Kentucky’s first depth chart is out. Here’s who will play against ULM and why.

Head coach Mark Stoops unveiled Kentucky’s first depth chart for the 2021 football season on Monday. Here’s what the two-deep looks like, with some quick analysis about the selections, as the Wildcats prepare to host Louisiana Monroe on Saturday.

Left tackle

Dare Rosenthal, Deondre Buford

One of the newest addition’s to Kentucky’ roster is also among its most talented; Rosenthal could be a one-and-done prospect for the football team if he plays up to his potential. A former starter at LSU who left Baton Rouge because of a disciplinary matter, Rosenthal is as stout a physical presence (6-7, 327 pounds) as UK has.

Left guard

Kenneth Horsey, Austin Dotson

Horsey saw his first real action last year, and started in eight games. He’s a reigning Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year winner (he had open-heart surgery prior to enrolling at Kentucky) who hopes to have his level of play exceed his personal story in year two as a starter. Dotson, a Belfry product, started four games last season

Center

Luke Fortner, Quintin Wilson

Fortner is one of UK’s “super seniors” benefiting from the COVID-19 waiver granted by the NCAA. He started 23 straight games at right guard but has been the No. 1 center through camp. Wilson has been around for several years and has gotten some reps the last two years.

Right guard

Eli Cox, Jager Burton

Offensive line coach Eric Wolford praised Cox’s power in camp, especially in tandem with Darian Kinnard on the right side. The sophomore out of Nicholasville was a backup to Horsey last season on the left side. Burton is a true freshman out of Frederick Douglass High School with great foot speed and raw potential.

Right tackle

Darian Kinnard, Jeremy Flax

A First Team All-America selection last year at this spot, Kinnard attempted to transition to left tackle but ultimately landed back here. Flax was playing well enough, per the coaches, to “own” this spot before Kinnard moved back.

Tight end

Justin Rigg, Brenden Bates, Izayah Cummings

Rigg is another “super senior” whose return grew even larger after Keaton Upshaw suffered a preseason injury expected to sideline him for the entire fall. Expect him and Bates, a sophomore who missed half of last season due to an injury, to be on the field often in two-tight end (12 personnel) sets. Cummings, a converted receiver, was one of the biggest winners in fall camp and will be heard from.

Wide receiver (X)

Josh Ali, Tae Tae Crumes

Ali, who has started 24 straight games, is the only returning, healthy wide receiver who has caught a touchdown at Kentucky (Clevan Thomas, out for the season, has also scored). A revamped offense should afford him more room to demonstrate his abilities. Crumes’ speed has been oft-cited as a reason for him to be on the field, and it seems he’ll finally get an opportunity to turn that talk into production for UK.

Wide receiver (F)

Wan’Dale Robinson, Rahsaan Lewis

The most dynamic receiver on UK’s roster arrives courtesy of Nebraska, which in two years failed to win many games while shuffling Robinson between the backfield and receiving corps. He won’t ever line up at running back in Lexington. Lewis, a walk-on and the son of Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, was among the best-looking playmakers throughout fall camp.

Wide receiver (Y)

Isaiah Epps, Demarcus Harris

A foot injury has kept Epps off the field more often than not for the better part of two years, but the senior was able to start for the first time in his career in UK’s most recent bowl game. He has the frame (6-2, 189 pounds) and speed, when healthy, to be a reliable threat. Harris has played in games, with varying degrees of production, but his length brings something to the table that others down the depth chart don’t.

Quarterback

Will Levis, Beau Allen

Levis was named the starter on Aug. 15, a little more than a full week into fall camp. He’s a Penn State transfer with a cannon for an arm and who has ingratiated himself quickly in the locker room. Allen, a true sophomore, demonstrated enough in camp to prompt the transfer of Joey Gatewood, who in spring was playing like the front-runner for the starting job.

Running back

Chris Rodriguez, Kavosiey Smoke

Rodriguez needs little introduction. He was UK’s leading rusher a year ago and led the Southeastern Conference in yards per carry despite playing behind A.J. Rose, who’s vying for a roster spot with the Minnesota Vikings after an impressive preseason. Smoke has shown flashes of greatness in-season but injury concerns have plagued him throughout camp; if those are behind him, he has a solid chance to tighten his hold on the No. 2 spot with JuTahn McClain sidelined due to a legal matter.

Jack linebacker

Jordan Wright, J.J. Weaver OR K.D. McDaniel

Wright’s upside as a disruptive force has at times been mitigated by his inability to stay 100-percent engaged, whether it be mentally or physically. He’s made five starts in his career and brings back four pass breakups, 3.5 sacks and three forced fumbles from last season. Weaver will probably be eased back into the rotation after suffering an ACL injury at the end of last season, but he could be Kentucky’s best option as a pure pass-rusher.

Defensive tackle

Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald, Octavious Oxendine, Kahlil Saunders

Position coach Anwar Stewart has said this position would be more rotation-focused rather than dominated by a singular player, so these placements perhaps should be considered co-starters. Abadi-Fitzgerald is a 6-6 senior who’s seen limited snaps over the last two seasons. “Ox” played in three games last year as a true freshman, and the North Hardin graduate seems furthest along in his development among the heralded defensive linemen signed in 2020.

Nose guard

Marquan McCall, Justin Rogers OR Josaih Hayes

McCall was the heir apparent to Quinton Bohanna here, and has played a lot of meaningful snaps. He shed 40 pounds in the offseason in hopes of boosting his apparent athleticism and, more importantly, to help him stay on the field for longer than a few snaps in succession. Rogers is a former five-star recruit who was fine in action at this spot as a true freshman in 2020. Hayes was part of that same signing class.

Defensive end/linebacker

Josh Paschal, Treyvonn Rybka

There’s probably not a player on Kentucky’s roster who knows Brad White’s defense better than Paschal, who has changed positions a couple times while in Lexington. Back at end, he’ll lead the front seven while trying to remain fully intact himself; he played through an early injury that softened his overall impact in 2020.

Middle linebacker

Jacquez Jones, Trevin Wallace

Jones was hampered by an injury in fall camp but must be healthy enough to play against the Warhawks. He was the presumptive starter here, if healthy, after leading Ole Miss in tackles last year. He has more SEC experience than any other player outside of linebacker DeAndre Square on the roster. Wallace was a big addition late in the 2021 signing class who has impressed, along with Martez Thrower, as a true freshman in camp in part thanks to their length.

Weakside linebacker

DeAndre Square, Jared Casey OR Martez Thrower

This job has been Square’s since 2019, save for a couple games he had to sit out. A steady contributor since he was a true freshman, Square’s presence for the entirety of 2021 is essential to keeping the inside rotation from falling apart. Casey has played in 14 games, including all 11 last year as a redshirt freshman.

Nickelback

Davonte Robinson, Marquez Bembry

Robinson wasn’t at full strength last season but should be able to give UK more in his additional year of eligibility. UK probably will drop into a 3-3-5 alignment often given the depth of its secondary relative to the linebacking corps. Vito Tisdale, presumably, would have been in the mix here but an off-the-field matter is currently keeping him and two other defensive backs (Andru Phillips and Joel Williams) away from the team. Bembry is an inside linebacker who played in every game last year.

Cornerback

Cedric Dort, Quandre Mosely

After losing out on a starting job to Kelvin Joseph last year, Dort stayed the course and is back on top of the depth chart. His stats don’t jump off the page, but he’s an intense corner who packs a lot of physicality into a small frame (5-11, 182 pounds). Mosely, a “super senior,” looks to be the third-best available option at corner right now with UK’s depth a bit tried by an off-the-field matter.

Cornerback

Carrington Valentine, Quandre Mosely

Oft-mentioned as a riser in fall camp, Valentine played in 10 games as a true freshman and started for Kentucky in its bowl win over North Carolina State last December. The Cincinnati native early on looks like the best bet to carry the torch for the UK secondary once the next exodus of seniors occurs after 2021.

Strong safety

Ty Ajian, Jalen Geiger

Ajian blossomed into a solid contributor last season and started 10 of UK’s 11 games. His 48 tackles are the third-most returning from a year ago.

Free safety

Yusuf Corker, Taj Dodson, Moses Douglass

An All-SEC level threat, Corker is the team’s returning leader in tackles (77) and interceptions (two). The former four-star recruit has started in 24 straight games.

Specialists

Kicker: Matt Ruffolo, Chance Poore.

Punter: Wilson Berry OR Colin Goodfellow.

Long snapper: Cade Degraw, Clay Perry.

Punt returner: Wan’Dale Robinson OR Josh Ali.

Kick returner: Zach Johnson, Wan’Dale Robinson.

Holder: Chance Poore, Colin Goodfellow.

UK season opener

Louisiana Monroe at Kentucky

When: Noon Saturday

TV: SEC Network

This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 11:56 AM.

Josh Moore

Lexington Herald-Leader

Josh Moore covers the University of Kentucky football team for the Lexington Herald-Leader, where he’s been employed since 2009. Moore, a Martin County native, graduated from UK with a B.A. in Integrated Strategic Communication and English in 2013. He’s a fan of the NBA, Power Rangers and Pokémon. Support my work with a digital subscription