The Defining Storylines of 2025 Kentucky Football Fall Camp

The 2025 Kentucky football season is upon us. In one month, Mark Stoops will step onto the field for his 13th season in Lexington. Following his first losing season (excluding COVID) since 2015, the Wildcats have a lot to accomplish. Here’s what KSR will be monitoring throughout fall camp.

New Players and Emerging Underclassmen

Kentucky flipped the roster to a degree you typically only see when there’s a coaching change. Only about half of last year’s team will be on the roster during fall camp. It’s going to take a while to learn about the new guys.

The most drastic changes are on offense. Jager Burton, Jalen Farmer, Josh Kattus, Ja’Mori Maclin, and Jamarion Wilcox are the most notable returners. Prepare to spend the next month learning about the new players who will be making an impact this fall.

It’s a different story on the defense. There are some transfers who are bringing star power to the trenches, but the real story worth watching is how rotation players emerge into new roles. Daveren Rayner flashed at times, but can he withstand the physicality of playing Mike linebacker in the SEC? The secondary is filled with players who showed promise, but need to take a step forward this fall camp as they assume bigger roles.

Is the Offensive Line Once Again the Big Blue Wall?

The success of the Mark Stoops era was built on the back of the Big Blue Wall. Kentucky’s slide over the last three years coincides with poor play from the offensive line. The Wildcats made a financial commitment to fix the offensive line. Will they get a good rate of return? Bush Hamdan believes we will see the return of the Big Blue Wall this fall.

“There’s certainly three, four, five offensive linemen who know exactly what it takes and have really led us this whole summer. From a physicality and size standpoint, this is going to be an offensive line that is going to remind us of some of the great offensive lines we’ve had here,” Hamdan said on Monday.

Wide Open Kentucky Wide Receiver Competition

Position battles are typically the defining stories of a college football fall camp. Kentucky added a ton of depth this offseason, which will allow them to rotate players regularly, but somebody’s got to start.

There are two players we know who will receive a lot of targets in the wide receiver room, Ja’Mori Maclin and Alabama transfer Kendrick Law. Who’s next? That’s a great question.

Hardley Gilmore is in the best position to play a significant role, despite his brief spring move to Nebraska. He has top-end speed to be a legitimate deep threat and showed as a true freshman that he has the route-running capability to get open in intermediate routes. Fred Farrier is a reliable veteran who can bring consistency to the position. DJ Miller is a promising true freshman who brings size, length, and athleticism to the position. There are also three transfers who could make an impact, Troy Stellato, JJ Hester, and Ashton Cozart.

All Aboard the Seth McGowan Hype Train

Seth McGowan is one of the last transfers added to the roster. Even though he’s only been on campus for a month, it took no time for him to impress the folks around the program.

“I’m very excited about him,” Mark Stoops said. “He brings a lot of juice, a lot of energy off the field and with the way he runs, with the way he plays. I think he’s a complete back. He’s an NFL back and we’re happy to have him on our team.”

This Kentucky roster doesn’t have much star power. McGowan appears poised to fill that much-needed vacancy.

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Will the Kentucky Stout Run Defense Return?

Similar to the offensive line, Mark Stoops’ best defenses stop the run. That disappeared during the second half of the 2024 season. Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter had a career-high 278 rushing yards against the Cats, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson tallied 148 against the Cats, and Louisville rushed for 358 yards in the season-ending blowout loss.

A successful run defense starts up front, filtering the backs to the inside linebackers. Alex Afari began playing the position last fall and expectations are high for the former defensive back. Daveren Rayner was exceptional in pass coverage, but he must be able to consistently fit the run to ensure Brad White’s defense is successful this fall.

Slight Changes to the Kentucky Defense

Following the departures of Za’Darius Smith and Bud Dupree, Kentucky switched from a base 4-3 defense to a 3-4. Described as “multiple,” they often showed different fronts that mirrored a 4-3 by placing players like Josh Allen and JJ Weaver in a three-point stance outside the offensive tackle.

This new-look defensive line is better suited to play with four down defensive linemen in a traditional 4-3 look. David Gusta and Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace were the two most decorated transfer portal additions. The former fits better as a shade or 3-technique at defensive tackle, while the latter looks more like a defensive end than a stand-up outside linebacker in the 3-4. There have been early indications that the Wildcats will transition to more four-down linemen this fall. Fall camp will serve as a training ground to see how the personnel fits this potential change.

How Will Quarterback Reps be Split?

Quarterback talk is typically the first thing on this list. It’s considered a competition, but Zach Calzada didn’t transfer to Kentucky to be the backup. Stoops believes Cutter Boley is the future for Kentucky at that position.

Will the Kentucky native receive typical reps of a second-stringer, or will they give him a little more rope with the ones? Taking the second route makes sense, but do you really want to limit Calzada’s snaps while he’s attempting to cultivate relationships with the many new faces in the wide receiver room? Quarterback play will not define this team’s success, but it must be better than what we’ve seen in recent years.

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