UK’s 2022 football roster: What we know about it after national signing day
The start of the early signing period has come and gone, but the makeup of Kentucky’s roster going into the 2022 football season will likely be in flux until August.
In the wake of an NCAA rule change that automatically grants immediate eligibility to first-time transfers and a temporary exemption enabling teams to sign up to seven additional players (in addition to the allowed 25) as part of the 2022 class, the addition of high school recruits is just the start of offseason shakeups when it comes to who will and won’t be playing for colleges across the country.
Making sense of Kentucky’s roster at the moment is tough because two major components — early entrants to the NFL Draft and seniors who could decide to opt into a fifth year of eligibility — aren’t yet known, and probably won’t be determined until the weeks following UK’s Citrus Bowl trip. Let’s not let that stop us from speculating on the possibilities at each position.
Quarterback
Will Levis probably will be Kentucky’s starter next season, but UK recently submitted for an NFL Draft evaluation on his behalf. Depending on the feedback he receives and where he projects to land, Levis could be gone.
In the event that happens, the Cats would be left with two returning scholarship quarterbacks — Beau Allen and Kaiya Sheron, both former in-state stars — and a true freshman signee, Destin Wade. The hunch here is, if Levis is pro-bound, Kentucky’s starting quarterback probably will again come from the transfer portal. There were more than 50 of them in the portal as of this week; even if one of them couldn’t beat out Allen or Sheron, UK would at least want another guy on campus for depth.
The smart money is on Levis returning with the idea that, with another strong individual season and finish for Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference, he could be one of the first quarterbacks off the board in 2023. If he’s on the roster, there probably won’t be much to suss out here.
Running back
Kentucky could see Chris Rodriguez return for his senior season, which prior to the 2021 campaign didn’t seem like a consideration it would have. Concerns about ball security harmed his draft stock, but one also wonders how much it can be helped by another season in Lexington.
Bringing back the league’s second-leading rusher would, obviously, be a boon, but if Rodriguez is out then UK should be decently equipped to handle his exit. JuhTahn McClain is an exciting prospect who carved out a nice role for himself down the stretch; he and Kavosiey Smoke would compete for the lead role. La’Vell Wright, a true freshman in 2021, looks like a future star at the position and could get on the field much more often in 2022 whether the ranks thin or not.
Wide receiver
The prevailing thought is that Wan’Dale Robinson won’t play for Kentucky as a senior, though an NIL package that reaches a seven-digit dollar amount — something rivaling what a second- or third-round draft pick would make in his first season — might be the kind of thing to entice the Frankfort native to come back.
Pairing Levis and Robinson for one more season is the dream scenario for Kentucky, but if that doesn’t pan out, Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson should slot in nicely as a No. 1 threat in UK’s receiving corps. His physical profile and college experience level are both similar to Wan’Dale, but Tayvion has actually played receiver most of the time he’s been in college. That’s a plus.
If it doesn’t add another veteran receiver from the portal — it’s been linked to a few — UK is likely to lean on a bunch of redshirt and true freshmen in 2022, in addition to Demarcus Harris, a senior-to-be and the Cats’ only other scholarship receiver who’s seen a lot of action other than Wan’Dale. Chauncey Magwood got on the field a few times this season, and Chris Lewis was name-dropped by Levis last week as a guy who’s impressed in the Cats’ December practices. Former Frederick Douglass star Dekel Crowdus was heralded in fall camp and expected to be part of this year’s rotation before suffering an injury that kept him off the field all season.
Kentucky has added two four-star prospects, Barion Brown and Dane Key, who could bolster the ranks or star for them, depending on how quickly they adjust to the college game. Speedsters Jordan Anthony and Brandon White could get some run, too, in Liam Coen’s offense.
Offensive line
Darian Kinnard will be in the NFL next season, as could Dare Rosenthal; whether he returns for a senior season or not will prove difference-making in terms of how UK approaches the transfer portal following spring camp.
If Rosenthal is back in the fold, he and Kenneth Horsey would probably anchor the tackle spots, but true freshman Kiyaunta Goodwin will make a strong push that could force Horsey back inside. Quintin Wilson was the presumed starter at center coming into this year but Luke Fortner changed positions and excelled; could a similar adjustment take place in UK’s ranks? Austin Dotson, who’s played guard all of his career, seems like a candidate for a return rooted in a position switch, but Eli Cox has also trained some at center and might be the front-runner there if Wilson isn’t. Jager Burton is likely to be in the mix for a starting job or starter-level snaps, too. Auburn transfer Tashawn Manning probably didn’t come to UK to sit on the bench, so pencil him into a guard spot.
After that, there are a whole lot of young guys who haven’t really played or will just be arriving on campus. Their time will come, but next year will prove pivotal for a few in terms of their long-term outlook in the program.
Tight end
Izayah Cummings’ emergence as a legitimate receiving threat and the return of Keaton Upshaw from injury make this, perhaps, the most intriguing group on the roster. Both could push to be among the Cats’ leaders in receptions next season.
Brenden Bates should gobble up most of the snaps left behind by Justin Rigg. Jordan Dingle impressed as a receiver and could be more of a factor if he becomes proficient as a blocker. Tre’Von Morgan, a former receiver who transferred from Michigan State, was converted midseason and has the size (6-foot-6, 218 pounds) to be a factor. True freshman Josh Kattus hails from Cincinnati Moeller, which produced Bates, and ought to develop into a promising player down the road.
Defensive line
Thin up front for most of this season, Kentucky’s defensive line should be in stronger shape in 2022 whether Marquan McCall opts into a “super senior” season or not.
That would be massive, of course, since it would again allow UK to pair him and Octavious Oxendine, who was blossoming before a season-ending leg injury midway through 2021, as it brings along a new starter at defensive end (as there’s almost zero chance Josh Paschal comes back for a fifth year). Who backs him up could be the biggest question mark with this unit. Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald was the starter after McCall went down and has said he won’t return for a fifth year but could change his mind. True freshman Jamarius Dinkins is the only returning scholarship player listed at defensive tackle other than Oxendine.
Josaih Hayes and Justin Rogers were solid in relief of McCall while he was sidelined and will square off for the starting nose tackle job if he’s not back on campus Tre’Vonn Rybka spelled Paschal often this year and figures to be the leader at defensive end going into the spring, though Kahlil Saunders — a true freshman this season — could make it a competition.
Linebackers
A unit that seemingly has depth concerns every season could be buoyed in 2022 by the return of up to three “super seniors.”
Jacquez Jones didn’t go through UK’s Senior Day ceremony, kick-starting speculation that he’ll be coming back in 2022. He says he’s not made a decision, but that hasn’t dampened those rumblings. DeAndre Square, on the other hand, went through the Senior Day ceremony and has likewise been targeted as a likely returnee among prognosticators. It’s unclear how the departure of linebackers coach Jon Sumrall will affect their decision-making, but getting both back would be tremendous for UK’s interior.
Let’s just say one of the two returns; that would still give the Cats a strong three-man rotation with Jones/Square, Trevin Wallace and D’Eryk Jackson, who looked pretty spry in November for a player coming off an Achilles tear suffered in the spring. They’d also be in a familiar position of having to rely on a relatively inexperienced player — Luke Fulton and Martez Thrower— on the two-deep chart if injuries become a factor.
On the outside, J.J. Weaver will definitely be back. Jordan Wright, like Square, was honored as a senior but could bolster this unit by deciding to return; as we learned last year, going through Senior Day isn’t determinative in this decision. UK will probably try to add another edge rusher from the transfer portal regardless, but especially if Wright is on his way out; as of now, Justice Dingle is the only other outside linebacker on scholarship. Kentucky signed two four-star prospects at the position, Tyrese Fearbry and Keaten Wade, but counting on a true freshman could be dicey.
Secondary
Making sense of what this group is going to look like in 2022 is tough.
There are two principals — cornerback Carrington Valentine and hybrid safety/linebacker Vito Tisdale — who are probably locked into starting roles. Junior-college transfer Zah Frazier could have a leg up on most of the competition at the other corner spot, assuming senior Cedric Dort doesn’t opt into a fifth year. Andru Phillips has been in the program for a couple years and could contend there as well.
Jalen Geiger and Taj Dodson are UK’s only scholarship returnees who’ve charted at safety and got substantial action in 2021, presumably making them the leaders in that mix. Joel Williams is a wild card. Several young defensive backs — Maxwell Hairston, Adrien Huey and Rickey Hyatt — are in the wings but unproven. This ultimately projects as a unit for which the staff could seek further assistance from the transfer portal, so proceed with caution when making projections.
Next game
No. 22 Kentucky vs. No. 15 Iowa
What: VRBO Citrus Bowl
When: 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 1
Where: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
TV: ABC-36
Records: Kentucky 9-3, Iowa 10-3
Series: First meeting
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
