Riding 10-win momentum again, Kentucky football starts spring with several question marks
An eventful offseason led to a brief delay in the start of Kentucky’s spring football camp and created a quirk in its schedule: this year’s Blue-White Game will not be the culmination of a spring’s worth of work, instead serving as practice No. 12 of the 15 allowed by the NCAA.
Placement in the schedule aside, it’ll be the Wildcats’ first spring football game since 2019 and ought to attract a good crowd. They’re coming off a 10-win season, their second in the last four seasons, and bring back some of their heaviest hitters on both sides of the ball. UK’s revamped offense has a new coordinator, but the style of play should look similar to what fans watched last year. The Cats’ defense has gaps to sort out but has consistently proven itself capable of filling holes and trekking forward. There’s much to be excited about as 2022 ramps up.
Here’s what we’ll be monitoring throughout March and into April.
Will Levis’ growth
Kentucky’s starting quarterback wasn’t on campus last spring but is for this edition. That’ll make things operate more smoothly for the offense as a whole, but also help Levis grow more comfortable with what’s likely to demanded of him come fall. Expectations will be through the roof for the second-year starter, who finished last season as the No. 22 passer in the country based on completion percentage (66%) and threw for 24 touchdowns and 2,826 yards. He quickly emerged as a favorite in the locker room and among fans, and should be the definitive face of the program in 2022.
On the field, he’ll have some adjusting to do. His No. 1 receiving threat, Wan’Dale Robinson, will be catching balls from an NFL quarterback, and his No. 2 receiver, Josh Ali, graduated. His top three offensive linemen will be on NFL rosters, too. Levis will play this fall with much less experience around him — though the return of running back Chris Rodriguez is a big boost — and now has a season’s worth of tape for opponents to dissect. His job will be tougher, and how he plans to attack that challenge starts in the spring.
Trenches
Speaking of the big men, new offensive line coach Zach Yenser has the unenviable task of replacing two UK stalwarts, Luke Fortner and Darian Kinnard, along with a third starter, Dare Rosenthal, who had three years of experience playing in the SEC. Austin Dotson, a multi-year rotational piece who started eight of his 40 games, is also gone. How a re-engineered “Big Blue Wall” jells might be the most significant story of the spring.
Guards Kenneth Horsey and Eli Cox, who’s coming off an injury, are good building blocks from which to start. The transfer in of Auburn’s Tashawn Manning will provide experienced depth, and could position UK to move Cox to center, where it’s thought that the 2021 mid-season All-American could thrive. Center Quintin Wilson played some guard last year and figures to be part of the rotation in some form. Fortner last week at the NFL Combine noted Kentuckians John Young (Christian Academy of Louisville) and Jager Burton (Frederick Douglass) as youngsters who could break out this year; he expects the latter should be invited to the combine someday himself.
Based on comments offered by Yenser last week during an introductory press conference, young guys — including incoming freshmen Kiyaunta Goodwin and Grant Bingham — will have an opportunity to get on the field quickly. “I want that mentality for anybody coming into this program: ‘I’m going to play,’” Yenser said. “And then you let the redshirt (situation) play itself out.”
The other side of the line has some replacing to do, too, including the filling in of a Josh Paschal-sized hole at defensive end. As important as the soon-to-be NFL draftee was on the field, he was doubly so off of it in terms of leadership and community activism. Tre’Vonn Rybka is likely to be the front-runner to succeed him at defensive end, and he was a quality backup last year, but that position will come with a great deal of internal and external pressure. Replacing Marquan McCall at nose would be as equally worrisome had Josaih Hayes and Justin Rogers not played well as a tandem during his weekslong absence last season, so instead it’ll be fun to monitor which of those two takes the early reins.
Playmakers
As Kentucky looks to establish itself further as an offensive threat in the Southeastern Conference, it’s going to need production to pick up across its receiving corps. A number of former high school standouts and transfers who’ve never, or seldom, played for UK should have an opportunity to strut their stuff over the coming weeks.
Ex-Frederick Douglass star Dekel Crowdus jumps out as a name to watch; based on hype out of fall camp last year, Crowdus might have been a part of Kentucky’s plans as a true freshman if he hadn’t gotten hurt. High school teammate Dane Key joined the fold as a January enrollee, so it’ll be worth seeing if he can make a similar ascension. Izayah Cummings made a move from receiver to tight end and thrived; a full year of learning that position (and bulking up for it) could be transformative for him and the Cats. How far along Keaton Upshaw is, health-wise, should be answered quickly, too.
Rodriguez clearly will be at the top of the running back room, but how things shake out beneath him could be interesting. Kavosiey Smoke has been his running mate for a bit, but JuTahn McClain was more involved in the rotation down the stretch and La’Vell Wright showed promise in limited stretches. It’s possible all three figure into UK’s game plans in some fashion this fall, but who becomes the clear backup to Rodriguez is something to keep tabs on.
Linebacker situation
Kentucky boasts four inside linebackers and two outside guys who could start in the SEC. Offseason management of these groups is less about identifying parts of the rotation than it is sorting out how snaps get distributed and which guys fit best alongside the other two-thirds of the defense, where experience is more of an issue.
Super seniors Jacquez Jones, DeAndre Square and Jordan Wright all figure to be starters, but Trevin Wallace, D’Eryk Jackson and J.J. Weaver will get playing time and could push for starting jobs week to week. Too much of a good thing, in this instance, is especially welcome given health concerns at this position in recent years.
Who takes a leap?
Inevitably, a player that hasn’t yet been named will emerge as a difference-maker by the fall; given the nature of the transfer portal, it’s possible that guy isn’t even a UK player yet.
My gut says Vito Tisdale goes from being a disruptor used primarily in hybrid packages to more of an every-down defensive back. The former Bowling Green star to this point has been a bit like lightning, unwieldy but lethal when he makes contact. He has the talent to be a superstar for a secondary that could use one.
Ten more names to keep an eye out for as spring goes along: Sam Anaele (defensive end), Jordan Dingle (tight end), Jeremy Flax (offensive line), Jalen Geiger (defensive back), Maxwell Hairston (defensive back), Darrion Henry-Young (defensive line), Chauncey Magwood (wide receiver), Andru Phillips (defensive back), Clevan Thomas (wide receiver), David Wohlabaugh (offensive line).
Blue-White Spring Game
When: 1 p.m. Saturday, April 9
Where: Kroger Field
TV: SEC Network Plus (online only)
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 6:30 AM.
