12 most important individuals for Kentucky football in 2023
The party has begun. On Saturday, the 2023 college football season finally got rolling. Things will pick up on Thursday before we settle into our groove in Week 3 with jam-packed Saturday slates from September until Thanksgiving weekend. It’s time to have some fun entering what could be an excellent season for Kentucky football.
The Wildcats returned some big pieces from a top-10 defense, landed one of the top QB transfers in college football, and got Liam Coen back to call the offensive plays. An argument can be made that Kentucky has one of the best coordinator duos in college football, and Mark Stoops has proven that he is a bonafide top-20 head coach in the sport.
There is a lot of optimism surrounding this program heading into a huge season. Despite an excellent runway to begin the season, things could get difficult with a more challenging schedule with consecutive games after the bye week against Tennessee, Mississippi State, Alabama, South Carolina, and Louisville. Each of those teams is the entering the season with real optimism. There are a lot of scenarios on the table for the Wildcats.
Football is a team game, but many times, individuals can make a huge difference. Back in July, I touched on the 12 people who could make the biggest difference in the SEC. Now we’re going to take a more Kentucky-centered approach on game week.
Here are the dozen individuals who could determine if Kentucky’s season is considered a success or a failure.
Coaching staff
— Liam Coen (Kentucky offensive coordinator): The 37-year-old offensive coordinator led Kentucky to decade-high offensive production in 2021 before bolting after one season to become a non-play calling with the Los Angeles Rams. Coen is now returning to Kentucky and is looking to fix an offense where everything that could go wrong went wrong in 2022. There is optimism that Coen can lead Kentucky to another top-25 finish, but the passing game will need to lead the way this season.
— Zach Yenser (Kentucky offensive line coach): After years spent with the San Francisco 49ers as an assistant offensive line coach, Yenser returned to college football in 2022 and was dealt a tough hand. The Wildcats had numerous personnel issues on the offensive line and little experience. UK had players playing out of position, and disastrous results followed. Coen has come in to simplify the scheme, and multiple transfers were added to flip the room. The pieces are now in place for Kentucky’s offensive line to play winning football. Yenser needs his unit to show growth this season. If they don’t, things could get ugly again for this pro-style scheme.
Kentucky personnel
— Devin Leary (Kentucky quarterback): The NC State transfer has an unfortunate injury history, but when Leary is on the field he has produced. The New Jersey native has thrown for 6,807 yards during his career and led NC State to a 14-4 record over the last two seasons. Hype has not slowed down for the ACC transfer since he showed up in Lexington. There is a belief that Leary could be one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC and that could mean some special things for the Wildcats. Processing and accuracy appear to be two strong points, and that could unlock a Kentucky passing game with a ton of potential.
— Deone Walker (Kentucky defensive tackle): A solid recruiting win out of Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech, Walker busted onto the scene in 2022 earning True Freshman All-American honors. Walker earned 11 starts totaling 40 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and a team-high 24 pressures. Expectations are growing quickly for Walker as he has the toolbox to be a multi-positional difference maker that could turn into one of the defensive trench players in college football. If Walker can be a walking mismatch for Kentucky on the line of scrimmage, that changes things for the rest of the defense and could open up more playmaking opportunities. For a defense that needs to create more turnovers, Walker could be the catalyst to more havoc plays, which could make this unit very dangerous.
— Jager Burton (Kentucky center): Everyone wants to talk about tackle, but the interior offensive line was also a problem for Kentucky last season. There is hope that moving Eli Cox and Kenneth Horsey back to their natural positions at guard should fix many issues. However, Kentucky is starting a new center for the third consecutive season. Burton — a former blue-chip signee in 2021 — started 13 games at left guard for Kentucky last season but did go through some real growing pains. Kentucky is hoping that playing center will be a better positional fit for the athletic linemen that can help in protection and climb to the second level to saw off linebackers in pursuit. If Burton is good, that answers a big question and gives Kentucky a long-term answer at a key position. If the redshirt sophomore struggles and another position switch is needed, that could put this rebuilt offensive line behind the eight-ball.
— Andru Phillips (Kentucky cornerback): The redshirt junior was a legacy recruit out of Mauldin (S.C.) in 2020 who broke into a quality role in 2022. Phillips was Kentucky’s top cover player at nickel last season and started four games. Phillips is now making the full-time move to the outside and could also have some slot cornerback duties in obvious passing downs. After Phillips, Kentucky gets young at cornerback fairly quickly and needs his coverage skill set in the slot. The Wildcats don’t need Phillips to be great, but he needs to be dependable and give the cornerback position a high floor. UK needs Phillips to be one of the most consistent players on the defense to give that position group some wiggle room while Maxwell Hairston, JQ Hardaway, and Jordan Robinson develop.
— Tayvion Robinson (Kentucky wide receiver): The former Virginia Tech transfer arrived at Kentucky in 2022 with much fanfare. Robinson entered the season as a legit NFL Draft prospect but went on to have his worst season in college football. The former top-500 recruit put up career lows in yards per reception (12.4) and average depth of target (4.9 yards). It’s not unfair to say that Robinson was a disappointment. However, he now will get to play for the offensive coordinator who recruited him to Kentucky and gives a thin position a quality No. 3 option with 153 career receptions. The Wildcats need Robinson to be a reliable option. If he becomes a consistent No. 3 option, that likely means that this passing offense becomes one of the best in the SEC.
— J.J. Weaver (Kentucky EDGE): The Louisville (Ky.) Moore product is back for year five on campus and is looking to have his first healthy season as a full-time player. Weaver tore his ACL in 2020, rushed back from the injury in 2021, and suffered an elbow injury in Week 3 in 2022. The former four-star recruit has had to play through some serious injuries but has still produced numbers (24 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 47 pressure, 1,297 snaps). If Weaver can stay healthy for a full campaign, that could give UK an All-SEC player at a premium position. Havoc numbers should be more consistent in that scenario and that would lead to some more playmaking for this defense.
Kentucky’s opposing personnel
— Graham Mertz (QB, Florida): The Wisconsin transfer took official visits to Kentucky and Florida in December before ultimately landing in Gainesville. At one time, UK looked like the favorite to land the former top-100 recruit before closing on Devin Leary. We will find out soon if UK made the right decision. Mertz will open the season as Florida’s starter against Utah and has two seasons of eligibility remaining. A Leary vs. Mertz head-to-head will occur in Week 5 at Kroger Field.
Opposing head coaches
— Jeff Brohm (Louisville head coach): After finishing a six-year run at Purdue with a 36-34 overall record, the 52-year-old Louisville alum has returned home to lead the Cardinals. Brohm has not shied away from Kentucky questions in the offseason and is telling everyone who will listen how important that game will be. The Wildcats had full control over this rivalry series both on the field and on the recruiting trail against Scott Satterfield. Brohm will now try to change that with a home game against UK in year one.
— Josh Heupel (Tennessee head coach): The SEC has not been able to crack the code for Tennessee’s offense under Heupel and that led Tennessee to an 11-2 finish in 2022. For Kentucky, the Vols have been the biggest thorn in the program’s side having been unable to capitalize on multiple winning opportunities over the last decade. With a schedule that features both Alabama and Georgia, the home game with the Vols grows in significance. Kentucky needs to get a win in this series, and the matchup on Halloween weekend could be the ultimate swing game on the schedule. Can UK figure out a way to slow this offense down? Will Kentucky’s offense be good enough to win in a shootout? Regardless Kentucky — and many others in the SEC — need to figure out a way to prevent this offense from posting video game numbers.
— Kirby Moore (Missouri offensive coordinator): There are some real reasons to believe in Missouri football in 2023. The Tigers have the pieces to have a top-25 defense, there is potential star power at wide receiver, and the offensive line should be improved. There are major questions at quarterback, but Eliah Drinkwitz is allowing someone else to make that decision for the first time in his coaching career. The 31-year-old younger brother of Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called plays for just one season at Fresno State but comes from a strong coaching background that includes Chris Petersen, Kalen DeBoer, and Jeff Tedford. If Moore can make an early splash, the Tigers could be a sneaky double-digit win candidate with a schedule that presents the opportunity to get off to a very fast start.
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