Mark Stoops, Kentucky football must solve these position battles in preseason practices

When Kentucky football players report for preseason camp, coach Mark Stoops should have the luxury of a fairly stable depth chart.

With 15 starters returning on offense and defense and high-profile transfers signed to fill several of the open jobs, preseason practice should be more about building chemistry than settling lingering competitions. There are at least a handful of positions up for grabs, though.

Here is a look at five battles that must be decided before the Aug. 31 season opener.

Running back

The leading contenders: Chip Trayanum (5-11, 277, Sr.), Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (6-0, 210, Sr.).

The dark horse: Jason Patterson (5-10, 206, Fr.).

Other options: Tovani Mizell (6-0, 215, Fr.), Jamarion Wilcox (5-10, 197, RFr.).

What to know: Trayanum, a transfer from Ohio State, is the favorite to receive the first carry for Kentucky, but while coaches praised their options at the position during spring practice they also made it clear no one player had emerged from the pack. The fact that Kentucky pursued multiple starting-caliber transfers in the spring window without signing any adds further questions about the outlook of the position. Patterson, a mid-year enrollee who was a consistent target of praise in spring practice, might have the highest ceiling, but even Benny Snell needed a few games his freshman season before grabbing a featured role.

Trayanum should at least give UK a boost in short-yardage situations where the run game struggled a year ago. Sumo-Karngbaye split time between running back and slot receiver in 2023 and should add versatility to the rotation even if he doesn’t win the starting job.

Punter

The leading contenders: Wilson Berry (6-4, 217, Jr.), Aidan Laros (6-2, 212, Jr.).

Other options: Jacob Kauwe (6-1, 206, Fr.).

What to know: Berry is a returning starter at the position, but he struggled to find consistency for much of 2023, leading Kentucky to sign Laros as a scholarship transfer from UT Martin. Laros, a native of South Africa, led all of FCS in average punting (47.3 yards per punt) and ranked ninth in net punting (40.83 yards per punt).

Normally it would be fair to worry about how an FCS transfer will adapt to SEC competition, but punting should be among the easiest skills to transition. Laros averaged 50.2 yards per punt against Georgia last season. Four of his eight punts in that game went for at least 50 yards.

Berry will have a chance to retain his job, but if Kentucky can receive a similar impact from Laros that it did from Georgia Southern kicker transfer Alex Raynor last season, that has to be considered a win. There are no other punters listed on the latest roster, but Kauwe, who is listed as a kicker, did punt in high school.

Offensive line (left guard and right tackle)

The leading contenders: Jalen Farmer (6-5, 314, So.), Courtland Ford (6-6, 327, Sr.), Gerald Mincey (6-6, 335, Sr.), Dylan Ray (6-6, 310, Jr.).

The dark horse: Ben Christman (6-6, 325, Jr.).

Other options: Austin Ramsey (6-4, 328, RFr.), Anfernee Crease (6-6, 315, So.), Malachi Wood (6-8, 320, RFr.).

What to know: Kentucky enters preseason camp with set starters at left tackle (Marques Cox) and center (Eli Cox). We’ll include right guard Jager Burton in the safe starter group too, but he does need to show improvement as a fourth-year junior. That leaves open competitions at left guard and right tackle, where incoming transfers Farmer (Florida) and Mincey (Tennessee) ended spring practices on the first-team unit.

Depth should be a strength of the offensive line considering Ray, who started 10 games in 2023, enters camp as a projected backup. Ray will have a chance to regain his starting spot at left guard, and Ford, who started two games last season, will have a chance to stake a claim at right tackle after missing spring practice while rehabbing an injury. Christman, a former four-star recruit, is a wild card in the competition after missing the entire 2023 season with a knee injury after transferring from Ohio State. If he is healthy, he could be a factor.

Nose guard

The leading contender: Keeshawn Silver (6-4, 336, Jr.).

The dark horse: Deone Walker (6-6, 345, Jr.).

Other options: Dennious Jackson (6-5, 335, So.), Tre’Vonn Rybka (6-4, 284, Sr.), Kahlil Saunders (6-5, 291, Jr.).

What to know: This competition is more about depth and finding the best combination of three linemen than a true open job. Silver, a former five-star recruit and North Carolina transfer, is the returning starter and should retain that spot if healthy after missing spring practice. But with backups Josaih Hayes and Tavion Gadson expected to miss a significant portion of the season, defensive line coach Anwart Stewart will need to get creative with his rotations.

An obvious option would be to play preseason All-American Deone Walker at nose guard, the position he his projected to play in the NFL, but Walker proved to be one of UK’s most dynamic pass rushers while playing tackle in 2023. At SEC Media Days, Walker said he is open to playing nose guard if needed but noted Saunders and Rybka are also cross-training at the position.

Jackson, a late addition to the 2024 recruiting class as a junior college transfer, is an unknown. He certainly has the frame to play nose guard, but Kentucky was his only FBS scholarship offer.

Cornerback

The leading contenders: Jantzen Dunn (6-0, 185, Jr.), JQ Hardaway (6-3, 191, Jr.), DJ Waller (6-3, 202, So.).

The dark horse: Nasir Addison (6-0, 199, So.).

Other options: Terhyon Nichols (5-11, 195, Fr.), Quay’sheed Scott (6-0, 192, Fr.).

The battle to start opposite preseason All-SEC cornerback Maxwell Hairston gained a new contender in the spring transfer window in the form of Waller, who was competing for a starting job at defending national champion Michigan before entering the portal. Waller was signed with the expectation he would start immediately, but the job will not be handed to him.

Dunn ended spring practice as the top contender among returnees but might be best suited to play nickel back. Stoops applauded Hardaway for his improvements at SEC Media Days and said he expected Addison to make a jump in his second year in the program. There should be enough depth that the freshmen are not needed immediately, but Stoops said both could play early on signing day.

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