Kentucky defeats Louisville 38-31. Jacob Noger | UK Football
Kentucky
2023 Results: 7-6, 3-5 SEC
2024 Projection: 7-5, 3-5 SEC
Overview:
Mark Stoops continued his bowl-eligible, winning ways last season, and after flirting with the Texas A&M job, it’s hard to imagine him anywhere else. With the arrival of yet another high-profile quarterback from the transfer portal, former Georgia Bulldog, Brock Vandagriff, along with a new offensive coordinator, there are plenty of reasons to believe another strong season is on the horizon.
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- Brock Vandagriff. 2024 UK Football Spring Game. Photo by Tyler Ruth | UK Athletics
Offense:
With Ray Davis gone, it falls on Ohio State transfer DeaMonte Trayanum to be the workhorse at running back, while the aforementioned Vandagriff will have two established weapons at wide receiver in Barion Brown and Dane Key. With Liam Coen leaving for the NFL, Stoops hired Bush Hamdan away from Boise State to call plays for the Wildcats this season. Replacing offensive coordinators has become a trend in Lexington and how quickly Vandagriff and his teammates pick up the system, along with an offensive line that only returns one starter from a unit that struggled last season will determine how far Kentucky goes this season.
Defense:
Kentucky was a run-stuffing machine last season, allowing only 113.1 yards a game in 2023. The anchor of that unit, Deone Walker, who stands at 6-6, 348 pounds, returns and will be a problem for offenses every week. Lockdown corner, Maxwell Hairston is also back and yet another former Georgia Bulldog, Jamon Dumas-Johnson will lead the linebacker group. Stoops hangs his hat on defense and this should be another stingy crew on that side of the ball this season. If the offense gels and can sustain drives, they should rank near the top of the league statistically.
Special Teams:
The Cats are steady at placekicker with Alex Raynor returning after hitting 10-11 field goal attempts last season and Barrion Brown will return kicks again coming off a season in which he led all of college football with 3 kickoffs returned for touchdowns.
Final Thoughts:
The Cats only leave Lexington once in the month of September, but Georgia comes calling in week three, and after a trip to Ole Miss to close out the month, things just get tougher from there. If the offense finds its way with Brock Vandagriff under center, 8 or 9 wins aren’t out of reach, but if they struggle, it could be a battle to reach bowl eligibility.
