Kentucky came into Kroger Field on Saturday in a must-win situation, and that’s exactly what they did. After losing heartbreakers to Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt as well as suffering a rough loss to Tennessee, the Wildcats had to get a win over Louisville. This wasn’t a game that was going to affect Kentucky in bowl positioning or rankings, however, for morale, a loss here would have been catastrophic for the program.
Expectations were at an all-time high for Kentucky football coming into 2022. Unfortunately for the big blue nation, the season didn’t quite turn out in the way they had hoped. Still, beating your biggest rival ends the season on a bit of a high note and the Wildcats end with a respectable 7-5 regular season record. That being said, even though the Wildcats didn’t finish the season as high in the standings as they would have liked, hindsight is 20/20 and the program goes into an off-season full of questions So where do we begin?
The Cats Go Bowling, but Where?
This was a season that those around the Kentucky football program felt like they had a strong opportunity to play in a New Years Six bowl game, however, things didn’t turn out that way for the Wildcats. However, Any post-season game is better than no post-season game. Extra team practice is going to be the most beneficial aspect of going bowling, however, continuing the streak of post-season play in itself is good for Kentucky football.
The question is where do the Wildcats go? Right now, the leading candidate for Kentucky seems to be Las Vegas, but that could change and will be interesting to monitor over the next week or so. The next question is, doe’s Will Levis play?
With the super-senior set to project as a first-round NFL draft pick, the answer as of right now would seem to be, not likely. However, Levis is the most extreme of competitors so that is not a certainty. This is another storyline worth keeping an eye on, however, it is not the biggest.
Who is Running the Offense Next Season?
So what happens to Rich Scangarello? The former 49er’s assistant had a rough first year as offensive coordinator in Lexington. The offense was slow and sluggish and really struggled to not only move the ball but score touchdowns. Unfortunately, that is not a good look with a roster deep in receiver and tight-end talent and once again, a potential first-round pick at quarterback.
Yes, the offensive line struggled mightily throughout most of the season. That being said, there was simply a disconnect in the offensive scheme this season that was impossible not to notice. Now, even though Scangarello has a huge buyout along with the amount of turnover at the offensive coordinator over the last few seasons, his seat could still be red hot right now.
Or, maybe he stays. That is the biggest story of the off-season, however, if he does, things will have to look drastically better next season. If he doesn’t, Stoops absolutely must nail his next hire. The Kentucky head coach needs someone he can completely turn the keys of the offense to in full confidence. After these questions, one key question remains.
The Roster
Kentucky has struggled in recruiting this year compared to the success they have enjoyed over the Stoops/Marrow era. That being said, there are some very talented players in this group. The biggest key is not only finding more talent as signing-day approaches but hanging on to the top-tier talent they have as well. This leads us to the next phase, the transfer portal.
The transfer portal will be even more crucial for the future of the program than signing day. This not only includes incoming players but outgoing players as well. Kentucky has a lot of talent returning next season if they can keep everyone intact. Granted, players will leave, that is a given every year no matter the circumstances. Keeping your young core talent is the key in order to compete at a high-level next season and beyond.
Of course, the next key is what kind of talent can Kentucky find to come in and contribute next season. This is why setting up a fully functional NIL program was so important and should benefit the program going forward. Rounding out, the biggest question around this program in terms of the roster is, who is playing quarterback next season?
Here is the good news, there will be very good signal-callers in the portal this off-season. However, we really won’t have an idea of who Kentucky is looking at until we know who the offensive coordinator is. The scheme will play a major role in who will be under center and of course that is not breaking news.
Conclusion
This may be the most monumental off-season of the Mark Stoops era. The program can still be headed toward an upward trajectory. However, Stoops and his staff will need to make some very important decisions this off-season. Like any off-season, things must go right this off-season, however, the difference this year is that it just feels like more is on the line right now. Get your popcorn ready big blue nation. The next few weeks and months are going to be as ‘must-see’ as maybe it has ever been.
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.
