The 10 coaches and players under the most pressure in Kentucky college football in 2023

Last season yielded a rarity in Kentucky college football. For only the third time, all three of the commonwealth’s FBS programs put up winning records in the same season.

Western Kentucky finished 9-5 and blasted South Alabama 44-23 in the New Orleans Bowl.

Louisville went 8-5 and whipped Cincinnati 24-7 in the Fenway Bowl.

Kentucky concluded its season 7-6 but claimed the Governor’s Cup for the fourth straight time by defeating U of L 26-13.

This season, there is a chance for some Kentucky college football history. Since WKU transitioned into the FBS starting in 2008, all three of our state’s Football Bowl Subdivision teams have never produced winning marks in back-to-back seasons.

For that to happen in 2023, these are the 10 players and coaches under the most pressure to come through.

10. J.J. Weaver, Kentucky. The redshirt senior outside linebacker/rush end has been a productive player — he had 47 tackles, six tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks in 2022 — but injuries have conspired to prevent him from emerging as an All-SEC-caliber performer. If the 6-foot-5, 244-pound product of Louisville’s Moore High School can stay healthy and give UK a pass rush threat that does not require blitzing, his impact on the Wildcats’ season will be major.

9. JaQues “Donut” Evans, Western Kentucky. The 6-2, 250-pound linebacker/defensive end was a one-man havoc producer for the Hilltoppers in 2022. Evans, a Dublin, Ga., product, made a team-high 109 tackles with 14 tackles for loss, nine QB sacks, four pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. With only four defensive starters returning, WKU needs a similar level of disruption from Evans.

8. Jamari Thrash, Louisville. Last season at Georgia State, the 6-1, 185-pound wide receiver produced a big-play bonanza. On only 61 catches, Thrash finished 13th in the FBS in receiving yards with 1,122. If Thrash can continue his big-play acumen as he steps up from the Sun Belt Conference to the ACC, he could be a major X-factor for U of L.

7. Drew Hollingshead, Western Kentucky. A Mike Leach disciple, Hollingshead moves from inside receivers coach at Mississippi State to Western offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. All that will be expected of the new WKU OC is to continue the trend that has seen a Hilltoppers QB lead the FBS in passing yards the past two seasons.

6. Jack Plummer, Louisville. After playing for four seasons for Jeff Brohm at Purdue, the 6-5, 215-pound quarterback transferred to California last season and completed 62.5 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,095 yards and 21 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Now reunited with Brohm, the super-senior from Gilbert, Ariz., is the pivotal player in the new Cardinals’ coach’s first season.

5. Liam Coen, Kentucky. UK is banking heavily on its new/old offensive coordinator to revitalize an attack that ran out of petrol last season under deposed OC Rich Scangarello — UK finished 116th out of 131 FBS programs in total offense (324.7 yards a game) and 112th in scoring (20.4 points a game). Something that looks similar to what Coen’s first UK offense produced in 2021 — 30 points and 425.2 yards a game — would be a positive step.

4. Austin Reed, Western Kentucky. Last season at WKU, the transfer quarterback from NCAA Division II West Florida led the FBS in passing yards (4,746) while finishing second in passing yards a game (339) and third in touchdown throws (40). The challenge for the 6-2, 220-pound redshirt senior from St. Augustine Beach, Fla., is to produce a worthy encore while working with a new offensive coordinator.

3. Devin Leary, Kentucky. A transfer from North Carolina State, UK’s new signal caller is one of the most-accomplished quarterbacks in college football. A 6-1, 217-pound super-senior, Leary has thrown for 6,807 yards with 62 TD passes vs. only 16 interceptions in his career. The key for Kentucky is keeping the QB on the field. At N.C. State, Leary’s 2020 season ended after four games and his 2022 after six contests due to separate injuries.

2. Jeff Brohm, Louisville. The return of native son Brohm as the U of L head man has energized a down-trodden Cardinals fan base. Yet the high level of anticipation and what is widely seen as a soft U of L schedule — the Cardinals do not play Clemson, Florida State or North Carolina, the teams chosen to finish 1-2-3 in the ACC preseason poll — ratchets up the pressure on Brohm to produce an immediate big season.

1. Mark Stoops, Kentucky. Those who claim Stoops has the least-pressurized head coaching position in the Southeastern Conference are about to get a reality check. Stoops’ prior success at UK — the seven straight bowl games, the two 10-win seasons — has raised the expectation level of the Big Blue Nation. In 2023, Stoops gets his last crack at an SEC East schedule before the arrival of Oklahoma and Texas and the abolishment of SEC division play in 2024 foretells tougher annual schedules for the Cats.