Football is officially back in the bluegrass state. Friday night lights are shining as bright as ever across the commonwealth and now Saturdays are ready to kick into full gear as well. As fans begin to fill up Kroger Field let’s take a look of what the big blue nation should expect to see once the Wildcats take the field in 2022.
Another solid defense led by the linebacker unit
Mark Stoops made his way to Lexington with the reputation of being a defensive guru coming from Florida State. After a few bumps in the road early in his tenure, he has proven to be just that. Since the spectacular defense the Wildcats fielded in 2018, Stoops and company have had one consistent through their current bowl streak, and that is a viable defense.
2022 should be no different as Kentucky proved to be very fruitful on the recruiting trail as well as in player development, especially on that side of the ball. The secondary was a serious concern early in the off-season; however, those concerns have been somewhat alleviated throughout fall camp with the emergence of notable transfers Keidron Smith and Zion Childress.
The trenches look to be in good shape as well led by Juniors Octavious Oxendine and Justin Rogers. Depth should be solid with the addition of Ohio State transfer Darrion Henry-Young as well as some young up and comers in Sophomore Tre’vonn Rybka and true freshman Deone Walker. However, it is the linebacker unit that will be the heart and soul of this defense.
The Wildcats are both experienced and talented with Junior JJ Weaver and senior Jordan Wright holding down the edges as well as Seniors Jacquez Jones and DeAndre Square securing the middle of Brad Whites 3-4 defense. The Wildcats have depth as well with a consistently solid D’Eryk Jackson as well as Trevin Wallace who looks like a future star. Kentucky may have one of the best linebacker groups in the SEC, if not the country
Youth will contribute early and often in terms of receiving
The freshman receivers have generated a lot of buzz this off-season in Lexington. Former Fredrick Douglas standout Dane Key opened the eyes of everyone, including the coaching staff, all the way back in the spring as an early enrollee. The former All-Stater has already solidified his spot as the starting X-receiver, but he isn’t the only one making waves.
Fellow freshman Barion Brown has been a revelation throughout fall camp and looks to be a heavy contributor as well. Junior Demarcus Harris will not be able to let up this season if he wants to hold on to his starting spot as the former high school standout from Tennessee will be nipping at his heals. Two more names to watch out for is red-shirt freshman Dekel Crowdus, another former Fredrick Douglas standout and true freshman tight end Josh Kattus.
Crowdus was a four-star speedster coming out of high school and was expected to contribute last season before suffering a season ending injury. Expect him to get some snaps in a rotational role at the Z and slot positions. Kattus came somewhat out of nowhere in fall camp and generated so much buzz there were rumors of him even starting. He will definitely be a player to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Rich Scangarello’s offense will be similar to Liam Coens, but don’t expect a carbon copy
When Liam Cohen decided to make his way back to the Los Angeles Rams, Mark Stoops was adamant to keep continuity in the Wildcats offense. Enter Rich Scangarello, coming from Kyle Shanahan’s San Fransisco 49ers. He and Coen do come from the same Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVey coaching tree. Both Shanahan and McVey come up in the NFL together learning the same offense.
Both Scangarello and Coen run a modified west coast offense, heavy on wide receivers running pre-snap motion as well as also running a heavy amount of play-action. The biggest difference will be the number of snaps actually run under center as opposed to shotgun, compared to last year. You could also see more outside zone this season in the running game as opposed to the amount of inside zone and power gap blocking that was utilized so much last season.
To be fair to Coen, who normally would run an outside zone scheme; the personnel is much different this season. The offensive line was much bigger in size and less athletic last season due to what Eddie Gran had previously run at Kentucky, respectfully. The current o-line is smaller and more athletic, lending itself more compatible to the true nature of this offensive scheme.
The running game will still be a primary focus in this offense, however, expect the offense to take even more shots downfield this season compared to last year, especially with taking more snaps from under center. This could also lend more to quarterback Will Levis’s athletic ability as you should see him in a lot more designed bootleg situations. Speaking of Levis….
Will Levis could have an even bigger season than last year
The Penn State transfer was huge last year for the Wildcats. Though he’s not a perfect player, Levis has everything you are looking for in terms of being the prototype quarterback. He has all the intangibles you want in a leader, high level athleticism, a lightning quick release, and a big-time arm capable of making every throw. If you watch him throw, the ball absolutely flies out of his hand.
His decision making was sometimes questionable and yes, he sometimes forces plays, however, he is mechanically sound and his deficiencies are things that can be coached up. Once again, enter Rich Scangarello. Kentucky’s new offensive coordinator comes in with the reputation of being a quarterback guru, which will lend itself well to Levis.
The Wildcats signal caller has received a ton of hype this off-season. Not only is he expected to be one of the better quarterbacks in college football this season, he is also expected to be a premier prospect for the NFL. Of course, there can be a lot of pressure that comes with that, however, there is a lot of motivation for Levis to take his game to the next level. Can he live up to expectations, or even surpass them? That will be one of the most interesting story lines in Kentucky football this season. That being said, there is one storyline that will be even bigger.
Kentucky will be a legitimate threat in the SEC East this season
Do the Wildcats have a real shot to win the east this season? Yes, they actually do. However, they are certainly not a lock. Georgia is still the favorites to punch their ticket to Atlanta come seasons end, as well they should. Yes, the Bulldogs lost a lot this off-season, but they aren’t rebuilding they are simply reloading. Kirby Smart still has a ton of talent on his roster. It’s just no one knows who they are yet, but they will soon enough. Now, that being said, Kentucky is very much in the conversation which is something that hasn’t happened a lot in Lexington, especially in the pre-season. That is a testament to what Mark Stoops has built in Kentucky. That is also plenty of reason for the big blue nation to be excited. The Wildcats do have a lot of work to do this season, however. On top of winning the games their expected to win, they need beat Tennessee or Florida, and truthfully are in a position as a program to beat both. However, beating both is a tall task, but if they can pull out at least one of those games they will be in the divisional running. If the Wildcats come in to that Georgia game with a good hold on at least the second spot in the division, then all of a sudden, that Georgia game might be one of the biggest games in program history. At worst, this should be at the very least another nine-to-ten-win team. If that is the case, then it will certainly be enough for both this program and its fans to be proud of. That being said, this is a team that has a real chance to be the mix to do something truly special in 2022.
Larry Spicer will produce a weekly column covering both the University of Kentucky Basketball and Football programs for the L4 Security 13th Region Media Network. He is a resident of Corbin, and is married with two daughters. He is a communications major at Eastern Kentucky University and has covered football from the NFL to College since 2017.
