Kentucky football line depth dealt another blow with injury to son of former Wildcat great
Kentucky football’s quest to build depth at offensive tackle has been dealt another blow as practice for the 2023 season begins.
Redshirt freshman Nik Hall, who had been viewed as a candidate to take a step forward in his second season on campus, is unlikely to play this season due to injury, UK Coach Mark Stoops said at the team’s Media Day Friday. Stoops acknowledged the injury might end Hall’s career, but said the program was still evaluating whether he would be medically disqualified from playing, which would allow him to stay on scholarship to finish his degree but not count against UK’s 85-man scholarship limit moving forward.
Hall, the son of former UK All-SEC offensive tackle Antonio Hall, was rated as a three-star prospect as a senior at Akins High School in Austin, Texas. Hall redshirted as a freshman in 2022 but was pointed to by offensive line coach Zach Yenser as a player who was impressing during bowl practices in December.
Hall missed all of spring practice with the injury, which Stoops did not disclose. In a recent radio interview, Yenser said Hall was dealing with a back issue.
While Hall was not expected to compete for a starting job this season, his presence would have been a boost for depth at an offensive tackle position that lost three players to transfer.
Northern Illinois transfer Marques Cox is expected to start at left tackle. Southern California transfer Courtland Ford and senior Jeremy Flax, a starter last season, are competing for the No. 1 right tackle position.
“These guys have done a good job,” Stoops said Friday. “We needed depth, we needed length, we needed some bodies. … The tackles were much needed. Playing good.”
No other offensive lineman on the roster has game experience at offensive tackle. With Hall out, freshman Malachi Wood is the only scholarship offensive tackle on the roster behind the three competing for starting jobs. Wood is seen as a long-term project who needs to add significant weight to his 6-foot-8, 283-pound frame to compete against Southeastern Conference defensive linemen.
Offensive guard transfers Ben Christman (Ohio State) and Dylan Ray (West Virginia) are likely to see practice time at tackle in an effort to boost depth at the position. Since Ford played primarily left tackle at USC, he should be able to play either tackle position if Cox is sidelined by injury.
“I think we evaluated and identified some players in the portal that would help us out from a depth standpoint,” offensive coordinator Liam Coen said Friday. “We lost a few, but do feel good about the guys that did come in.”
Kentucky ranked 126th of 131 teams nationally in sacks allowed last season. In addition to the personnel changes, Coen pointed to schematic changes in simplified protection schemes compared to the system used by former offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello as reason for hope from improvement from the position, even with depth questions.
This story was originally published August 4, 2023 at 1:37 PM.