Mark Stoops confident in Kentucky secondary going into season

Kentucky football’s defensive talent is clear at this point. Between J.J. Weaver, Jordan Wright, DeAndre Square, Jacquez Jones, Trevin Wallace, Octavious Oxendine, Josaih Hayes and Deone Walker, among others, the Wildcats have some dudes in the front seven.

The secondary, though, is a bigger question. Kentucky is fine in the first two levels, but what about that crucial third?

If you ask head coach Mark Stoops, his team is just fine in that area, as well. In fact, he’s more confident in the Kentucky secondary going into this fall than he did last season — a year in which the Wildcats finished 10-3.

“Yeah, I feel much better about the secondary in general going into this year than I did a year ago,” Stoops said. “I feel like the guys that are returning are playing at a higher level. We have some different guys that are rotating in. So overall, it’s very good.”

Between added transfers, returning veterans and developing young talent, Stoops is pleased with the team’s overall depth at the position. It’s a fine mix of quantity and quality, giving the coaches plenty to work with going into the season.

“You know, you add (Ole Miss transfer) Keidron (Smith), and then the guys that were there are playing better,” Stoops said. “Even someone like Maxwell (Hairston), a young guy, but he’s got some length and he’s really got great top-end speed. It’s been really good to see him emerge as kind of the fourth corner. Just guys you can trust, you know? You need four guys. At times we’ve rotated three, but you’d like to have two deep, especially early on with this kind of heat, things like that.”

It’s not just Stoops impressed with the unit, either. When asked about individual players giving him a hard time on the defensive side of the ball, quarterback Will Levis was quick to single out junior cornerback Carrington Valentine as a clear standout.

“I’ve got to give Carrington Valentine some props,” Levis said Saturday. “He’s done a good job at the corner position, making some good plays, breaking up contested balls, breaking on stuff well.”

In 2021, the Kentucky defense allowed 218.6 yards through the air on a 66.5% completion rate, good for No. 52 in all of college football and No. 8 in the SEC. Solid, but room for improvement.

If you ask Stoops, the improvements are being made.