First Down Kentucky: Spring Practice Storylines
March Madness is here, and so is Kentucky spring football. After a week away for spring break, the Wildcats returned for the 12th edition spring practice under Mark Stoops.
Most of the conversations surrounding spring practice will be about the new pieces to the puzzle. Before we dive into those questions, let’s first acknowledge something very important: most of the guys on the field have been through this many times before. This Kentucky football roster is loaded with upperclassmen. In Adam Luckett’s earl offensive and defensive depth chart projections, Ty Bryant is the only player without at least three years of college football experience.
Creating continuity and chemistry between experienced veterans and newcomers is the primary focus of the 2024 spring practice. Let’s take a closer look at a few positions the BBN will be paying close attention to when the team hosts a Blue-White exhibition at Kroger Field on April 13.
New Leadership on Offense and Defense
It’s the fifth straight spring practice where a new offensive coordinator will be installing the Wildcats’ offense during spring practice. Bush Hamdan is bringing familiar pro-style concepts from Boise State, albeit with a no-huddle approach.
You can expect to hear about growing pains from the offense during the early install with Brock Vandagriff under center. The former five-star talent from Georgia has the pedigree but lacks experience. A year after Devin Leary generated a ton of offseason hype, Kentucky’s coaches will likely be more reserved in their comments about the new signal-caller.
He’s not the only signal-caller coming from Georgia. Jamon Dumas-Johnson is expected to call plays for Brad White this fall. An All-American during the Dawgs’ 2022 National Championship campaign, the man simply known as Pop is a vocal leader. Some transfers ease their way into leadership roles. That will not be the case for Dumas-Johnson. That may lead to some early, welcomed friction between the new guy and his veteran peers.
Eric Wolford Returns to Kentucky
It was news you had to read more than once to believe. Eric Wolford left Lexington on bad terms as public enemy No. 1. After two years at Alabama, he’s once against coaching the Kentucky offensive line. Mark Stoops spoke to BBN Tonight about the about-face, but we have yet to hear from Wolford. I’m looking forward to that conversation with the media.
Similar to his first stint, Wolford has plenty of experienced players in his offensive line room. Kentucky has four returning starters on its offensive line, thanks to Marques Cox and Eli Cox electing to take a super senior season. There are still two important questions that can be answered this spring: Can Wolford unlock Jager Burton‘s potential, and will it be Courtland Ford or Tennessee transfer Gerald Mincey?
Wolford has two quality transfer options with Power Five experience at right tackle. This blogger has a hunch the former Vol will be able to seamlessly step into that role. Burton has the athleticism and the pedigree to be a solid SEC offensive lineman. He was moved to center last offseason in an experiment that failed. Wolford’s hard-nosed style can make or break players. Hopefully, it’s the former for the former top 150 recruit from Lexington.
Can the Receivers Turn a Corner?
Kentucky does not have a talent problem at wide receiver, it’s a production problem. It’s Daikiel Shorts’ job to unlock that potential and it starts this spring.
The new wide receivers coach has received universal praise since his arrival in December. A former standout at West Virginia who enjoyed a cup of coffee in the NFL, his experience and straightforward delivery should be just what this group needs. It may not look beautiful in April, but that does not matter as long as the talented pass-catchers are on the same page with Vandgariff when the season opens in August.
Who Steps Up in the Secondary?
The Kentucky secondary struggled in 2023. The second-ranked pass defense in the SEC fell to No. 11 last fall, allowing 240.5 passing yards per game. The safeties who showed promise at the end of the 2022 season did not carry over that momentum and Kentucky was forced to find two new starting cornerbacks.
Developing cornerbacks has been a strength of this unit in recent years. Carrington Valentine went from an unheralded three-star recruit to an NFL starter as a rookie. Max Hairston had a similar recruiting profile, then led the SEC in interceptions during his first year as a starter. Opposing offenses will likely throw away from Hairston in 2024, putting pressure on his counterpart to perform well. Who will that be? Kentucky brought in three transfers last offseason and signed highly-touted high schooler Terhyon Nichols in December. Kentucky spring practice is the first proving ground for these young cornerbacks.
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