Spring Briefing: Defensive line is team strength for Kentucky in 2024

Preparations for the 2024 college football season are already underway at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility. Kentucky’s defensive line is ready to be a program strength after strong high school recruiting, talent development, and coaching continuity have formed to create a strong position room.

Kentucky alum Anwar Stewart has spent six of the last seven seasons with the Wildcats as both a student assistant (2017-18) and defensive line coach (2019-present). After receiving a contract extension following the regular season, Stewart is back for year six as a full-time staff member and appears to have his best position room yet with excellent depth and legitimate star power.

In KSR’s Spring Briefing series, we will cover every position on Kentucky’s roster before spring practice begins. Next up is the defensive line where the Wildcats should be able to control the line of scrimmage throughout the season.

Spring Rundown: Quarterback, Tailback, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Line

The Room

Josaih Hayes (6-3, 317, Super)

The former four-star recruit out of Horn Lake (Miss.) High is fresh off a career best season playing 300-plus snaps. Hayes is a quality SEC interior defensive lineman and will give Kentucky much-needed size and experience inside.

Darrion Henry-Young (6-4, 264, Redshirt Senior)

After flashing in 2023, the former Ohio State transfer suffered a knee injury in the win over Mississippi State and likely won’t be available until the fall rolls around. Henry-Young projects as a role player along Kentucky’s front.

Octavious Oxendine (6-1, 276, Redshirt Senior)

The Radcliff (Ky.) North Hardin product is in year five at Kentucky and is coming off a strong pass rushing campaign with 17 pressures and 2.5 sacks. Oxendine has played in 35 career games and could be a veteran cornerstone in this defensive line room.

Tre’vonn Rybka (6-4, 276, Redshirt Senior)

Another class of 2020 signee, Rybka has played over 800 snaps during his Kentucky career with 61 career tackles. The Middle Tennessee native will essentially be a co-starter with Oxendine at the field end position in Kentucky’s three-down front.

Kahlil Saunders (6-5, 285, Redshirt Junior)

The North Alabama native has been a rotation player the last two seasons and that will remain the case in 2024. Saunders gives Kentucky some added size with the ability to play inside or as a five-technique. The fourth-year player will provide valuable experience off the bench.

Keeshawn Silver (6-4, 322, Redshirt Junior)

In year one at Kentucky, the former North Carolina transfer played 291 snaps for Kentucky at defensive tackle recording 17 tackles and two tackles for loss. The former five-star recruit will platoon with Hayes at Kentucky’s nose tackle spot.

Deone Walker (6-6, 348, Junior)

Through two seasons, the Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech product has recorded 95 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and 75 pressures. Walker has played over 1,200 snaps and is used in multiple different alignments along the front. The junior will likely be a preseason All-American and is the best player on Kentucky’s roster.

Tavion Gadson (6-5, 275, Redshirt Freshman)

A former Florida State commit, Gadson played in four games for Kentucky preserving his redshirt. The Savannah (Ga.) Jenkins product will look to have a bigger role in year two as perhaps the next player in line at field end after Oxendine and Rybka move on.

Kendrick Gilbert (6-5, 292, Redshirt Freshman)

The Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral product is back for year two. A former Purdue commit, Gilbert projects as a potential nose tackle in Kentucky’s scheme who brings length and size to the defensive line. Expect a reserve role for the redshirt freshman.

Tommy Ziesmer (6-2, 257, Redshirt Freshman)

The Danville (Ky.) Boyle County product is back for year two and looking to carve out a role. Ziemser is the smallest player in Kentucky’s defensive line room but has good length and plays with a hot motor. Ziesmer will be a player to watch closely during spring camp.

Brian Robinson (6-5, 260, Freshman)

Kentucky’s highest-ranked recruit in the 2024 cycle, Robinson arrived on campus this spring semester with high expectations. The high four-star recruit might have outgrown the EDGE projection and could find his future home at defensive end. Robinson is a candidate to play in year one.

Jerod Smith II (6-4, 245, Freshman)

A former Michigan commit, Kentucky closed on the four-star recruit once he transferred to Corbin (Ky.) High. Smith has shown technical refinement in his high school career and could be tough to keep off the field due to his movement skills and pass rush potential.

Top Storyline: Deone Walker’s All-American campaign

There is no denying the impact Deone Walker has made through his first two seasons on campus. The four-star recruiting win in the 2022 cycle became a starter as a true freshman and was one of the SEC’s top pass rushers in 2023. The Detroit native has All-American and first-round pick potential.

Walker will be the face of the Kentucky program this season and has a chance to become a bonafide college football star as the best defensive tackle in the SEC. Kentucky’s defensive has a high floor due to the defensive line depth but Walker is the clear top star and game wrecker. The true junior can change games and could be someone that can carry a defense in big moments.

Kentucky’s star player will have sky-high expectations in 2024.

What to Watch: Potential player movement

Kentucky enters spring practice with 12 scholarship players on the roster. Each is currently enrolled in school for the spring semester. However, there is only so much playing time to give out. We could see some player movement in April.

Kentucky’s top six is already established with everyone returning last season. Meanwhile, some recent high-level recruiting wins in the last two cycles could force some players to look for new homes. Do not be surprised if there is some attrition in this room after spring practice.

Bold Prediction: Expectations will grow for defensive line

Games in the SEC are won in the trenches. We are told this often and most times it is very true. There is a real case to be made that Kentucky has its best defensive line in a very long time in 2024.

The Wildcats have experience depth across the board, a bonafide start, and some young talent to bolster the position. Anwar Stewart has the best positional unit on the team on paper. Expectations should be very high for this group.

I expect those expectations to only grow throughout spring practice. Kentucky’s defensive front is the No. 1 reason why we should expect a bounce back performance from Brad White’s defense in 2024.