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ESPN: UK defense projected to do well next year

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BlueRaider22

All-American
Sep 24, 2003
15,562
9,058
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16. Kentucky Wildcats​

2022 future defense power ranking: 18
Trevin Wallace and D'Eryk Jackson are both back at linebacker for Kentucky in 2023. Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Scouting the Wildcats: Kentucky fell well short of expectations last season, but the defense held up its end, finishing 11th nationally in yards allowed, 13th in points allowed and seventh against the pass. Coach Mark Stoops and coordinator Brad White have established a standard that should sustain through 2025. The immediate concern is bolstering a linebacker group that loses mainstays DeAndre Square and Jordan Wright, as well as All-SEC safety Keidron Smith. Senior inside linebacker D'Eryk Jackson will lead the linebacker group after recording a team-high 67 tackles last season. Kentucky also got a big boost with the return of J.J. Weaver, a captain in 2022 who has made starts in each of the past three seasons. Junior Trevin Wallace also is back after recording two interceptions and 5.5 tackles for loss last fall. Wallace, sophomore Keaten Wade and others will be key beyond 2023, including incoming freshmen Jayvant Brown and Grant Godfrey, both ESPN four-star recruits.
Sophomore tackle Deone Walker is a 6-foot-6, 348-pound force who should anchor the line for at least two more seasons. Kentucky needs more around him, especially at end, where sophomore Khalil Saunders, junior Tre'vonn Rybka and others will compete. Jamarius Dinkins is another intriguing interior lineman who should play several more seasons for UK, which added North Carolina transfer Keeshawn Silver. Like the line, Kentucky's secondary is filled with promising non-seniors, including sophomore safety Jordan Lovett, the team's No. 2 tackler last fall. Junior Zion Childress could play opposite Lovett this fall, and sophomore Maxwell Hairston stood out this spring. Cincinnati transfer JQ Hardaway is an interesting addition at cornerback, where junior Andru Phillips also returns. Cornerback Avery Stuart, an ESPN 300 selection, headlines Kentucky's 2023 recruiting class, along with ESPN four-star safety Jaremiah Anglin Jr.


 
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K

K_TIME

Heisman
Jan 2, 2003
18,086
24,920
113
Man....UK defense is looking so good for next year. The only reasonable question mark is opposite CB of Dre Phillips. (And I expect Dre to be fantastic). But if that opposite CB spot is solid....where are teams going to attack UK?

- You want to run at Walker, Rybka, Hayes/Silver with DJackson and Wallace?
- Pass rush has been an achilles....but JJ and Wade are decent and could be really good....Afari will be lurking in the box more this year.
- You think you can take advantage of Lovett and Childress to iso them on slot WR...or trying to throw short stuff? Those guys put people on the ground and tackle in space extremely well.
- I think Dre Phillips could be an all SEC 3rd team-ish player. He was locking up dudes in spring ball.
- UK is deep all over the field save inside LBer and CB. (And I bet Thrower will be just fine inside).

I expect UK to be a load for teams in 2023 to score against. If the offense is just solid with Coen back and we can kick the freaking ball for crap (which I don't feel good about), this D will get to rest and play with leads from game to game.....2023 feels good to me.
 
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JHB4UK

Heisman
May 29, 2001
31,836
11,258
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Big downgrade in QBs we face in 2023. New starters in Knoxville, Florida, Georgia, Bama, Louisville. Miss St going to a conventional O, new playcallers at S Carolina & Mizzou.

High expectations for UK D in 2023 is justified and warranted.
 
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Grumpyolddawg

Heisman
Jun 11, 2001
28,289
36,935
113
JHB4UK said:
Big downgrade in QBs we face in 2023. New starters in Knoxville, Florida, Georgia, Bama, Louisville. Miss St going to a conventional O, new playcallers at S Carolina & Mizzou.

High expectations for UK D in 2023 is justified and warranted.
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Don't know anything about Louisville's QB, don't follow minor league. But apparently Bama was concerned and brought in a backup from ND. TN fans already claiming Joe will set records, UGA doesn't know who QB will be and UF is still trying to pull from the portal. Not sure what's going on at Vandy. But a lot of new guys at QB with several not knowing who their QB will be.
 
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Mr Schwump

Heisman
Nov 4, 2006
29,563
23,097
18
Grumpyolddawg said:
Don't know anything about Louisville's QB, don't follow minor league. But apparently Bama was concerned and brought in a backup from ND. TN fans already claiming Joe will set records, UGA doesn't know who QB will be and UF is still trying to pull from the portal. Not sure what's going on at Vandy. But a lot of new guys at QB with several not knowing who their QB will be.
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Re TN's QB....these people haven't heard that Milton and the 8M Dollar Man are ranked #1/#2 in the Heisman race? Heisman, SECE, SEC Champ, NC is already over. Everybody else playing for sloppy seconds.
 
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M

Mr Schwump

Heisman
Nov 4, 2006
29,563
23,097
18
JHB4UK said:
One ranking of SEC QBs for '23 i saw has LSU's Daniels #1, KJ Jefferson of Ark #2. Not on UK's schedule. And they are not great QBs anyway!!! Scoring all over the SEC this ye might be rough.
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Daniels is very good, Jefferson is Richardson 2.0.
 
J

JHB4UK

Heisman
May 29, 2001
31,836
11,258
0
IMO Daniels will not end the season as starting QB, Nussmeyer will replace him after a few games
 
M

Madcat62_rivals113839

All-Conference
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Grumpyolddawg said:
Don't know anything about Louisville's QB, don't follow minor league. But apparently Bama was concerned and brought in a backup from ND. TN fans already claiming Joe will set records, UGA doesn't know who QB will be and UF is still trying to pull from the portal. Not sure what's going on at Vandy. But a lot of new guys at QB with several not knowing who their QB will be.
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ut may set some records with that O scheme but won't finish higher then
3rd in the east.
 
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Soupbean

All-American
Jan 19, 2007
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JHB4UK said:
Big downgrade in QBs we face in 2023. New starters in Knoxville, Florida, Georgia, Bama, Louisville. Miss St going to a conventional O, new playcallers at S Carolina & Mizzou.

High expectations for UK D in 2023 is justified and warranted.
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Great Point.
 
JASUN74

JASUN74

All-Conference
May 22, 2008
2,804
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Grumpyolddawg said:
Don't know anything about Louisville's QB, don't follow minor league. But apparently Bama was concerned and brought in a backup from ND. TN fans already claiming Joe will set records, UGA doesn't know who QB will be and UF is still trying to pull from the portal. Not sure what's going on at Vandy. But a lot of new guys at QB with several not knowing who their QB will be.
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Wildcat40229 said:
Kentucky`s defense can be scary good, but our offense has to score around 30 per game and we should. If we had averaged 26 last season, we would have won 2-3 more games. Plus remember, we held Georgia to it`s season low in points.
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I’ll predict this right here and now, if Kentucky averages 30 or over this year we’re going 11-1. I do think we have some high scoring games so I may get in trouble a little bit. Let’s change it to getting 30 plus points in every game instead of the average. I hate sounding like a Homer all the time,( I am), but I really like the overall team this season. Hopefully we get a couple game changers out of the portal who either starts or pushes the starters. 30 or not though I’m looking for 9 wins out of this group and hopefully 1 or 2 more. Lol. Big time tough schedule this season only helps our program in my opinion and I’d rather play big time games all day than a gimme. Ok, back to your regularly scheduled program. Go Cats.
 
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Grumpyolddawg

Heisman
Jun 11, 2001
28,289
36,935
113
JASUN74 said:
I’ll predict this right here and now, if Kentucky averages 30 or over this year we’re going 11-1. I do think we have some high scoring games so I may get in trouble a little bit. Let’s change it to getting 30 plus points in every game instead of the average. I hate sounding like a Homer all the time,( I am), but I really like the overall team this season. Hopefully we get a couple game changers out of the portal who either starts or pushes the starters. 30 or not though I’m looking for 9 wins out of this group and hopefully 1 or 2 more. Lol. Big time tough schedule this season only helps our program in my opinion and I’d rather play big time games all day than a gimme. Ok, back to your regularly scheduled program. Go Cats.
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I think getting to 30 is going to be tougher this year with the rule changes. I don't know by how much but shortening the games will result in less points, I think. I think most everyone knows who their QB will be except Bama and UGA, maybe OM. I think UGA will be good, maybe better, but I don't expect 12-0, hard to go undefeated 3 regular seasons in a row, see us losing 1 or 2 alone the way.
 
E

EdgeHD

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JASUN74 said:
I’ll predict this right here and now, if Kentucky averages 30 or over this year we’re going 11-1.
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Our 2023 schedule does not portend a 11-1 record, but this version of Kentucky football should be better than the chattering class expects. As always, there are some swing games on the schedule. Just cannot predict all of them. But if we mostly stay healthy, block well, and make most of our field goal attempts, we will surprise some of these good old southern folks.
 
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NCPurplecat

All-Conference
Aug 3, 2019
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Afari and a healthy Geiger and Oxendine on Dline make a strong unit. Maybe thin at CB and LB but a great unit if team can stay on field. Other teams lost more production than UK so a lot of opportunity. O line has a lower bar to show improvement but that makes for a top 25 team.
 
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irishcat1965

irishcat1965

Heisman
Apr 22, 2012
19,284
38,796
113
Grumpyolddawg said:
I think getting to 30 is going to be tougher this year with the rule changes. I don't know by how much but shortening the games will result in less points, I think. I think most everyone knows who their QB will be except Bama and UGA, maybe OM. I think UGA will be good, maybe better, but I don't expect 12-0, hard to go undefeated 3 regular seasons in a row, see us losing 1 or 2 alone the way.
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Georgia is going 12-0. The schedule is set up perfectly for you guys.
 
E

EdgeHD

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irishcat1965 said:
White is super star and Barnhart better give him whatever is necessary to keep him here
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He already has. White is signed through 2025. He makes well over a million a year and gets an automatic 100,000 raise every year. More importantly, White likes it at Kentucky and turned down several other big jobs. Stoops is on record saying they plan to keep him around.

Mitch deserves credit. The only significant loss was Clinkscale, who did not want to stay in Lexington. When other schools came after White and Marrow, Mitch retained them. Mitch ponied up to get Coen back. Mitch has elevated the recruiting budget and provided the biggest budget increases in the history of Kentucky football. Call this like it really is.
 
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Mr Schwump

Heisman
Nov 4, 2006
29,563
23,097
18
EdgeHD said:
He already has. White is signed through 2025. He makes well over a million a year and gets an automatic 100,000 raise every year. More importantly, White likes it at Kentucky and turned down several other big jobs. Stoops is on record saying they plan to keep him around.

Mitch deserves credit. The only significant loss was Clinkscale, who did not want to stay in Lexington. When other schools came after White and Marrow, Mitch retained them. Mitch ponied up to get Coen back. Mitch has elevated the recruiting budget and provided the biggest budget increases in the history of Kentucky football. Call this like it really is.
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But, but, but.............
 
E

EdgeHD

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screwduke1 said:
Love Stoops but that was one of his worst coach jobs. Team didnt seem ready at all. Good news is I doubt it will happen again this year and we will have them at home. And Hooker isnt there anymore too.
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Wildcat40229 said:
Our game plan for this game was terrible.
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Every team plays better some weeks than others. We can pick out any team's worst game of the season and find reasons to be critical. That was our worst game of the season for sure, but sometimes I see overemphasis here on the negative. Stoops has been the best Kentucky football coach since Bear, and he is doing it while UL implodes, Tennessee hands out cash in paper bags, and UF blows the best recruiting base in the league. I hate Tennessee, but I love what Stoops is doing. We all need to grow up a little as a fan base and stop obsessing over every opportunity to doubt our coach. He deserves much better from us.
 
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notFromhere

notFromhere

Heisman
Sep 7, 2016
20,636
61,598
113
EdgeHD said:
Every team plays better some weeks than others. We can pick out any team's worst game of the season and find reasons to be critical. That was our worst game of the season for sure, but sometimes I see overemphasis here on the negative. Stoops has been the best Kentucky football coach since Bear, and he is doing it while UL implodes, Tennessee hands out cash in paper bags, and UF blows the best recruiting base in the league. I hate Tennessee, but I love what Stoops is doing. We all need to grow up a little as a fan base and stop obsessing over every opportunity to doubt our coach. He deserves much better from us.
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The game plan wasn't bad. The execution of the same was always going to be difficult. They schemed for exactly what they did but 2 D misreads/miscues led to 2 quick scores really put as in a bad spot defensively AND offensively. Not much potential to recover from that deficit with the OC we had scheming for us
 
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EdgeHD

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Girthang said:
The game plan wasn't bad. The execution of the same was always going to be difficult. They schemed for exactly what they did but 2 D misreads/miscues led to 2 quick scores really put as in a bad spot defensively AND offensively. Not much potential to recover from that deficit with the OC we had scheming for us
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Playing in Kville is always a chore. They keep singing Rocky Top until you get sick to your stomach and swallow your tongue. I hate Rocky Top. It makes my knees cramp and my throat dry out. The surprise of that game was that their defense played its best game of the season and their pass rush was better than advertised. Levis never set his feet in the entire game. That might have been because we could not block anybody at that point of the season. Scan never caught up with the game and never did anything to change the tempo. The other surprise was that our defensive backs got totally used, but I gave credit to UT's receivers for that because they were good. At some point, our guys lost focus. I did not see that happen another time during the entire season. It was by far our worst game. We should not judge the season by that game, but we have to play UT tougher. Heupel is a smart offensive coach and he studies the hell out of film.
 
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jauk11

Heisman
Dec 6, 2006
60,631
18,638
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EdgeHD said:
He already has. White is signed through 2025. He makes well over a million a year and gets an automatic 100,000 raise every year. More importantly, White likes it at Kentucky and turned down several other big jobs. Stoops is on record saying they plan to keep him around.

Mitch deserves credit. The only significant loss was Clinkscale, who did not want to stay in Lexington. When other schools came after White and Marrow, Mitch retained them. Mitch ponied up to get Coen back. Mitch has elevated the recruiting budget and provided the biggest budget increases in the history of Kentucky football. Call this like it really is.
Click to expand...
LOL. What a joke. Another fan that thinks he is a football hero when the OTHER SEC ADs that invested in football while he spent ZERO on improving football facilities during his first decade in power, while he spent the money football made (67,000 average attendance in 2007 with a team that finished with a losing record in the SEC). Have you forgotten the long thread on here by fans saying they would never donate to UK football as long as he was in charge of spending the money? How much do you think the TWO two OOC nobody win seasons AND the five years in a row without a bowl game contributed to the unbelievable SEC distribution (due to the OTHER SEC teams investing in THE money cow) which made more money available than he could spend chasing the All Sports Trophy? How many millions did UK lose because UK football lost 20,000 football season ticket holders (about 5,000 replaced by bargain hunters) AND their donations.

We owe a lot to SEC ADs, the OTHER ones that recognized what the coming money cow was. Not the AD that almost destroyed our money cow,
 
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EdgeHD

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jauk11 said:
LOL. What a joke. Another fan that thinks he is a football hero when the OTHER SEC ADs that invested in football while he spent ZERO on improving football facilities during his first decade in power, while he spent the money football made (67,000 average attendance in 2007 with a team that finished with a losing record in the SEC). Have you forgotten the long thread on here by fans saying they would never donate to UK football as long as he was in charge of spending the money? How much do you think the TWO two OOC nobody win seasons AND the five years in a row without a bowl game contributed to the unbelievable SEC distribution (due to the OTHER SEC teams investing in THE money cow) which made more money available than he could spend chasing the All Sports Trophy? How many millions did UK lose because UK football lost 20,000 football season ticket holders (about 5,000 replaced by bargain hunters) AND their donations.

We owe a lot to SEC ADs, the OTHER ones that recognized what the coming money cow was. Not the AD that almost destroyed our money cow,
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What a crock of horse droppings. You are as clueless and angry as Ben. Is this clueless angry elderly poster day? Did someone give you a noogie?
 
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wildcat502

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2014
1,967
4,069
113
EdgeHD said:
Every team plays better some weeks than others. We can pick out any team's worst game of the season and find reasons to be critical. That was our worst game of the season for sure, but sometimes I see overemphasis here on the negative. Stoops has been the best Kentucky football coach since Bear, and he is doing it while UL implodes, Tennessee hands out cash in paper bags, and UF blows the best recruiting base in the league. I hate Tennessee, but I love what Stoops is doing. We all need to grow up a little as a fan base and stop obsessing over every opportunity to doubt our coach. He deserves much better from us.
Click to expand...
I never have bashed Stoops and never will. The game planning was on our coordinator. I`m in my sixties and have lived through terrible football for decades and I love Stoops for what he has done. I`m not used to seeing our floor being 7 wins, I`m used to that being our ceiling.
 
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wildcat502

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2014
1,967
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JASUN74 said:
I’ll predict this right here and now, if Kentucky averages 30 or over this year we’re going 11-1. I do think we have some high scoring games so I may get in trouble a little bit. Let’s change it to getting 30 plus points in every game instead of the average. I hate sounding like a Homer all the time,( I am), but I really like the overall team this season. Hopefully we get a couple game changers out of the portal who either starts or pushes the starters. 30 or not though I’m looking for 9 wins out of this group and hopefully 1 or 2 more. Lol. Big time tough schedule this season only helps our program in my opinion and I’d rather play big time games all day than a gimme. Ok, back to your regularly scheduled program. Go Cats.
Click to expand...
I agree, but I`m going with 9 wins, as of now. The Alabama game has me excited.
 
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