Just how different is Kentucky's offensive roster in 2025?
Before long Cats Illustrated will be filled with fall practice reports as preparation for the season heats up. For now it’s still talking season. We don’t know what we don’t know, but rosters are mostly set and we’ve had an entire offseason to take stock of changes to the program.
A whole lot of work went into getting those rosters set, and when you zoom out, the scale of roster turnover is tremendous.
Here’s a look at just how much Kentucky’s scholarship football roster has changed since last year.
Bold denotes a first-year player in the program.
** denotes that a player is no longer with the program.
Quarterback
| 2024 | 2025 |
| Brock Vandagriff** | Zach Calzada |
| Gavin Wimsatt** | Cutter Boley |
| Cutter Boley | Brennen Ward |
| Stone Saunders |
Three quarterbacks saw meaningful action for Kentucky last season. Of those, only Cutter Boley returns. Three of the four scholarship quarterbacks in the program for the 2025 season are new players for the Wildcats. Half the room is set up to play now while two of the four players are true freshmen who are probably on track for developmental seasons with Bush Hamdan. While there are definitely still questions about the top of the depth chart, there’s a better long term forecast because there are more younger players with potential to work on. Beau Allen was on last year’s team and is on this year’s team as a walk-on.
Running Back / Wide Receiver / Tight End
| 2024 | 2025 |
| Demie Sumo-Karngbaye** | Jamarion Wilcox |
| Jamarion Wilcox | Seth McGowan |
| Jason Patterson | Dante Dowdell |
| Chip Trayanum** | Jason Patterson |
| Tovani Mizell | Tovani Mizell |
| 2024 | 2025 |
| Barion Brown** | Ja’Mori Maclin |
| Dane Key** | Troy Stellato |
| Ja’Mori Maclin | Kendrick Law |
| Fred Farrier | JJ Hester |
| Hardley Gilmore | Fred Farrier |
| Anthony Brown-Stephens** | Hardley Gilmore |
| Brandon White | Ashton Cozart |
| David Washington Jr. | David Washington Jr. |
| DJ Miller | |
| Cameron Miller | |
| Quinton Simmons Jr | |
| Preston Bowman |
| 2024 | 2025 |
| Josh Kattus | Josh Kattus |
| Khamari Anderson** | Willie Rodriguez |
| Jordan Dingle** | Henry Boyer |
| Willie Rodriguez | Mikkel Skinner |
| Tanner Lemaster** | Elijah Brown |
Kentucky had four scholarship running backs available last season with Tovani Mizell rehabbing from an injury. For much of the season only three backs were available, as Chip Trayanum didn’t see the field much. The hope is that Dante Dowdell can give UK more power running than Trayanum was able to provide and that Jamarion Wilcox is able to carry more of a workload. Even if he can’t, Seth McGowan comes in from New Mexico State where he shared a workload last season. The depth situation has improved from last year, and time will tell if improvement makes the top of the depth chart better, too.
At receiver the Wildcats lose a lot of star power, or at least a couple of players with a lot of name recognition. Barion Brown and Dane Key will be at LSU and Nebraska, respectively. Helping the situation was the return of Hardley Gilmore from Nebraska after he was kicked off the team in Lincoln. Ja’Mori Maclin should be featured more than last year. L’Damian Washington also has a full class of high school and college transfers to fit into his rotation. There are a lot more players on scholarship and probably a better assortment of complementary parts but how Kentucky will fare at replacing its top two pass-catching options is an open question.
Moving on to tight end the depth situation looks similar to last year. Josh Kattus returns with the same role but Willie Rodriguez may be in line to see the field a lot more this season.
Offensive Line
| 2024 | 2025 |
| Marques Cox** | Shiyazh Pete |
| Eli Cox** | Joshua Braun |
| Courtland Ford** | Jager Burton |
| Jager Burton | Jalen Farmer |
| Jalen Farmer | Alex Wollschlaeger |
| Aba Selm | Evan Wibberley |
| Gerald Mincey** | Malachi Wood |
| Anfernee Crease | Aba Selm |
| Malachi Wood | Hayes Johnson |
| Ben Christman** | Cameron Jones |
| Koby Keenum** | Rob Fogler |
| Daniel Mincey | Darrin Strey |
| Hayes Johnson | Jayden Clark |
| Dylan Ray** | Bryan Auguste |
| Austin Ramsey | Jermiel Atkins |
| Jason Ekperuoh |
Once again it seems like we have a unit that is deeper on paper than it was last season. Austin Ramsey moves to the defensive line and seven of the scholarship offensive linemen from last year’s team have moved on. The Wildcats have 11 first-year offensive linemen in the program. Some of those players have extensive game experience at the college level while others are freshmen or developmental prospects themselves.
- Two of last year’s three scholarship quarterbacks are gone while three of this year’s four scholarship quarterbacks are new at UK.
- Two of the four scholarship backs who were available at some point last season are gone, while two of the five scholarship backs on this year’s roster are first-year Wildcats.
- Three of the scholarship receivers in last year’s small room are gone and there are eight new scholarship players on the 2025 roster.
- Kentucky lost or shed seven of the scholarship offensive linemen from last year’s roster and brought in 11 new offensive linemen from high school or the portal.
- In total, 63% of Kentucky’s scholarship players on offense are first-year players in the program.