Mark Stoops 'hopeful' Josh Kattus will play against Florida

Josh Kattus hasn’t suited up for Kentucky since the first half of the Akron game during Week 3 after leaving the game with an undisclosed injury. He was in street clothes this past weekend against Vanderbilt, and now his status for Saturday’s matchup vs. Florida is up in the air.

Still, the Kentucky coach wouldn’t provide much of an in-depth update on his sophomore tight end. “I’m hopeful,” head coach Mark Stoops said about Kattus potentially returning during his weekly Monday press conference.

Alongside Jordan Dingle and Brenden Bates, Kattus is one of three tight ends that have been utilized in Kentucky’s offense this season. Dingle has emerged as the more productive pass catcher over Bates while Kattus recovers, leading the tight end room with five catches for 105 yards, including a 59-yard reception against Akron.

During his limited sample size this season, the former three-star recruit has caught two passes for 24 yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats this season. Even with his extended time away from the field, he remains the only Kentucky tight end with a touchdown reception during the Devin Leary era heading into Week 5.

With the depleted TE room, Kentucky has utilized running back Ray Davis more often in passing situations. On top of being the team’s top rusher, he’s also the Wildcats fourth-leading with 10 receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns.

Elsewhere out wide, receivers Barion Brown, Dane Key and Tayvion Robinson have locked up the top three receiving spots and have — and will continue to — be Leary’s top targets for the remainder of the season. Still, the Wildcats offense is still a work in progress under offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

“I thought last week as a group, our offense really worked hard with the receivers, with [Leary] getting on the same page, getting the timing down and really trying to be more precise and consistent and at times that showed up this past week,” Stoops said. “We’re going to get better, we’re going to continue to work and grow in that area.” 

Kentucky has relied on the passing game to defeat Florida in the past, and that game plan figures to be the same heading into Week 5’s SEC home opener. Kattus will hope to return for the matchup but if he remains sidelined for much longer, expect Bates and Dingle to continue to dominate the bulk of in-game reps for the remainder of the season.