Kentucky Football ranked No. 21 in The Athletic's post-spring update

ZGeogheganKSR

Kentucky Football expects to enter the 2022 season as one of the top programs in the country. On Thursday, The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel unveiled his post-spring top 25 college football rankings where he tabbed the Wildcats No. 21 overall.

This is the first update Mandel has provided since Feb. 4, which saw Kentucky come in ranked No. 19. He pointed to the recent additions of key transfers in the secondary, Keidron Smith and Zion Childress, as a reason to keep UK among the top 25, but also noted the uncertainty surrounding the Big Blue Wall.

Here’s what Mandel wrote about the ‘Cats:

21. Kentucky (previous: No. 19)
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.
via The Athletic

I tried to wait out Jordan Addison, but it’s getting pretty deep into May so let’s do this thing.

My post-spring Top 25. https://t.co/fHPVwPx130
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) May 19, 2022

On Wednesday, CBS Sports tabbed UK head coach Mark Stoops as the 16th best in college football, the highest he’s ever been ranked in the annual column. Starting QB Will Levis has also established himself as a likely first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and is even generating some early Heisman love.

The buzz continues to build…