Projecting the Kentucky football depth chart: Who starts at right tackle, cornerback?

The training camp portion of Kentucky football’s preseason practices is finished with university classes starting.

As the Wildcats’ focus begins to shift toward preparing for the Sept. 2 opener against Ball State, it’s time to look at how the team’s depth chart is shaping up.

UK Coach Mark Stoops is expected to release the first official depth chart of the season on Monday. Here is a position-by-position look at what to expect on that depth chart, based on player interviews, open practice observations and insider tips.

QUARTERBACK

Starter: Devin Leary.

Backups: Kaiya Sheron, Destin Wade, Deuce Hogan.

Kentucky signed Leary, the top-ranked available quarterback in the transfer portal at the time of his commitment, to replace Will Levis as its starter. That addition has been met with rave reviews since spring practice. While Leary is not considered the same quality of NFL Draft prospect as Levis, he is already a more accomplished college quarterback. Certainly compared to the version of Levis that was limited by injuries last season, Leary looks to be an upgrade.

Coaches have yet to name a winner in the backup quarterback competition, but Sheron looks to have the edge for now. Losing Leary would be a disaster for Kentucky’s hopes of contending in the SEC East, but Sheron does appear to have improved significantly from his fill-in start against South Carolina last season.

RUNNING BACK

Starter: Ray Davis.

Backups: JuTahn McClain, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, Ramon Jefferson.

It is unlikely any one running back will receive the same percentage of carries Chris Rodriguez did the last two seasons, but Davis has proven himself in the SEC already with four 100-yard rushing games against SEC opponents for Vanderbilt last season. At least four running backs could be used as part of a rotation that might bring back memories of the 2019 season when A.J. Rose, Kavosiey Smoke and Rodriguez all took turns as the featured back. Sumo-Karngbaye will split time between running back and wide receiver, allowing offensive coordinator Liam Coen to get creative with formations when he is on the field.

WIDE RECEIVER

Starters: Barion Brown, Dane Key, Tayvion Robinson.

Backups: Dekel Crowdus, Anthony Brown, Shamar Porter.

Kentucky might have its most talented trio of starting wide receivers since Stevie Johnson, Keenan Burton and Dicky Lyons Jr. in 2007, but there are still questions facing this group. Can Key and Brown make a jump as sophomores to master the finer points of wide receiver play rather than relying on their natural athleticism? Will Robinson respond to coaches’ offseason challenges after a disappointing debut season as a Wildcat? Wide receiver depth is a concern, too, as Crowdus is the only returning reserve who has caught a pass in a college game. If freshmen Brown and Porter can emerge, excitement for this group will only grow.

TIGHT END

Starters: Josh Kattus, Brenden Bates.

Backups: Jordan Dingle, Izayah Cummings, Khamari Anderson.

The deepest position on the UK offense should be heavily used in Coen’s offense with multiple tight ends frequently on the field at the same time. Kattus and Bates offer the best combination of blocking and pass-catching skills. Dingle, who is working his way back from offseason surgery, and Cummings are the most dynamic receivers of the group. Anderson could be headed toward a redshirt season because of the veteran depth ahead of him, but he has already earned the trust of coaches as a freshman.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Starters: LT Marques Cox, LG Kenneth Horsey, C Jager Burton, RG Eli Cox, RT Courtland Ford.

Backups: Jeremy Flax, Tanner Bowles, Ben Christman, Dylan Ray, Paul Rodriguez.

After the disaster that was the 2022 season for Kentucky’s offensive line, Stoops and company made heavy use of the transfer portal to rebuild the unit. Four of the starting spots are locked in with Northern Illinois transfer Marques Cox added to shore up left tackle, Horsey moving back to his natural left guard position and Eli Cox and Burton swapping their starting roles from 2022. It would not be a surprise to see an “or” on the first depth chart at right tackle between Ford, a transfer from Southern Cal, and Flax, the returning starter. Both tackles will need to play over the first month to fully settle on a starter. Bowles, an Alabama transfer, should serve a valuable backup role, but depth remains a question. Christman, an Ohio State transfer, has been limited by a knee injury in camp. The good news is the most of the starters can play multiple positions in the case of injury.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Starters: DT Deone Walker, NG Josaih Hayes, DE Tre’vonn Rybka.

Backups: Octavious Oxendine, Kahlil Saunders, Keeshawn Silver, Darrion Henry-Young, Jamarius Dinkins.

Walker might be the best player on Kentucky’s roster as UK coaches have done nothing to lower expectations for the 2022 Freshman All-American. After a full season in the strength and conditioning program, Walker could contend for All-SEC honors. Improved conditioning should keep Walker on the field for longer stretches, but defensive line coach Anwar Stewart is still expected to use a deep rotation to keep all his linemen fresh. Nose guard is a position to watch with Hayes, Saunders and Dinkins competing for the starting job in camp. Stewart recently pointed to Saunders as the group’s ex-factor if he can bounce back from an injury that limited him in camp.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

Starters: J.J. Weaver, Keaten Wade.

Backups: Tyreese Fearbry, Noah Matthews.

After turning down the NFL Draft, Weaver spent his offseason working on his body in hopes of finally staying healthy for a full season and making a Josh Allen-like jump in production as a senior. No one is realistically expecting Weaver to duplicate Allen’s National Defensive Player of the Year season from 2018, but if he can work his way into the top tier of SEC pass rushers Kentucky’s defense will take a significant step forward. The other outside linebackers listed here are in their second season on campus and still looking to prove themselves as consistent contributors. Defensive coordinator Brad White will likely make heavy use of an extra defensive back, limiting the exposure of those players.

INSIDE LINEBACKER

Starters: D’Eryk Jackson, Trevin Wallace.

Backups: Daveren Rayner, Martez Thrower.

Jackson and Wallace gained plenty of experience a year ago while filling in for injured starters Jacquez Jones and DeAndre Square, but now is their time to fully take the reins of the position. Kentucky will surely miss the leadership of Square and Jones at times, but Jackson and Wallace have a higher ceiling than the players they are replacing. Adding Rayner as a transfer from Northern Illinois was essential to addressing depth concerns at the position, but none of the backups are proven against SEC competition.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Starters: CB Andru Phillips, CB Maxwell Hairston, S Jordan Lovett, S Zion Childress, NB Alex Afari.

Backups: J.Q. Hardaway, Jordan Robinson, Jalen Geiger, Ty Bryant, Jantzen Dunn.

Kentucky must replace both its starting cornerbacks, but Stoops recently expressed confidence in the play of Phillips and Hairston as his first-team unit there. Lovett, Childress and Geiger will all likely play starter-level snaps at safety, and Afari will find his way onto the field as one of Kentucky’s best 11 defenders. When Phillips slides to nickel back on third down, Hardaway or Robinson will need to prove capable of playing cornerback. Dunn, a transfer from Ohio State, has split time between cornerback and nickel back in camp.

SPECIALISTS

Starters: K Alex Raynor, P Wilson Berry, PR Tayvion Robinson, KR Barion Brown, KOS Chance Poore, LS Ron Gaines.

New special teams coordinator Jay Boulware wasted little time putting his stamp on the unit after repeated 2022 struggles. Raynor appears to have locked down the field goal duties, but Poore should retain kickoff duties and provide depth at both kicker and punter. The return game should be a strength, but teams will surely kick away from Brown whenever possible. The addition of Gaines as a transfer from Temple could be one of the more important personnel changes after the Wildcats’ snapping issues a year ago.

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