Kentucky football’s offseason is here and these are the dates you need to know
The 2022 Kentucky football season might be finished, but the work is unlikely to slow much for Mark Stoops’ program.
The transfer portal, high school recruiting, coaching changes, NFL Draft and spring practice will keep the program in the news in the coming months. Here is a rundown of key offseason dates to place on your calendar.
Jan. 8 (end of NFL regular season): The Los Angeles Rams play their final game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, clearing the way for former UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen to return to Lexington. Stoops and company have declined to publicly confirm Coen will be returning to his former job at UK so he can focus on his responsibilities with the Rams, but the coordinator search is believed to already be finished.
Jan. 9 (first day of spring semester): Players headed home after the Music City Bowl for a much-needed break, but anyone returning for next season must be back in Lexington by the start of the spring semester. We should learn which seniors are planning to use their extra season of eligibility by this date. The start of the semester also marks the enrollment of at least 13 new Wildcats: mid-year high school enrollees Khamari Anderson, Anthony Brown, Ty Bryant, Koby Keenum, Tanner Lemaster, Malachi Wood and Tommy Ziesmer and transfers Tanner Bowles, Marques Cox, Ray Davis, Jantzen Dunn, JQ Hardaway and Devin Leary.
Jan. 16 (NFL Draft entry deadline): Any players with college eligibility remaining must decide whether they want to enter the NFL Draft by this date. This affects any seniors debating whether or not to return to school for the extra season of eligibility and underclassmen considering leaving UK early. The main underclassmen to watch are outside linebacker J.J. Weaver and nose guard Justin Rogers.
Jan. 18 (transfer portal window closes): The first wave of players entering the transfer portal came at the end of the regular season. The second wave is starting now as teams finish bowl games. That wave will end by Jan. 18, when the first of college football’s two transfer windows closes. Kentucky will probably lose at least a few more backups to the portal in the next couple of weeks as they look for larger roles elsewhere. The staff will also likely be on the lookout for any impact additions from other schools, especially at offensive tackle.
Feb. 1 (signing day): The bulk of Kentucky’s 2023 recruiting work was done in December, but there are at least a couple of uncommitted prospects on UK’s radar for the traditional spring period that opens on the first Wednesday in February. Four-star Georgia prep running back Jamarion Wilcox is the top target. Four-star Tennessee prep wide receiver Demitrius Bell and four-star Southern Indiana prep defensive lineman William “Woo” Spencer are other players to watch.
Feb. 4 (Senior Bowl): Quarterback Will Levis and running back Chris Rodriguez have been invited to the Senior Bowl, one of the best opportunities for senior NFL Draft prospects to showcase their talents for scouts. Levis has yet to confirm if he will participate in the game, but he recently told reporters he is likely to play either in the Senior Bowl or the East-West Shrine Bowl on Feb. 2.
Feb. 27-March 6 (NFL combine): All eyes will be on Levis when he works out for and interviews with teams at the combine in Indianapolis. Can Levis cement his projections as a first-round pick? Could he actually make a case to be selected with the No. 1 pick? How he performs at the combine will say much about his draft stock. Rodriguez, Carrington Valentine, DeAndre Square, Jacquez Jones, Brenden Bates and Keidron Smith are among the other Wildcats who could earn combine invites.
Early March (start of spring practice): UK has not announced its dates for spring practice yet, but Stoops has generally started the session the week before the university’s spring break, which is March 13-18 this year. Spring practice will be the first chance for Leary and the other mid-year enrollees to prove worthy of featured roles. Spring practice will likely conclude with a the public spring game in early April.
April 27-29 (NFL Draft): Like it was in 2019 when Josh Allen was drafted with the No. 7 pick, the 2013 draft should be a showcase event for Kentucky’s program. Levis is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks selected. He could best Allen’s selection, but thanks to the position he plays Levis will almost certainly garner even more national attention regardless of when in the first round he is picked.
May 1-18 (transfer portal window): The second and final window for underclassmen to enter the transfer portal this offseason comes after the conclusion of spring practice. It would not be a surprise to see multiple Wildcats who find themselves buried on the depth chart after the mid-year enrollees join the fold in spring practice to enter the portal during this window. Stoops and company should also have a better idea of any positions that need a boost from the final wave of offseason transfers.
May 15 (start of summer classes): High school recruits and college transfers who did not enroll in time for the spring semester can officially join the program for the start of UK’s 12-week summer session on this date. Some recruits might not qualify to enroll until the fall, but the bulk of Kentucky’s newcomers should be on campus by this date.
June (summer camp season): Coaches will host the next wave of recruits searching for scholarship offers on campus in June for a series of camps. Dates for the camps are likely to be announced in May, but the marquee camps for high school prospects were the first two Sundays of June last summer. We should have a much better understanding of who Kentucky’s top targets in the high school class of 2024 are as these camps progress.
Late July (SEC media days): The preseason talking season begins in Nashville this year with the Music City set to host the SEC’s annual summer showcase event. Specific dates have not been released, but last year’s media days was July 18-21. Which players Kentucky brings to Nashville to talk about the program will be an interesting decision following the departures of so many team captains. Fans and reporters will hope Leary is one of the Wildcats chosen to showcase at the event.
Early August (preseason camp opens): The first week of August generally marks the start of preseason preparations with UK’s local media day, fan day and first practice. Media day will be the only opportunity to hear from the freshmen until they begin playing in games.
Sept. 2 (season opener): The offseason ends when Kentucky welcomes Ball State to Kroger Field on the first Saturday in September.
This story was originally published January 2, 2023 at 6:50 AM.