Where Kentucky Football stands in ESPN's new Way-Too-Early Top 25

On3 imageby:Tyler Thompson05/20/22

MrsTylerKSR

With all eyes on college football following Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher’s war of words, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach wisely released a new edition of his Way-Too-Early rankings for the 2022 season. In this latest update, Kentucky drops one spot to No. 22, just behind Ole Miss and two notches above Tennessee.

“After guiding Kentucky to its second 10-win season since 1977, coach Mark Stoops and his staff spent the spring trying to rebuild both lines of scrimmage,” Schlabach writes. “Three starting offensive linemen must be replaced. Manning, an Auburn transfer, looks like one of the starting guards. On the defensive line, three starters departed, including tackle Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald, who is attempting to join the WWE. Adding Tayvion Robinson, who had at least 31 catches in each of the past three seasons at Virginia Tech, should shore up the wide receiver corps.”

Predictably, Alabama is No. 1, followed by Ohio State and defending national champs Georgia. Also from the SEC, Texas A&M is No. 5, Arkansas No. 20, Ole Miss No. 21, and Tennessee No. 24. Iowa, which Kentucky defeated in the VRBO Citrus Bowl, is No. 25.

Stewart Mandel also updated his preseason Top 25 yesterday over at The Athletic. Kentucky is No. 21, down two spots from No. 19, with Mandel citing concerns over The Big Blue Wall’s rebuild.

“QB Will Levis was a top-five pick in Dane Brugler’s early 2023 mock draft. He’ll miss star WR Wan’Dale Robinson, but Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson fit in nicely. The offensive line has questions. Kentucky’s defense, led by LBs J.J. Weaver and DeAndre Square, should be strong up front. Mark Stoops recently brought in transfers Keidron Smith (Ole Miss) and Zion Childress (Texas State) to shore up the secondary.”

Only 106 days until the season opener.

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2024-03-28