40 | 2023 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
KENTUCKY
2022 RECORD: 7-6 (3-5) FOUNDED: 1865 STADIUM: Kroger Field (61,000)
HEAD COACH: Mark Stoops OC: Liam Coen DC: Brad White
Lexington, KY
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Change is in the air in Lexington. At least three, and maybe five or six, new starters on offense have come to Kentucky via the portal. Quarterback Devin Leary is the most notable and provides instant credibility at the position after losing Will Levis to the NFL. Leary was injured much of last season, but he is a terrific passer, just not a threat to run. Running back Ray Davis joins the Wildcats from Vanderbilt, where he ran for more than 1,000 yards last season. Four offensive linemen transferred in, but only one is a definite starter. Tackle Marques Cox from Northern Illinois will be the left tackle. Tackle Courtland Ford from USC will likely get on the field quite a bit. The improvements to the line are paramount after allowing 47 sacks last season for 318 yards in losses. The receiving corps returns virtually intact and will be a strength of the offense.
Last season, the expectation was that the offense would carry the defense, but in reality, the opposite happened. The defense allowed just 19 points a game and was equally tough against the run and pass. The Cats were especially adept at getting off the field, allowing opponents to convert just 33.3 percent on third down. But the unit produced just 20 sacks and forced only 17 turnovers. Josaih Hayes and Keeshawn Silver (from North Carolina) should set the tone upfront. They won’t pile up sexy stats, but their push disrupts the offense at the snap. J.J. Weaver, coming off the edge, is the best player on this side of the ball. Safety Jordan Lovett and linebackers D’Eryk Jackson and Trevin Wallace are the leading returning tacklers. The secondary received a boost when corner JQ Hardaway transferred in from Cincinnati.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO 13 1 6 7 9 80 69 68 62 75 77
PLAYER Devin Leary Ray Davis Dane Key Barion Brown Tayvion Robinson Brenden Bates Marques Cox Kenneth Horsey Jager Burton Eli Cox Jeremy Flax
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
HT 6-1 5-10 6-3 6-1 5-11 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-6
WT 217 216 193 166 194 251 312 311 305 311 328
CLASS SR SR SO SO SR SR SR SR SO SR SR
NO 90 97 0 13 32 54 4 23 6 25 11
PLAYER Tre’vonn Rybka Josaih Hayes Deone Walker J.J. Weaver Trevin Wallace D’Eryk Jackson Jalen Geiger Andru Phillips JQ Hardaway Jordan Lovett Zion Childress
POS DE NT DT LB LB LB NB CB CB S S
HT 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-0
WT 275 317 348 241 240 241 194 190 194 195 201
CLASS JR SR SO SR JR SR SR JR SO SO JR
12 4 5 18 3 85 52 73 50 51 74
Kaiya Sheron JuTahn McClain Anthony Brown Brandon White Dekel Crowdus Jordan Dingle Ben Christman Dylan Ray Koby Keenum Tanner Bowles Courtland Ford
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
6-3 5-9 5-10 5-9 5-10 6-4 6-6 6-6 6-4 6-5 6-6
208 198 166 167 171 238 321 300 294 305 315
SO SR FR FR SO SO SO SO FR SR JR
92 9 8 20 17 40 3 10 31 24 28
Kahlil Saunders DE Keeshawn Silver NT Octavious Oxendine DT Keaton Wade LB Daveren Rayner LB Luke Fulton LB Alex Afari Jr. LB Jantzen Dunn CB Maxwell Hairston CB Elijah Reed S Jordan Robinson S
6-5 6-4 6-1 6-5 6-2 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-1 6-3 6-4
288 322 281 255 217 225 214 182 185 185 208
SO SO SR SO SR SR SO SO SO FR SO
12 93
Chance Poore Wilson Berry
208 213
SR SO
7 9
Barion Brown Tayvion Robinson
166 194
SO SR
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-2 6-4
2023 SCHEDULE
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
6-1 5-11
NEWCOMERS
S.2 ............................Ball State
O.14 ......................... Missouri
S.9 ............Eastern Kentucky
O.28 ..................... Tennessee
Devin Leary, QB — In four seasons at NC State, Leary completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns with just 16 picks.
S.16 ............................... Akron
N.4 ........at Mississippi State
Ray Davis, RB — Davis stabilizes the running game.
S.23 ..................at Vanderbilt
N.11 .........................Alabama
Anthony Brown, WR — The true freshman has run an 11.2 100m and had an impressive spring showing off his ball skills.
S.30 ..............................Florida
N.18 ........at South Carolina
O.7 .........................at Georgia
N.25 ...................at Louisville
JQ Hardaway, DB — Hardaway never cracked the lineup in his freshman year at Cincinnati, but he’s expected to be the Cats’ top cover corner.
