Predictions: Starters for Kentucky’s offense when it kicks off in 2021
You know what a spring full of shake-ups lends itself well to? Speculation!
With the eyes of all but some members of the K-Fund barred from spring practice this year, all we have to go on in terms of projecting the University of Kentucky’s starters this fall is past performances and the words of a coaching staff that, for the most part, is fairly forthcoming about how guys are developing.
On the offensive side, however, between a number of new faces in key spots and an overhaul of the attack, picking 2021 starters is much more difficult than in recent years. These are my best guesses as to who will be in the lineup when Kentucky’s offense first takes the field on Sept. 4:
Quarterback
This is what you came for, be honest. Based on scuttlebutt, Joey Gatewood was the best-looking signal-caller in the spring but both he and Beau Allen — 1A and 1B among current enrollees, regardless of which letter you’d like to assign to each — seemed to make progress in Liam Coen’s system. To be frank, Allen would have been my pick to emerge as the spring front-runner, but it makes sense that Gatewood would show well; he has been in multiple different college offenses, picking up a lot along the way, and is close in frame to Jared Goff, whom Coen coached with the Rams.
You know who else is similarly sized to Goff and was coached in an offense similar to Coen’s last season? Will Levis, the Penn State transfer who will enroll next month at UK. Gatewood has the leg up, but the rapidity with which Levis was connected to UK following Coen’s hire, and the fact he recruited him in his previous college stint, indicates a belief in what he might be able to do once he gets to Lexington. I’m betting on that belief and saying Levis starts against Louisiana-Monroe.
Running back
A healthy helping of Chris Rodriguez will be served to opposing defenses this fall. Kavosiey Smoke will continue to be a major reserve, and Jutahn McClain and Travis Tisdale continue to make strides, but Coen during the spring said he wants Rodriguez to get 20 to 25 touches a game (not all, necessarily, as a rusher). The only thing that could keep that from happening is an injury or Coen himself, because Rodriguez has proved to be as reliable as they come up to this point.
Receivers
Josh Ali and Wan’Dale Robinson are shoo-ins to see the field a ton, but where UK goes to for its “X” starter — typically a bigger receiver — will be interesting to watch. Izayah Cummings — 6-foot-3, 228 pounds — played in nine games last year and presents the most upside in terms of physical presence, but it’s possible, depending on what’s most sought-after from that group, that Ali could often take that spot to allow for another speedster, a la Isaiah Epps or Mike Drennen, in a flanker role that likely would have been Clevan Thomas’ had he not suffered a season-ending injury late in camp. If things go as hoped, there will be a lot more mixing and matching with this unit than in previous seasons, so who starts, and where, is somewhat trivial.
Offensive line
The return of tackle Darian Kinnard, who could have bolted early for the NFL Draft, and senior left guard Luke Fortner made the transition to coaching a new room easier for South Carolina transplant Eric Wolford; the only possible cause for concern was a flip to the left side of the line for Kinnard, but he has handled it well. Quintin Wilson seemingly is the front-runner to succeed Drake Jackson at center, and Austin Dotson is another holdover from last year at right guard. Right tackle Jeremy Flax drew strong reviews from Coen, more than any other lineman in the spring, so he seems a lock to be there barring some unforeseen development.
Tight end
Keaton Upshaw is the more gifted of UK’s top tight ends, but Justin Rigg and he have shared starting duties in the past and much of that nomenclature boils down to whether UK opens in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers) or 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two receivers). The latter is attractive with a guy like Upshaw, who’s fast enough to line up in the “X” receiver spot at least somewhat regularly, if desired. The Rams trended more toward 12 personnel sets the last couple of seasons, so this is definitely something to keep in mind as UK’s new offense starts to fine tune.
