Kentucky Fall Camp: What we learned in first week

We are over halfway through the second week of August. That means that we have hit some important checkpoints on the Kentucky football calendar. There has been one open practice, a media day, and three media availabilities since the start last week.

KSR has been there every step of the way to keep the Big Blue Nation up to speed. Kentucky will have its first scrimmage of camp on Saturday and that will go a long way in establishing the depth chart. There are moves being made, and developments will happen quickly.

Before that arrives, the present feels like a good time to set the table. Let’s dive into where Kentucky stands one week into the preseason.

Offensive install has not been seamless

Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello has taken over in Lexington for Liam Coen. Although each came from different NFL staffs, the transition figured to be an easy one as both coaches are branches of the Mike Shanahan coaching tree.

However, both Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan have some differences even if their true identity is very similar. That has led to some growing pains early in fall camp.

“There’s a lot to this offense,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops told reporters on Saturday. “It’s an NFL offense, it’s complex. But they’ll get it. We just got a lot to work through.”

At Kentucky Fan Day, the defense won the day as the offense had a lot of communication issues that led to some turnovers. With some key pieces that have just arrived on campus combined with some important players who did not participate fully in spring practice, the offense has hit some rough patches early in fall camp.

Will Levis was not happy with his performance on Saturday, but Scangarello stated that the group bounced back well on Monday. With this new operation, there is going to be heavier personnel usage, and the football should be more evenly distributed. But it takes time to build that cohesiveness as an operating unit, and there will be some ups and downs.

The new play-caller likes where Kentucky is at currently, and the scrimmage on Saturday should be a good barometer on how much deeper into the playbook the Wildcats can get before the season arrives.

“We’ll push the volume as much as we can, and when we get to a point where we fill it’s too much we got to be sensitive to that,” Scangarello said.

Defense is ahead of schedule

When looking at a projected two-deep depth chart for Kentucky’s defense, there are a lot of familiar names listed. Many have been playing college football for five or more years.

Tyrell Ajian, Jacquez Jones, DeAndre Square, and Jordan Wright are all super senior starters who have all played major college football snaps since 2018. Ole Miss transfer Keidron Smith could join that group in the starting lineup if the fifth-year player wins a camp position battle with Andru Phillips at cornerback.

As a whole, defensive coordinator Brad White’s unit has succeeded expectations to this point, and the heavy veteran presence is the No. 1 reason why.

“I think they understand what we’re trying to get done,” White told the media about his veterans on Wednesday. “I do think we’ve got some intelligence but what I need those guys to do is to pass that on.”

The second reason to get excited about the defense is the depth of the roster. Kentucky has about 8-9 defensive linemen that can contribute, are a legitimate four-deep at off-ball linebacker, and now have options in the secondary following some transfer adds. The Wildcats need those leaders to bring the young and new guys along.

The ceiling of this group is unknown, but it’s becoming obvious that the floor is very high. Kentucky is a big-play prevention defense that will keep everything in front. With a heavy veteran presence, this will be a unit that will be tough to confuse in game situations.

Barion Brown will play a role on offense

The wild recruitment of Kiyaunta Goodwin in the class of 2022 got most of the attention throughout the last recruiting cycle, but the biggest win may have occurred in Middle Tennessee.

During the season, Kentucky made a big push for Nashville (Tenn.) Pearl-Cohn wideout Barion Brown which led to a commitment and signature. Brown received legitimate recruiting interest from Alabama and was labeled one of the most explosive playmakers in the class.

That has shown up in fall camp as the freshman wide receiver is making a lot of noise.

Fellow rookie Dane Key has earned a starting position, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Brown is playing starter snaps by November. The top-100 recruit has elite top-end speed, an impressive change of direction, and has flashed some very good ball skills since arriving in Lexington.

The diaper dandy will be a part of the offensive package. Look for Scangarello to design some schemed touches via screens and handoffs to get the playmaker the ball early in his career.

Carrington Valentine has improved

As a true sophomore last season, Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller product Carrington Valentine was called upon to be a full-time starter without much help. That led to a rocky season for the young defensive back.

Valentine started 12 games, and had a high volume snap count (777). That led to some inconsistent play as the cornerback recorded just five pass breakups and seemed to struggle with confidence as the season progressed. However, Kentucky was hopeful that experience would lead to improved play as a junior.

“He’s really stepped it up,” Stoops said about Valentine. “He’s not there yet but I like his attitude and his work ethic, taking the coaching, and getting better.”

For Kentucky to reach its full potential on defense, this unit needs Valentine to become one of its better players at cornerback. The junior seems to have made some strides and was seen at an open practice playing through contact and making plays on the ball. That was something Kentucky dearly missed on the perimeter last fall.

The DNA is not changing

Despite the offense going through some growing pains, Kentucky will remain a line of scrimmage program. The Wildcats are going to beat teams on Saturdays by winning the fight at the point of attack. Sometimes that can be hard to see in practices when players are “tapping off” and not driving their teammates into the ground on blocks.

Throughout the first week, players on both sides of the ball have talked about establishing the run and stopping the run. Kentucky has an identity and knows who it is despite some schematic changes occurring with the offense.

“I think one thing the 49ers and the University of Kentucky have done well in the past is run the football,” redshirt junior center Eli Cox told the SEC Network on Monday. “The 49ers is one of the best rushing attacks in the country. UK has always had one of the best rushing attacks in the SEC and the country as well. That’s something that won’t get lost in this transition to a new offensive coordinator.”

To play this style of football you must practice with physicality. Due to a roster that has built up depth, the Cats have been hard on each other. That means full speed football where iron sharpens iron in the trenches. Sometimes there will be blood.

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“This camp we are going at it,” redshirt senior tight end Brenden Bates told KSR on Tuesday. “We’re going after it, it’s brutal. We’re working very hard. I mean there’s blood on my shorts. That’s just how it is. This fall camp is brutal, and it’s making us better. We all want to compete.”

Being able to practice with physicality should allow Kentucky to get off to a fast start. On offense, the unit has the pieces to have a dynamite rushing attack. But everything starts upfront on both sides of the ball. The team is getting after it at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility. That could lead to some big performances in the trenches this season.

“It’s the most competitive camp I’ve been in,” said Bates.