Mailbag: What does UK football’s depth chart look like at start of summer workouts?

With UK baseball’s elimination from the College World Series last week, we can officially close the book on the 2023-24 athletic season.

But the unofficial start of football is less than a month away when SEC Media Days kicks off in Dallas. That means it’s time to look ahead.

We took to Twitter/X to solicit your questions about the football Wildcats. Here is what you wanted to know.

@shrity93: I know it’s a little early, but projected two-deep?

With players on campus for summer school, we at least know what the roster is going to look like. It’s always possible Kentucky could add a late transfer — a depth piece at nose guard following the long-term injury for Josaih Hayes might still be possible — but the vast majority of the week one two-deep is already in the fold.

Here’s how I would project the depth chart heading into the start of camp.

OFFENSE

QB: Brock Vandagriff/Gavin Wimsatt

RB: Chip Trayanum or Demie Sumo-Karngbaye

WR: Barion Brown/Hardley Gilmore

WR: Ja’Mori Maclin/Anthony Brown-Stephens

WR: Dane Key/Fred Farrier

TE: Josh Kattus or Jordan Dingle

LT: Marques Cox/Anfernee Crease

LG: Jalen Farmer/Dylan Ray

C: Eli Cox/Koby Keenum

RG: Jager Burton/Austin Ramsey

RT: Gerald Mincey/Courtland Ford

DEFENSE

DT: Deone Walker/Octavious Oxendine

NG: Keeshawn Silver/Kendrick Gilbert

DE: Tre’vonn Rybka/Kahlil Saunders

JLB: J.J. Weaver/Noah Matthews

MLB: D’Eryk Jackson/Jayvant Brown

WLB: Jamon Dumas-Johnson/Daveren Rayner

SLB: Alex Afari/Tyreese Fearbry

CB: Maxwell Hairston/JQ Hardaway

CB: DJ Waller/Jantzen Dunn

SS: Jordan Lovett/Ty Bryant

FS: Zion Childress/Kristian Story

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Alex Raynor/Jacob Kauwe

P: Aidan Laros/Wilson Berry

You’ll notice I listed running back and tight end with an “or” between the top two players on the depth chart. I expect those to be true timeshares until one player proves worthy of the majority of the snaps. Running back will be particularly interesting to watch because offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan has coached a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his seasons as a play-caller, but it does not appear Kentucky has a true bell cow running back on the roster yet.

@shrity93: Or any impact transfers/freshmen expected to start right away?

For Kentucky to have a special season, its transfer class will have to prove to be elite. I’ve projected the Wildcats to start five new transfers on offense (Vandagriff, Trayanum, Maclin, Farmer and Mincey), two on defense (Dumas-Johnson and Waller) and one on special teams (Laros) in the depth chart above. There are returning players to compete for those jobs, but Stoops and company recruited those transfers to carry the load.

Because of the transfer portal additions, there is less room for freshmen to start right away, but Stoops has a long track record of giving first-year players early opportunities if they prove worthy of reps. One to keep an eye on is Gilmore. There is talented veteran depth ahead of him at wide receiver, but coaches and teammates raved about his work ethic and play-making ability in spring practice. Running back Jason Patterson and defensive linemen Jerod Smith and Brian Robinson also gained a head start by enrolling in January. Don’t be surprised if freshman tight end Willie Rodriguez makes an impact at some point this season too.

@DubleDownDrew: What’s the breakdown on classes? Seniors/juniors/etc? Curious how “seasoned” we are. Maybe a better breakdown would be what are our experience levels are.

Experience should be a real plus for Kentucky this fall. Of the 48 players listed on the projected two-deep above, 35 are listed as juniors or seniors on the roster. Only two of the 24 projected starters do not fall in that category: sophomore left guard Jalen Farmer and sophomore cornerback DJ Waller, incoming transfers from Florida and Michigan respectively.

Of course, as you point out, age and experience are not always equal. For instance, Vandagriff will be in his fourth season of SEC football this fall but totaled just 21 pass attempts across three seasons as a backup at Georgia. As a former five-star recruit, Vandagriff offers plenty of hope for high-level quarterback play, but he is far from a proven commodity.

Kentucky has seven players (Childress, Eli Cox, Marques Cox, Hayes, Rayner, Raynor and Weaver) using the extra season of eligibility granted all players due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Including those seven players, there are 15 total Wildcats who have already appeared in 30 games in their careers.

@MrEd315: In your opinion, how competitive will the Wildcats be this year?

Saving the hardest for last. I reserve the right to change my opinion after a few weeks of preseason camp when we have a better idea of how several players have progressed in returning from injuries and more information about how the offensive players have adapted to a new scheme, but for now I think this is a top 25 team. You could say the quarterback is the X-factor for most teams, but that is especially true for Kentucky. If Vandagriff can prove he was worthy of that five-star rating in high school, he seems like a perfect fit for Hamdan’s offense. Pair that with what should be a steady veteran defense, and this could be one of Stoops’ best UK teams.

Of course, the schedule is difficult enough that even if this is one of Stoops’ best teams it might fall short of the 10-win 2018 and 2021 records. Trading Mississippi State, Arkansas and Missouri for Auburn, Ole Miss and Texas in the new schedule format might be enough to keep UK out of contention for the 12-team playoff even with a special season. Eight wins in the regular season would have to be considered a success.

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