5 things you need to know from UK football’s Blue-White spring game
Five things you need to know from the 2026 Kentucky Wildcats football Blue-White spring game:
1. Kenny Minchey’s debut. It does not count in the record books, of course, but Saturday’s intrasquad game was the first time Kentucky fans got to see UK’s presumptive starting quarterback, Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey, in live action.
The 6-foot-2, 211-pound junior from Hendersonville, Tennessee, was praised throughout UK’s spring practice for his accuracy, and that trait was on display in the spring game.
By my unofficial stats (there were no live statistics) Minchey completed 13 of 18 passes for 144 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Many of the wide receivers expected to be Kentucky’s primary targets — Nic Anderson, Hardley Gilmore, DJ Miller — did not play in the spring game. UK’s top two running backs, CJ Baxter Jr. and Jovantae Barnes, also sat out.
The Blue team, the offense, beat the White, the defense, 23-18 in the scoring format used for the game.
2. The Martels Carter experiment. Transfer running backs C.J. Baxter (formerly with Texas) and Jovante Barnes (Oklahoma) were both held out of spring practice as a health precaution. That meant that redshirt freshman safety Martels Carter found himself getting some two-way action as a running back.
In the spring game, the 6-foot, 205-pound redshirt freshman from Paducah Tilghman High School carried four times 22 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run. Carter also caught two passes for 10 yards.
3. Tight ends usage. It seems from the time two-time All-SEC tight end Jacob Tamme walked off the field in a Kentucky uniform for the final time in the 2007 Music City Bowl that Wildcats backers have been pleading for greater usage of the position in the UK passing game.
New Kentucky head coach Will Stein had a history of making extensive use of tight ends as receivers in his time running the Oregon offense. As a result, Cats fans are at last hopeful of seeing UK tight ends become a featured part of the Wildcats offense.
In the spring game, we saw that on display.
Incumbent starter Willie Rodriguez caught three passes for 44 yards, including a 35-yard catch from Minchey.
Returnee Henry Boyer had two catches for 19 yards.
Redshirt freshman Mikkel Skinner made the day’s biggest play, hauling in a pass of some 40 yards from backup quarterback Brennen Ward that set up the game’s first touchdown. Skinner also caught a 3-yard pass on the first drive of the third quarter.
4. The new Big Blue Wall. With presumptive left tackle starter Lance Heard being held out due to injury, the Kentucky “starters” on the offensive line were, from left tackle to right tackle, Mark Robinson III (UTEP transfer), Olaus Alinen (Alabama), Coleton Price (Baylor), Tegra Tshabola (Ohio State) and Malachi Wood (holdover).
5. A recruiting commitment. Tristin Hughes, a 4-star safety from Rocky River, Ohio, used his visit to the Blue-White Game to commit to Kentucky.
According to 24/7 Sports, the 5-11, 190-pound Hughes chose UK over offers from Arizona State, Auburn, BYU, Iowa State, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, West Virgina and Wisconsin, among others.
This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 12:03 PM.
