What to watch for at Kentucky football spring game

Spring ball has flown by in the Bluegrass. On Saturday, Mark Stoops and his 10th Kentucky football team will hit the turf at Kroger Field for their intrasquad exhibition game.

Unlike most years, the Wildcats will still have a couple of practices remaining after the exhibition game due to spring practice being pushed back a week following the departure of offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Kentucky still has work to get through but will play a spring game in front of fans for the first time since 2019.

Spring games are what they are — not much more than an open practice in front of fans that doesn’t reveal much. Some players will be on obvious pitch counts, snaps will be limited for most major contributors, and the concepts will be vanilla. However, there are still things we can learn.

Throughout spring practice, we have discovered some new things about the team. Those takeaways will help set a baseline of what to expect on Masters Saturday in the Bluegrass.

Crispness of passing game

Throughout the spring, there have been rumblings about quarterback Will Levis and taking the next step. At Kentucky Pro Day, the veteran quarterback caught the eyes of scouts and will likely be a wanted man at the end of the season. However, there is still a full year to be played in 2022, and Kentucky seems to have a dude at quarterback.

Levis has a chance to turn into a bonafide college football star this season, but the passing game was not crisp at last week’s open practice. Seeing the passing game operate with timing, accuracy, and explosiveness will be something to look for in the scrimmage.

A big performance will only throw gasoline on the fire for the Levis hype train.

Do not go crazy about cornerback in any direction

Carrington Valentine is the only cornerback on Kentucky’s roster that has played significant snaps in the SEC. Andru Phillips is the only other cornerback that looks like a player that can help the defense this season.

Adding help from the transfer portal is non-negotiable at this point. That’s not going to change after one scrimmage in a stadium.

The Wildcats have to add depth and a likely starter at the position from the portal over the spring and summer. Landing Keidron Smith (Ole Miss) after his visit this weekend would be a move in the right direction. However, grading the cornerback position right now would be a mistake as Kentucky is still in the process of roster construction.

Utilizing JuTahn McClain

At the most recent open practice, JuTahn McClain emerged as the clear backup to Chris Rodriguez Jr. The four-star recruit out of Metro Cincinnati is entering year three with the program and looks like a player who could be ready for a breakout season.

There were rumblings last year that Kentucky could use McClain as a versatile chess piece to take advantage of the running back’s pass-catching skills in the slot. New offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello likely won’t show us much, but movement of McClain could indicate that the junior is in for a big season.

Expect points in bunches

The injury bug is hitting Kentucky. Currently, expected defensive starters Vito Tisdale and Jordan Wright are not practicing. Meanwhile, Octavious Oxendine was wearing a red non-contact jersey and last week’s open practice. Reserve safety Taj Dodson is out of the spring.

Injuries are piling up. Meanwhile, Kentucky has five scholarship outside linebackers, and three of them won’t be on campus until the summer. Add in the problems at cornerback, and the Wildcats are not even close to what the unit should be when the season starts.

Therefore, the offense should have the advantage. Expect to see some touchdowns.

Check the progress of Beau Allen

Due to the limited pitch counts, Kentucky should not need Levis for long on Saturday. Therefore, the Big Blue Nation will get a long look at redshirt sophomore Beau Allen for really the first time in his career. Good or bad, QB2 will be a huge talking point after the game.

The Lexington (Ky.) Catholic product has played limited snaps to this point, and the jury is still out on whether the former top-500 recruit can be a productive Power Five college quarterback. Despite being in year three, Allen will be playing in his first spring game on Saturday but is already on his third quarterback coach and coordinator.

Having the ability to operate the offense with rhythm, timing, and challenging the defense in all three levels of the passing game is something we need to see from Allen. The redshirt sophomore is entering a critical year in the Kentucky football program.