We are less than a week from our opener, and instate newspapers are posting their season previews. Here are some thoughts. Please join in.
QB- I will predict improvement, because Levis was injured last season. Leary can't run with the football like Levis and hopefully won't try. But public statements indicate our team has confidence in Leary's leadership. After watching video of Leary's performances at NC State, I know he is a quick, accurate passer. Leary's UK receivers are the best he has ever worked with. If he stays healthy, I could foresee >3,000 passing yards with Coach Coen calling plays. But if Leary can't stay healthy (the nightmare scenario for every UK fan this year), we can at least guarantee our reserve QBs will be more experienced than last year.
RB- Ray Davis is one of only four returning 1,000 yard SEC rushers. Ramon Jefferson is a former FCS All American. Jutahn McClain is not popular on this board but is a better player than he gets credit for. DSK played with Leary at NC State and adds versatility. LaVell Wright is young but has the right combination of size and athleticism. Jamarion Wilcox was a 2,000+ rusher last year at S Paulding hs. This is a deep, talented room, and I predict no falloff in 2023.
TE- All of our key TEs are back. Khamari Anderson has been added. Izayah Cummings hardly got onto the field last year but will be utilized more intelligently by Coach Coen. The position will be improved.
WR- All of our key WRs are back, this time with Coen calling plays. So it will be an improved room. Dane Key and Barion Brown will become stars, and Anthony Brown may too. Tayvion Robinson got banged up last year, but is ready to play for Coen. Shamar Porter and fellow freshman Ardell Banks are probably underrated IMO. This is a make or break year for Dekel Crowdus.
OT- On the left side, praise for Marques Cox has been nonstop. I believe Cox will deliver an improved performance compared to our situation last year and might get drafted. On the right side, Courtland Ford and a more experienced Jeremy Flax are bound to play better than Flax did last year. This is a position I still worry about, because Ford has been dinged up in camp and Flax has historically had trouble blocking speed rushers. The loser of the Ford-Flax competition is the only experienced OT depth, but incoming transfer Dylan Ray is generating buzz in camp. So I believe our OTs will be improved, but will be watching to see how much improvement there is.
OG- On the left side, Kenneth Horsey is back to his familiar position, and could be one of the SEC's best. Eli Cox has moved back to RG. Tashawn Manning has graduated. Conventional wisdom says Cox is at least an adequate replacement for Manning. I will be watching that position. The backups are Paul Rodriguez plus incoming transfers Tanner Bowles and Ben Christman. So, on paper, depth is improved. Christman was highly recruited out of Revere hs and looks like a future starter.
C- I am a believer in Jager Burton, a former headliner recruit with a big offer sheet. Burton added muscle over the offseason. Backing up Burton are Bowles and freshman Koby Kernum. I believe this position will be improved.
NT- In the biggest transfer blow of the offseason, we lost Justin Rogers. Josaih Hayes is capable of a bigger contribution than he has given to date. Hayes was formerly a headliner recruit with a stellar offer sheet. That is one of the biggest issues to keep an eye on. Backup Jamarius Dinkins had a breakout 2022 season but is undersized at 280#. Incoming transfer Keeshawn Silver stirred fan interest because of his former star rating but is still out of shape. This is Hayes' job to lose. With more quality depth this time, the combined performance of these big guys should be solid, but maybe not quite as stout as last year.
DT- Deone Walker may be the best player on the entire team and might be an All American. His backup Octavious Oxendine has been a contributor during his career, but can play better. True freshman Kendrick Gilbert may win some snaps. Believe it or not, this position will be improved.
DE- TreVonn Rybka and Khalil Saunders are back, and bound to be improved with the benefit of more experience. There has been scuttlebutt that Saunders is one of the most improved players on the team.
Jack LB- This position made Josh Allen an All American. JJ Weaver put on additional muscle during the offseason and has a chance to become one of Stoops' best at the position. The only question about Weaver is whether he can stay healthy. Backing him up are Keaton Wade and Tyreese Fearbry, both similarly long and athletic. This could be a breakout season for Wade. As good as Jordan Wright was in 2022, the Jack position may actually be improved if Weaver can avoid nagging injuries.
Mike LB- Jaquez Jones is replaced by his understudy, D'Eryk Jackson. Jackson is stout in the rush defense. But in pass defense, Jones won several games with key interceptions. That is not Jackson's strong suit. OTOH, Jackson is a big, strong interior defender, difficult to block. He is backed up by Luke Fulton, an unproven player. It is possible that true freshman Jayvant Brown could get some snaps.
Will LB- DeAndre Square was one of the best LBs of the Stoops era. His former understudy Trevin Wallace is bigger, stronger, and just as athletic. Wallace has a chance to become one of the best players on this team. He is backed up by undersized transfer Daveren Rayner, unproven at the Power 5 level. Martez Thrower is the third Will LB.
CB- Replacing Carrington Valentine and Keidron Smith presents one of the team's biggest challenges. I have no doubts about Andru Phillips, a tough, agile corner defender. But Max Hairston is a question mark. No question about Hairston's size and athleticism, but he is green. Until he proves himself in games, opposing QBs will pick on him. The depth is talented but largely unproven. JQ Hardaway transferred in from UC and Jantzen Dunn from OH St. Both were heavily recruited out of hs but neither has proven himself in Power 5 yet. So if forced to name one position for preseason apprehension, I will go with CB even though all these guys have high upsides.
Nickel- Currently, Jalen Geiger is backed up by Alex Afari. Both are experienced, talented players. So the position is likely to be improved. Afari, a physical specimen, will play a lot because Geiger is also our third S.
S- The starters will probably be Jordan Lovett and Zion Childress, both of whom started in 2022. As indicated above, Geiger is another experienced S. It's possible Geiger could start some games at S instead of nickel. After these three guys, there is no experienced depth although true freshman Ty Bryant has been one of the biggest stories of preseason camp.
Special teams- Aside from a couple of impressive kickoff returns by Barion Brown, UK had the worst special teams I have ever seen last year. I don't say that lightly either. Multiple snaps were flubbed by our long snappers, which cost us a game or two. Blocking upfront was poor, resulting in multiple blocked kicks. Makeable FGs and PATs were blown. New Coach Jay Boulware was brought in, along with a list of incoming transfers. Alex Raynor is the new placekicker and Ronald Gaines is the new long snapper. Wilson Berry will retain the punting job and Chance Poore the kickoff duties. Barion Brown is back as our primary kickoff returner. Tayvion Robinson will return punts again. Our special teams will be improved. They couldn't possibly be worse.
Last year we finished 7-6. There is no question that our special teams blew our road game at Ole Miss. We should have won that game. We lost another two games in which starting QB Will Levis didn't play because of injuries and an opt-out in the bowl. We lost to an improving Vandy team in Lexington because we could not sustain drives or prevent sacks. We gave GA their toughest game of the entire season although we were unable to move the chains while the game was still winnable. What's done is done, but we all know we were only a handful of plays from being 9-4. Our coaching staff has done a terrific retooling job over the offseason. The remaining question marks are RT, NT, and CB, but things have been looking good in camp this month AFAICT. I can't predict injuries or mistakes, so I won't try to make a final prediction here about our 2023 record. All I know is that this is an obvious setup for a huge year-to-year improvement.
QB- I will predict improvement, because Levis was injured last season. Leary can't run with the football like Levis and hopefully won't try. But public statements indicate our team has confidence in Leary's leadership. After watching video of Leary's performances at NC State, I know he is a quick, accurate passer. Leary's UK receivers are the best he has ever worked with. If he stays healthy, I could foresee >3,000 passing yards with Coach Coen calling plays. But if Leary can't stay healthy (the nightmare scenario for every UK fan this year), we can at least guarantee our reserve QBs will be more experienced than last year.
RB- Ray Davis is one of only four returning 1,000 yard SEC rushers. Ramon Jefferson is a former FCS All American. Jutahn McClain is not popular on this board but is a better player than he gets credit for. DSK played with Leary at NC State and adds versatility. LaVell Wright is young but has the right combination of size and athleticism. Jamarion Wilcox was a 2,000+ rusher last year at S Paulding hs. This is a deep, talented room, and I predict no falloff in 2023.
TE- All of our key TEs are back. Khamari Anderson has been added. Izayah Cummings hardly got onto the field last year but will be utilized more intelligently by Coach Coen. The position will be improved.
WR- All of our key WRs are back, this time with Coen calling plays. So it will be an improved room. Dane Key and Barion Brown will become stars, and Anthony Brown may too. Tayvion Robinson got banged up last year, but is ready to play for Coen. Shamar Porter and fellow freshman Ardell Banks are probably underrated IMO. This is a make or break year for Dekel Crowdus.
OT- On the left side, praise for Marques Cox has been nonstop. I believe Cox will deliver an improved performance compared to our situation last year and might get drafted. On the right side, Courtland Ford and a more experienced Jeremy Flax are bound to play better than Flax did last year. This is a position I still worry about, because Ford has been dinged up in camp and Flax has historically had trouble blocking speed rushers. The loser of the Ford-Flax competition is the only experienced OT depth, but incoming transfer Dylan Ray is generating buzz in camp. So I believe our OTs will be improved, but will be watching to see how much improvement there is.
OG- On the left side, Kenneth Horsey is back to his familiar position, and could be one of the SEC's best. Eli Cox has moved back to RG. Tashawn Manning has graduated. Conventional wisdom says Cox is at least an adequate replacement for Manning. I will be watching that position. The backups are Paul Rodriguez plus incoming transfers Tanner Bowles and Ben Christman. So, on paper, depth is improved. Christman was highly recruited out of Revere hs and looks like a future starter.
C- I am a believer in Jager Burton, a former headliner recruit with a big offer sheet. Burton added muscle over the offseason. Backing up Burton are Bowles and freshman Koby Kernum. I believe this position will be improved.
NT- In the biggest transfer blow of the offseason, we lost Justin Rogers. Josaih Hayes is capable of a bigger contribution than he has given to date. Hayes was formerly a headliner recruit with a stellar offer sheet. That is one of the biggest issues to keep an eye on. Backup Jamarius Dinkins had a breakout 2022 season but is undersized at 280#. Incoming transfer Keeshawn Silver stirred fan interest because of his former star rating but is still out of shape. This is Hayes' job to lose. With more quality depth this time, the combined performance of these big guys should be solid, but maybe not quite as stout as last year.
DT- Deone Walker may be the best player on the entire team and might be an All American. His backup Octavious Oxendine has been a contributor during his career, but can play better. True freshman Kendrick Gilbert may win some snaps. Believe it or not, this position will be improved.
DE- TreVonn Rybka and Khalil Saunders are back, and bound to be improved with the benefit of more experience. There has been scuttlebutt that Saunders is one of the most improved players on the team.
Jack LB- This position made Josh Allen an All American. JJ Weaver put on additional muscle during the offseason and has a chance to become one of Stoops' best at the position. The only question about Weaver is whether he can stay healthy. Backing him up are Keaton Wade and Tyreese Fearbry, both similarly long and athletic. This could be a breakout season for Wade. As good as Jordan Wright was in 2022, the Jack position may actually be improved if Weaver can avoid nagging injuries.
Mike LB- Jaquez Jones is replaced by his understudy, D'Eryk Jackson. Jackson is stout in the rush defense. But in pass defense, Jones won several games with key interceptions. That is not Jackson's strong suit. OTOH, Jackson is a big, strong interior defender, difficult to block. He is backed up by Luke Fulton, an unproven player. It is possible that true freshman Jayvant Brown could get some snaps.
Will LB- DeAndre Square was one of the best LBs of the Stoops era. His former understudy Trevin Wallace is bigger, stronger, and just as athletic. Wallace has a chance to become one of the best players on this team. He is backed up by undersized transfer Daveren Rayner, unproven at the Power 5 level. Martez Thrower is the third Will LB.
CB- Replacing Carrington Valentine and Keidron Smith presents one of the team's biggest challenges. I have no doubts about Andru Phillips, a tough, agile corner defender. But Max Hairston is a question mark. No question about Hairston's size and athleticism, but he is green. Until he proves himself in games, opposing QBs will pick on him. The depth is talented but largely unproven. JQ Hardaway transferred in from UC and Jantzen Dunn from OH St. Both were heavily recruited out of hs but neither has proven himself in Power 5 yet. So if forced to name one position for preseason apprehension, I will go with CB even though all these guys have high upsides.
Nickel- Currently, Jalen Geiger is backed up by Alex Afari. Both are experienced, talented players. So the position is likely to be improved. Afari, a physical specimen, will play a lot because Geiger is also our third S.
S- The starters will probably be Jordan Lovett and Zion Childress, both of whom started in 2022. As indicated above, Geiger is another experienced S. It's possible Geiger could start some games at S instead of nickel. After these three guys, there is no experienced depth although true freshman Ty Bryant has been one of the biggest stories of preseason camp.
Special teams- Aside from a couple of impressive kickoff returns by Barion Brown, UK had the worst special teams I have ever seen last year. I don't say that lightly either. Multiple snaps were flubbed by our long snappers, which cost us a game or two. Blocking upfront was poor, resulting in multiple blocked kicks. Makeable FGs and PATs were blown. New Coach Jay Boulware was brought in, along with a list of incoming transfers. Alex Raynor is the new placekicker and Ronald Gaines is the new long snapper. Wilson Berry will retain the punting job and Chance Poore the kickoff duties. Barion Brown is back as our primary kickoff returner. Tayvion Robinson will return punts again. Our special teams will be improved. They couldn't possibly be worse.
Last year we finished 7-6. There is no question that our special teams blew our road game at Ole Miss. We should have won that game. We lost another two games in which starting QB Will Levis didn't play because of injuries and an opt-out in the bowl. We lost to an improving Vandy team in Lexington because we could not sustain drives or prevent sacks. We gave GA their toughest game of the entire season although we were unable to move the chains while the game was still winnable. What's done is done, but we all know we were only a handful of plays from being 9-4. Our coaching staff has done a terrific retooling job over the offseason. The remaining question marks are RT, NT, and CB, but things have been looking good in camp this month AFAICT. I can't predict injuries or mistakes, so I won't try to make a final prediction here about our 2023 record. All I know is that this is an obvious setup for a huge year-to-year improvement.
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