Need a refresh on UK’s roster overhaul? These newcomers will play key roles

For the casual Kentucky football fan who has not followed every move of a pressure-filled offseason in Mark Stoops’ program, tuning into Saturday’s season opener against Toledo might be a little disorienting.

Longtime recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow now wears Louisville red. Much-hyped wide receivers Barion Brown and Dane Key have transferred. None of the three quarterbacks who played significant snaps last season will start the opener.

UK’s first two-deep depth chart of the season included 26 players who will wear a UK jersey in a game for the first time on Saturday.

“Coming off a season like that, I feel like (change) was needed in certain places, and that’s a good thing,” Stoops said of UK’s 4-8 finish in 2024. “We needed to continue to develop the young players in our program, and obviously we needed to attack the portal, like most people.

“Obviously, that’s a higher number (of transfers) than we’ve ever had here, but again, I felt like it was necessary.”

If you’re still trying to catch up on all the new faces, here is a rundown of what to expect from the new players on the depth chart.

Zach Calzada will start at quarterback

It was clear from the moment former Texas A&M, Auburn and Incarnate Word quarterback Zach Calzada signed with Kentucky to play a seventh and final college season, he was going to be UK’s week one starter. Despite Stoops hyping up the competition between Calzada and redshirt freshman Cutter Boley late in preseason camp, he officially named Calzada the starter Monday.

Calzada put up video-game numbers in two seasons in Incarnate Word’s spread offense, but that came against FCS competition. He has SEC experience, helping lead Texas A&M to an upset of No. 1 Alabama as a fill-in starter in 2021, but he has plenty to prove at this level.

“He won big games in the SEC,” Stoops said. “Has a ton of experience under his belt. Has a chip on his shoulder. Wants to come back and prove that.”

The offensive line has been rebuilt, but is it good enough?

After ranking 111th nationally in sacks allowed last season, Kentucky’s prime transfer portal goal was to rebuild its offensive line.

To do that, offensive line coach Eric Wolford went all-in on finding experienced linemen with size. Right guard Jalen Farmer is the only returning starter playing the same position as last season. Former Frederick Douglass High School star Jager Burton will move from left guard to center, a position he struggled to master in 2023.

New Mexico State transfer Shiyazh Pete (6-8, 322) will start at left tackle. Arkansas transfer Joshua Braun (6-6, 342) will start at left guard. Bowling Green transfer Alex Wollschlaeger (6-7, 311) will start at right tackle.

“They’ve done a good job all camp,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said. “I just think it’s a very professional outfit. There’s guys that have played, whether at Kentucky or other places, have started games.”

The transfers certainly look the part of SEC linemen, but they will face a new challenge in competition after playing at Group of Five programs previously. Backup center Evan Wibberley, a transfer from Western Kentucky, falls into that same category if Burton struggles with his position switch.

Pete will get the most attention of the group thanks to his status as perhaps the most visible Native American athlete in the country. He is a member of the Navajo Nation.

Two freshmen (Jay Clark and Darrin Strey) are listed as backups on the depth chart, but they are still expected to redshirt this season.

The offense will rely on two new running backs

If the offensive line is truly improved, expect a return to the prototypical Stoops team that relies heavily on the run game. After years of debates about whether Stoops’ offenses are too boring, the 2024 collapse showed they would be an acceptable upgrade this year.

That strategy will rely on Nebraska transfer Dante Dowdell and New Mexico State transfer Seth McGowan living up to their preseason hype at running back. Dowdell (6-2, 227) should fit the mold of the type of power back that has thrived at UK during Stoops’ tenure. McGowan, a former four-star recruit whose career was derailed by an arrest during his freshman year at Oklahoma, should contribute as both a runner and pass-catcher.

“We’ve seen a combination of two of a big back and a smaller back, or a quicker back, and that tends to serve you well offensively because you’re creating something,” running backs coach Jay Boulware said. “The big guy, and then all of a sudden you’re bringing a shiftier guy in it, and now they got to tackle both of those guys the entirety of the game.

“That’s what I’m curious to see. That’s what I don’t know, what that’s going to look like on game day.”

Coaches held Dowdell and McGowan out of both preseason scrimmages to prevent them taking unnecessary hits on their bodies. That adds some questions about their adjustment to a new offensive system but also is a clear demonstration of the importance the staff has placed on them.

Passing attack still looking for go-to options at receiver

Six of the nine wide receivers listed on the first depth chart are new to the program.

Expect Alabama transfer Kendrick Law to play a role similar to the one Brown did in Hamdan’s offense last season, frequently getting touches on jet sweeps and other gadget plays. Oklahoma transfer J.J. Hester presents a deep threat with size. Clemson transfer Troy Stellato has battled injuries throughout his career but could be a valuable option as a slot receiver capable of getting tough yards.

Combine that group with returners Ja’Mori Maclin, Hardley Gilmore and Fred Farrier and there are plenty of candidates to catch passes from Calzada, but no one emerged in camp as a true go-to option the way Key was in 2024.

“I think there’s certain guys that are more reliable, if you will, know where to be, play hard all the time,” Hamdan said. “There’s certain guys that have a high level of talent, and they’ve got to play more consistent. That’s what it’s going to be.

“I mean, it’s a situation for all seven or eight of those guys. They know it. It’s going to come down to their effort, their ability to know what to do and the attitude they have. And the guys that will do that will play.”

Inconsistency from the veterans has opened the door for a trio of freshmen to play right away. DJ Miller is the most likely of that group to emerge as a featured target, but Montavin Quisenberry and Cameron Miller have both exceeded expectations since arriving on campus.

Transfer tight ends Henry Boyer and Elijah Brown were added to help block, but at 6-foot-6, both players could be appealing targets in the red zone. Freshman tight end Mikkel Skinner is more of a hybrid wide receiver but might find it hard to break into the rotation without an injury to a veteran.

The best transfers might be on the defensive line

Identifying the best player on UK’s roster is no easy task with so many new faces, but two leading candidates for that honor are newcomers to the defensive line.

Nose guard David Gusta (Washington State) and defensive end Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace (South Dakota) might have received the most praise of any addition since arriving at UK in January. Gusta plays a position that will never draw the majority of headlines, but both transfers could help improve UK’s pass rush.

Humphrey-Grace is particularly important in that quest.

“From a physicality standpoint, from a way he can potentially affect a game, he has Josh Paschal-type potential,” defensive coordinator Brad White said. “But obviously what Josh did in his time here is he showed up on Saturdays. So Quise has to show up on Saturdays and prove that he can do that.”

White has described outside linebacker as the position with the most questions going into the season.

Southern Cal transfer Sam Greene was listed as the starter there. He will rotate with sophomore Steven Soles and Kent State transfer Kam Olds.

Other newcomers who could provide depth

Marshall transfer Landyn Watson brings the type of size needed at inside linebacker behind wiry starters Alex Afari and Daveren Rayner. He will certainly be needed at some point at a position that always takes a physical toll against an SEC schedule.

Maryland transfer Kevis Thomas enters the season as the fourth cornerback. Freshman Martels Carter, the former Paducah Tilghman star, has star potential but should be allowed to ease into action behind three older safeties.

Sacramento State transfer Zach Schreiner was listed as the backup kicker but still could push redshirt freshman Jacob Kauwe for the starting job. Kauwe has elite leg strength but needs to improve his reliability. Lehigh transfer David LaGanga enters the season as the No. 2 long snapper.

This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

Jon Hale

Lexington Herald-Leader

(859) 414-6776

Jon Hale is the University of Kentucky football beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the Herald-Leader in 2022 but has covered UK athletics for more than 10 years. Hale was named the 2021 Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year. Support my work with a digital subscription