Jordan Wright's return gives Kentucky 'all hands on deck'
Anthony Richardson, Anthony Richardson, Anthony Richardson. Kentucky’s defense has heard about Florida’s new dual-threat quarterback all week and knows the challenge will be stiff stopping the Gators in The Swamp.
It helps when you have a defense at full strength. That became true for defensive coordinator Brad White’s unit on Thursday when super senior EDGE Jordan Wright was cleared to join the defense before the Week 2 road trip to Gainesville.
The top havoc producer on Kentucky’s defense, Wright has recorded 15.5 tackles for loss, 11 passes defended, four forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns during his time in Lexington. Getting the South Florida native and former top-500 recruit on the field should make an immediate impact for the Cats.
“It’s good to get Jordan back. He brings experience, brings another pass rusher, and another body to chase around a very good quarterback,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops told reporters on Thursday. “We need all hands on deck and really glad that he’s back and cleared to play.”
Jordan Wright will play a big role as Kentucky looks to fit the run against a strong rushing attack at Florida while gaining a valuable zone defender when the time comes to drop on passing downs to minimize throwing windows for Anthony Richardson. Wright’s versatility as a defender will be very important as Stoops and White get into a schematic chess match with Billy Napier.
Unfortunately, Chris Rodriguez Jr. will not be joining Kentucky just yet. The All-SEC tailback is still playing the waiting game before he returns to the field in 2022.
“It means we’ve cleared one hurdle and trying to continue to go over some other hurdles,” Stoops said about the current situation.
We’ll see if we can get another update on Monday.
Kenneth Horsey is “excited” about new position
After just one game, Kentucky decided to make a change at left tackle. The David Wohlabaugh Jr. experiment lasted only four quarters. Heading to Florida, redshirt senior Kenneth Horsey will kick out from left guard to left tackle.
“He’s done a good job. You can see the experience,” Stoops said about Horsey’s position switch. “The comfort level with him and Jager [Burton] on that side…they worked hard, and he’s excited about the opportunity. He knows it’s a real challenge, and it’s different for him, but he’s willing to do what it takes.”
In the Citrus Bowl, Horsey played left tackle for a full game against some top-notch competition. Playing out on an island is something that Horsey has some familiarity with but it will be different. Kentucky is hoping that the best five in the offensive line room will lead to more success in the trenches on Saturday.
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