Slowly but surely, Kentucky's football program is making a climb in the SEC East.
Head coach Mark Stoops has led the Wildcats to four straight bowl games. With much of last year's squad returning, there's every reason to believe the program will make it five.
Although it may still be a stretch for the Wildcats to join Georgia and Florida atop the division, Stoops' program is no longer the pushover it used to and a team opponents will need to pay close attention to whenever they happen to meet.
For more on the Wildcats:
Kentucky
Versus Georgia: Nov. 21
Head coach: Mark Stoops
2019 Record: 8-4, 3-5
Outlook
As is the case with the rest of the SEC, mandatory workouts have yet to begin. But already Kentucky has received some good news.
Quarterback Terry Wilson announced that he's 100 percent healthy, after going down in Week 2 of last year with a season-ending knee injury. His absence forced wide receiver Lynn Bowden to quarterback the team.
To Bowden's credit, he brought a different dimension to the Kentucky offense with his ability to run the ball, but the Cats' passing game took a hit, making the team more one-dimensional than Stoops would have liked.
The return of Wilson is expected to take care of that, and combined with the return of a solid backfield made up of Asim Rose, Kavosiey Smoke and Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky's offense is expected to get back to the balance Stoops wants to see.
There is a hole to fill on the offensive line with the graduation of All-SEC guard Logan Stenberg, but there's some good depth returning, led by left tackle Landon Young, center Drake Jackson and right tackle Darian Kinnard.
Josh Ali is the top returnee at wide receiver with 23 catches for 233 yards, but remember with Bowden, the Wildcats were last in the SEC in passing offense, averaging just 113 yards through the air per game.
Look for those numbers to take a major jump with Wilson at the controls.
Defensively, Kentucky returns most of its defense which finished 14th nationally in scoring and 21st nationally in yardage.
For those counting, seven of last year's top nine tacklers return, including linebacker Chris Oats and senior Jamar Watson, who recorded 6.5 sacks last fall.
The Wildcats also feature one of the biggest nose guards in the league with 6-foot-4, 267-pound senior Quinton Bohanna. Kentucky's also excited to see what former five-star prospect Justin Rogers will bring to the equation.
In the secondary, Kentucky was one of the SEC's youngest squads, but brings everyone back, including talented safety Yusuf Corker and cornerback Brandin Echols. The team also adds former LSU player Kelvin Joseph who sat out last year but is eligible this fall.
Five things to know
1. Kentucky added quarterback Joey Gatewood from Auburn in the offseason. The former Rivals Top 50 player has applied for waiver to play immediately from the NCAA, but has yet to receive a response.
2. Running backs Asim Rose, Kavosiey Smoke and Chris Rodriguez Jr. combined for 1,975 rushing yards. Rose led the way with 826 yards and six scores.
3. Due largely to Bowden and the team's penchant to run, Kentucky finished third in the SEC in time of possession last fall, averaging 32.09 minutes per game.
4. If Kentucky finishes over .500 for the fifth straight year, it will mark the first time that's happened since 1945-56.
5. Punter Max Duffy led the SEC in average at 48.1 yards per kick, including a season-long of 70 yards.
From Earlier
Virginia: https://uga.rivals.com/news/scouting-the-opponent-virginia-1…
ETSU https://uga.rivals.com/news/scouting-the-opponent-east-tennessee-state…
Alabama https://uga.rivals.com/news/scouting-the-opponent-alabama-4…
UL-Monroe https://uga.rivals.com/news/scouting-the-opponent-ul-monroe…
Vanderbilt: https://uga.rivals.com/news/scouting-the-opponent-vanderbilt-4…
Auburn: https://uga.rivals.com/news/scouting-the-opponent-auburn-1…
Missouri: https://uga.rivals.com/news/scouting-the-opponent-taking-a-look-at-missouri…
Florida: https://uga.rivals.com/news/scouting-the-opponent-taking-a-look-at-florida…
South Carolina: https://uga.rivals.com/news/scouting-the-opponent-taking-a-look-at-south-carolina
Tennessee
https://uga.rivals.com/news/scouting-the-opponent-taking-a-look-at-tennessee
