Only moments after Kentucky had beaten North Carolina State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, Mark Stoops was asked about his vision for what is hoped to be a revamped UK offense in 2021.
“We’ll address that when I get back in January,” Stoops said. “I need a few days off.”
With Alabama and Ohio State putting the finishing touches on the pandemic-challenged 2020 college football season Monday night, it is now officially on to college football, 2021.
For Kentucky (5-6 overall, 4-6 in the SEC in 2020), next season will begin a distinct new phase of the Stoops coaching era. It will feature a predominantly new offensive staff led by incoming coordinator Liam Coen.
If the Wildcats are to “take the next step” and contend near the top of the SEC East, answers must be found to these five questions:
1.) Can Coen get some balance into the UK offense?
The logic behind Stoops going to Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams coaching staff to pluck Kentucky’s new offensive chief is clear.
In explaining the philosophical underpinnings of the Rams attack, McVay told attendees at the 2019 USC coaching clinic it is rooted “in the marriage of the run and pass game. … (The run and pass plays) start out looking the same, but are different.”
Over the past three seasons, UK has ranked 35th (2020), fourth (2019) and 37th (2018) in the FBS in rushing. However, the Wildcats have stood 122nd (2020), 126th (2019) and 120th (2018) in passing.
What Stoops is attempting to do is maintain Kentucky’s very effective run game but build a successful passing dimension that functions off of it.
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The challenge will be whether Coen, the Rams’ assistant quarterbacks coach, can immediately create “the marriage” between the run and pass in Lexington.
2.) Who does Kentucky pick at QB to run a pro-style offense?
In their five seasons in charge of the UK offense, Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw mostly used dual-threat quarterbacks.
Stephen Johnson (14-10) and Terry Wilson (17-8) combined to go 31-18 in the games in which they took the preponderance of snaps for UK, so you can’t knock their bottom line.
With Wilson opting to enter the transfer portal seeking a chance to use his NCAA-mandated “free year of eligibility” elsewhere, it means Coen will presumably end up choosing between Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood and ex-Lexington Catholic star Beau Allen as UK’s next starting QB.
Gatewood is the more experienced player. When Wilson was unable to play against Georgia due to injury, Gatewood got the start. In a 14-3 UK loss, he completed 15 of 25 passes for 95 yards and ran 16 times for 23 net yards.
A polished pocket passer in high school, Allen on paper seems a better fit for a pro-style attack.
Whoever wins the UK starting job, the Cats need both Gatewood and Allen to stay on their roster.
Unless another QB is added to the mix, the only other quarterback presently slated to be on scholarship at Kentucky in 2020 is incoming freshman Kaiya Sheron from Somerset.
3.) Can UK find some playmaking capacity among its wide receivers?
To reinvigorate the UK offense, Coen has to find more playmakers capable of stressing high-level SEC defenses.
The announced return of leading receiver Josh Ali (54 catches, 473 yards) via the NCAA free year brings back UK’s only consistently-productive wideout.
After two seasons of battling injuries, Isaiah Epps (eight catches, 63 yards) showed some late-season life.
The promise of freshmen Michael Drennen (three catches, 26 yards) and Izayah Cummings was “talked up” throughout last season.
Kentucky’s haul of receivers in its 2021 signing class — Dekel Crowdus; Christian Lewis; Chauncey Magwood; Devonte Ross; plus tight end Jordan Dingle — has been praised by the recruiting geeks.
This is a position where a high-profile transfer could make a big impact for UK, too.
4.) Who plays middle linebacker?
As a redshirt junior in 2020, Jamin Davis was one of the SEC’s breakout players (102 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions).
The UK MLB ended his stellar campaign with 13 tackles and a pass interception in Kentucky’s 23-21 win over North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl.
With Davis’ announcement that he is entering the 2021 NFL Draft, UK is losing its best defensive player — with no established heir apparent.
Barring an incoming transfer, true freshman D’Eryk Jackson (four tackles in 2020) seems to be the player to watch.
5. Who plays cornerback?
Both senior Brandin Echols (54 tackles, one interception) and redshirt sophomore Kelvin Joseph (25 tackles, four picks) have announced plans to make themselves available for the NFL Draft.
To replace them, senior-to-be Cedric Dort; the versatile Quandre Mosely (using the “free year” to return); and true freshmen Carrington Valentine and Andru Phillips should all be in the mix.
In an increasingly pass-happy SEC, the fate of Kentucky’s 2021 season will significantly depend on whether the Cats can find new, quality corners.
