to find ways of replacing, and it doesn’t figure to be easy.

Important Incoming Freshmen

Kiyaunta Goodwin is a big hope for Kentucky, and we do mean big. The offensive lineman is a 6-8, 340-pound five-star recruit, a behemoth up front who will provide terrific run blocking and pass protection. He should stabilize an offensive line which lost some key pieces from its 2021 iteration.

Barion Brown, a four-star wide receiver, will try to maximize Kentucky’s production on the edges. If Goodwin provides elite pass protection, Brown can then gain an advantage which will enable him to do damage to opposing secondaries this fall.

Key Position Battles

Kentucky is regularly strong on defense. That is not something the Wildcats have to worry about. Mark Stoops is a defense-first head coach, and he regularly makes sure that side of the ball is settled. This team usually struggles when its offense can’t hit its stride. The Wildcats therefore need to make sure that they are putting the best five offensive linemen on the field this year. They can’t have significant weaknesses or holes in the trenches. Georgia has a dominant defensive line. Florida’s defensive line should be improved from last year. Kentucky will need to sort out its offensive line and make sure its position battles in camp sort out the first-stringers from the second-stringers. If the line can mash and carve out holes in the running game, Kentucky can control the ball and play the field-position style Stoops prefers. If the line can’t thrive, Kentucky’s offense won’t be able to sustain drives, and the defense will get tired against quality opposition.

Biggest Offseason Goal(s)

The Wildcats have to maintain a solid level of play on their offensive line. If they go into Week 1 having a firm foundation at that position group, they can implement the style of play they want. If not, this season could become very messy and complicated.