Kentucky Wildcats 2018 Football Preview

Kentucky Wildcats 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: The Wildcats have not won an SEC title in football since 1976, and that was a shared title even then. The bad news is that you should not expect that drought to change in 2018, 42 years later. Kentucky won 7 games last fall, and lost 5 of their final 7 games. That will have to change if Mark Stoops wants to stick around. Kentucky has now gone to 2 straight bowl games, but losing to Northwestern in the Music City Bowl left a lot to be desired after a flat finish, and slow start could be in store with a brutal schedule. That could get people rumbling in a bad way.

Breakdown Offense: The reality here is that the passing game did no flourish under Stephen Johnson in a way that it should have. He has moved on, and now the job falls to one of two sophomores. Gunner Hoak seems to have the edge heading into fall camp, but JC transfer Terry Wilson is still hanging with him neck and neck, and neither has pulled away yet. For the Kentucky offense to flourish as a whole in 2018, one of these players needs to step forward and grab the job and explode onto the scene.

Barry Snell is back at RB, and is in a spot to become the all-time leading rusher for the Wildcats this season. He rushed for 1333 yards and 10 scores last fall, while averaging 5.09 yards per carry and 102.54 yards rushing per game. He is the true star of this offense, but he needs some help from his QB, or else he will be keyed on and stacked up against every week. AJ Rose and Siheim King both had solid springs, and should provide solid depth behind Snell this fall.

Garrett Johnson, who led the Cats with 48 catches last fall, is gone. Tavin Richardson is the lone returning starter, and he caught 27 passes last fall, and scored only once. Dorian Baker and Lynn Bowden are projected to fill the open starting jobs in camp. Baker missed last season with an injury, while Bowden caught 17 passes. Josh Ali, a sophomore, is also in the mix. Clevan Thomas and Isaiah Epps could provide some depth.

CJ Conrad caught 4 TD passes last season, and returns at TE, and could see an increased role in the passing game this fall. Justin Rigg, Brendan Bates, and Keaton Upshaw all provide some solid depth as well. Rigg caught just 3 passes last fall, but they went for 40 yards.

The line is in good shape with 4 starters returning. Logan Stenberg (LG), Drake Jackson (C), Bunchy Stallings (RG) and George Asafo-Adjei (RT) all appear to be locked into starting jobs. Landon Young, a junior, appears to be have the edge at LT heading into camp. EJ Price and Nasir Watkins should provide backup depth at the Tackle spots, while Luke Fortner is the backup at the OG spots, while Mason Wolfe provides depth at both Guard and Center.

Breakdown Defense: The Wildcats ranked 75th in scoring defense, 78th in rushing defense, 102nd against the pass, and 91st in total defense last fall. That will not get it done in the SEC East in 2018.

DT Adrian Middleton is the lone returning starter on the line for Kentucky, and he finished with just 3.5 TFLs last fall. TJ Carter and Josh Paschal are in a fight for the DE spot heading into camp. They combined for 6.5 TFLs last season and could work as a rotation this season. Calvin Taylor could also find his way into the mix there in camp. Quinton Bohanna is a massive presence in the middle at NG, but he is inexperienced as a sophomore.

The LB spot is good news, bad news for the Cats in 2018. Good news is that Josh Allen returns at OLB this season after recording 66 tackles last season. He led the team with 10.5 TFLs and 7 sacks. He also recorded 3 PBUs, 3 QB hurries, and 2 forced fumbles. Jordan Jones also returns at ILB after recording 64 tackles last season. He totaled 7.5 TFLs and 2 sacks, and added 3 QB hurries. The bad news is that the Wildcats are looking for new starters at the other OLB and ILB spots. Kengara Daniel will likely start at the open OLB spot, and recorded one TFL as a junior last fall. Kash Daniel has the edge at the ILB spot, and recorded just 7 tackles last fall. Jamar Watson could figure in at the open OLB spot, bur recorded just 7 tackles last fall, and Jordan Wright could provide some depth, but no experience. Jackson High, Alex King, DeAndre Square, and Jamin Davis are all trying to fight for roles as well.

The secondary brings some good news after a rough season, as 3 of 4 starters return. Darius West and Mike Edwards return at the Safety spots. Edwards led the team in tackles last fall with 96, while West finished with 85. Edwards finished with 7 PBUs, while West forced 2 fumbles. Edwards led the team with 4 INTs. Davonte Robinson should be the 3rd Safety, while Michael Nesbitt could provide depth at both Safety and CB.

Speaking of CB, Derrick Baity returns to start. He led the team with 9 PBUs a season ago, and should be another solid piece in the back end of the defense. Lonnie Johnson, a senior, fits into the other open CB job as we head towards camp. He finished with 5 PBUs last fall. Chris Westry figures in as the 3rd corner. and finished with 2 PBUs last fall.

Breakdown Special Teams: Austin MacGannas is gone after hitting 22 FGs last fall, and that leaves a rather large void for the Wildcats. Freshman Chance Poore looks like he has the lead on the job, but Miles Butler could figure in along with Matt Ruffalo.

Matt Panton has moved on at Punter as well, and it looks as if Max Duffy, a sophomore, has the track there. Butler could figure into this battle as well, while Grant McKinniss and Colin Goodfellow give chase.

Lynn Bowden finished last season with a solid average of 23.49 yards per kick return, and will be back at it this fall, and could add PR duties as well after the departure of Charles Walker.

Final Analysis: While the defense returns some talent in the secondary on defense, that unit got torched last fall to a tune of 251.6 yards passing per game, so improvements must be made. Teams also rushed for 175.3 yards per game against the Wildcats, and with all of the holes up front, that emerges as a dangerous situation as we head into the summer. If the Cats cannot stop anyone, talking about their offensive issues matters not, and they have some. The QB situation has not been ironed out, and the receivers are largely inexperienced, or have not shown anything yet. The line could be OK, but this is an offense that finished 103rd last season in total offense, so expectations should be severely limited. Kentucky could fight for a bowl, but getting over a first month that sees the Cats taking on Florida, Mississippi State, and South Carolina may leave a lasting negative impact, and that could cost Stoops, who has barely hung onto his job as is. Getting to that bowl will mean winning some games that they should not, and that may be asking a lot.