Presented By Season PreviewJust Peachy Inside: 2 0 2 1 F O O T B A L L FOR THE TEAM© 2021 The Coca-Cola Company. NOW More Delicious NEW ZERO SUGAR New SeasonGet Fresh Game Day Faves with FREE Pickup * Shop on our app. Official Grocery Partner of UK Athletics *Free pickup on orders of $35 or more. Restrictions may apply. FRESH FOR EVERYONE ™2021 Kentucky Football Yearbook is published by the University of Kentucky Athletics Department. University of Kentucky Athletics Director: Mitch Barnhart Communications and Public Relations: Susan Lax, Matt May, Tony Neely 546 East Main Street First Floor Lexington, KY 40508 859-226-4540 UK Sports Marketing Powered by JMI Sports Brandon Baker, TJ Beisner, Seth Boyle, Curtis Burch, Randy Carter, Adair Mattingly, Seth Poteat, Kim Ramsay, Lance Reed, Brian Sayre, Kim Shelton, Brad Tucker, Erin Vaughn Design & Publishing Managing Editor Jai Giffin Creative Director Jamie Barker Production Assistance Laura Doolittle, Lisa Roberts, Bob Slater2021 Wildcats 18 ...............................Tyrell Ajian 20 ....................................Josh Ali 22 ..........................Brenden Bates 24 ..............................Jared Casey 26 ..........................Yusuf Corker II 28 ..........................Austin Dotson 30 ...............................Isaiah Epps 32 ..............................Jeremy Flax 33 .............................Luke Fortner 34 .......................Kenneth Horsey 36 ...........................Zach Johnson 37 ...........................Jacquez Jones 38 ........................Darian Kinnard 40 ......................Marquan McCall 42 .............................Josh Paschal 43 ..........................Chance Poore 44 ................................Justin Rigg 45 ...................Davonte Robinson 46 .................Wan’Dale Robinson 47 .................. Chris Rodriguez Jr. 49 .............................Matt Ruffolo 50 .......................DeAndre Square 51 ........................Keaton Upshaw 52 ...........................Jordan Wright 53 .....................Numerical Roster 55 .....................Returning Players 67 .......................Cats on the Map 68 .........................Player By Class 2021 Coaching Staff 70 .........Head Coach Mark Stoops 74 .....................Assistant Coaches This is Kentucky 78 ..........Joe Craft Training Facility 80 .................Player Development 82 .............University of Kentucky 83 ...................................Housing 84 .................................Gameday 85 ................................Nike Swag 86 .........................Kentucky Road 88 ...............................Academics 90 ...Kentucky Football in the NFL 92 ........................SEC Dominates 2021 Opponents 94 ....................Louisiana Monroe 95 ...................................Missouri 96 .............................Chattanooga 97 .........................South Carolina 98 .....................................Florida 99 ..........................................LSU 100 ....................................Georgia 101 .......................Mississippi State 102 ................................Tennessee 103 ................................Vanderbilt 104 ....................New Mexico State 105 .................................Louisville The University 106 ..................UK Sports Network 108 .............President Eli Capilouto 110 ...................AD Mitch Barnhart 111 .............................Kroger Field On the Cover (From the Top L-R): Matt Ruffolo, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Darian Kinnard, Josh Ali, Luke Fortner, Josh Paschal, Yusuf Corker, Tyrell Ajian, DeAndre Square, Marquan McCall, Justin Rigg, Davonte Robinson, Austin Dotson, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jordan Wright Previewing the Wildcats Kentucky looks for its sixth-straight bowl bid this season. 4 Just Peachy The Wildcats finished the 1976 season with a Peach Bowl victory and its first-ever ranking in a final AP Poll. 8 Contents @UKSportsNetwork 34 @UKFootball A fter an unprecedented 2020 season because of COVID-19, the Kentucky Wildcats are primed and ready for 2021 with hopes for a return to normalcy. Seven home games at Kroger Field high- light Kentucky’s 2021 football schedule, including back-to-back weeks against tra- ditional heavyweights Florida and LSU to open the month of October. The Cats are coming off a 5-6 season that saw them face a 10-game all-Southeastern Conference regular season before defeating No. 23-ranked NC State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, the program’s third consecutive postseason victory. In all, 53 letter winners and 14 starters from last year return, including nine “Super Seniors” who are taking advantage of the ex- tra year of eligibility due to a COVID-short- ened 2020 season. Let's take a closer look at the 2021 Ken- tucky Wildcats. OFFENSIVE PREVIEW Excitement is in the air as Kentucky awaits the Cats’ new offense scheme, directed by offensive coordinator Liam Coen. The former quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams brings that pro-style offense to the Bluegrass and says one of the biggest changes will be in the passing game. UK threw 243 passes for 1,336 yards last season, ranking 14th in the SEC in passing offense. UK’s offense will be built around a solid group of six offensive starters which includes “super seniors” wide receiver Josh Ali, offen- sive guard Luke Fortner and tight end Justin Rigg. Also returning is wide receiver DeMarcus Harris, offensive guard Kenneth Horsey and preseason All-America tackle Darian Kinnard. Other returning offensive players with starting experience are tight end Keaton Upshaw, quarterback Joey Gatewood, wide receivers Clevan Thomas Jr. and Isaiah Epps. Leading returning rusher Chris Rodri- guez Jr. is UK’s most productive offensive threat from a year ago and looks to be the anchor of the Wildcats’ running corps again this season. He finished fifth in the SEC in rushing in 2020 with 119 rushes for 785 yards (87.2 ypg) in just nine games. The “Big Blue Wall” returns three start- ers from 2020 in Darian Kinnard, Kenneth Horsey and Luke Fortner. Combined with key reserves in seniors Austin Dotson and Naasir Watkins, the Wildcats return a com- bined 59 career starts for 2021. Key losses offensively include quarterback Terry Wilson (17-8 as a starter), running back A.J. Rose (106 carries for 666 yards and two touchdowns in 2020), center Drake Jackson (44 straight career starts) and offensive tackle Landon Young (26 career starts at left tackle). Chris Rodriguez Jr. enters the 2021 season having scored a TD once every 11.3 rushing attempts during his UK career. PREVIEWING THE 2021 Team Looks For Sixth-Straight Bowl Bid@UKSportsNetwork 5 Kentucky has rushed for at least 300 yards in seven of its past 16 games, includ- ing four of at least 400 yards. In 2020, UK ranked third in the SEC and 34th nationally in rushing (196.5 ypg). Quarterbacks One of the biggest storylines surrounding fall camp involves UK’s new offensive scheme and the position battle at quarterback. During Stoops’ tenure, the Wildcats have had eight different starting quarterbacks win a game in Jalen Whitlow, Maxwell Smith, Patrick Towles, Drew Barker, Stephen Johnson, Luke Wright, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Terry Wilson. Kentucky is looking to replace starting quarterback, Terry Wilson, who transferred to New Mexico for his final season of el- igibility. Wilson went 17-8 over three sea- sons as a starter. He became the first player in school history with at least 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in his career. In total, first-year offensive coordinator Liam Coen has six quarterbacks to work with this fall. Sophomore Beau Allen saw action in two games last season, while junior Joey Gatewood played in seven games. Junior walk-on Patrick Delahunty returns as does sophomore Nik Scalzo who was injured in 2020. Somerset standout and true freshman Kaiya Sheron enters the mix as a mid-year enrollee. Add into the mix Penn State trans- fer Will Levis, who arrived this summer, and there’s sure to be a tough battle for the job. Among the quarterbacks on UK’s roster, Gatewood is the only QB with a UK start under his belt. He got the starting nod last season in a loss to No. 5 Georgia. In 15 career games at Penn State, Levis completed 61-of-102 passes (59.8) for 644 yards and three scores, with just two inter- ceptions. Often used as a running quarter- back, he also had 133 carries for 473 yards and six touchdowns. His 473 career rush- ing yards rank 10th all-time by a Penn State quarterback. In seven games in 2020, Gatewood to- taled 62 rushing yards on 25 carries, and completed 17-of-35 passes for 109 yards with one interception. Allen completed 3-of-7 passes for 40 yards in two games. Running Backs/Fullbacks Veteran running backs coach John Settle was hired in March of 2021 after spending the last six seasons and 11 years total at Wis- consin. The running back room goes seven deep and features juniors Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Kavosiey Smoke and sophomores JuTahn McClain and Travis Tisdale. Sophomore Torrance Davis was added to the room af- ter seeing time at linebacker in 2020. Junior Tyler Markray also looks for playing time as does mid-year enrollee La’Vell Wright. Rodriguez was the team’s leading rusher in 2020 with 785 yards and 11 touchdowns despite being unavailable for two games due to COVID-19 protocols. He had four 100-yard rushing games, including three of the final four he was available to play. He was named second-team All-America and first-team All-SEC by Pro Football Focus and has earned several preseason acco- lades for 2021. Rodriguez has proven nearly impossible to bring down behind the line of scrimmage, having lost yardage on just five of his 192 career rushing attempts. In 2020, he lost yards on his first attempt of the season be- fore starting a streak of 105 consecutive car- ries of positive yards. Smoke missed three games with a rib in- jury but returned in a limited capacity vs. Georgia and finished the 2020 season with 229 yards on 47 attempts. As a true freshman, McClain earned high praise from the coaching staff and totaled 16 carries for 62 yards in seven games. UK has two fullbacks on the roster in se- nior Dillon Wheatley and junior Jack Varga. Kentucky has rushed for at least 300 yards in seven of its past 16 games, includ- ing four of at least 400 yards. Wide Receivers Second-year wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight has 19 total wide receivers this fall, and it includes a mix of experience and young talent. Twelve of the 19 are returners, while seven are newcomers to the program. The top returning pass catcher, Josh Ali, is back for an extra season after taking ad- vantage of the NCAA’s blanket eligibility waiver for all 2020 fall student-athletes due to COVID-19. Ali has 90 career receptions for 846 yards and five scores. He finished the 2020 season with a team-high 54 catches for 473 yards and a touchdown. Senior Isaiah Epps returned midseason from a foot injury that cost him the 2019 season and flashed his potential down the stretch, catching eight passes for 63 yards. Senior Clevan Thomas Jr. has a ton of ex- perience having played in 29 career games with eight starting nods. Thomas’ status is uncertain for the fall as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in spring practice. Sophomore DeMarcus Harris caught 14 passes for 87 yards in 2020. Battling for increased action this season are sophomores Tae Tae Crumes, Izayah Cummings, Mike Drennen II and redshirt freshman Earnest Sanders IV. A huge addition to the program who figures to make an instant and significant contribution to the offense is Nebraska transfer Wan’Dale Robinson. He brings a wealth of experience after two seasons with the Huskers. In 2020, he led Nebraska with 51 catches and 461 receiving yards despite playing only eight games and splitting du- ties at running back. As a freshman in 2019, Robinson caught 40 passes for 443 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 340 yards and three scores. The 40 catches and 443 receiving yards were the most by any true freshman in Nebraska history. Another huge transfer (literally) is 6-foot- 6 receiver Tre’Von Morgan who spent the last three seasons at Michigan State. He saw action in three games in 2020 for the Spar- tans, totaling two catches for 46 yards. True freshman Chauncey Magwood looks to get in the mix after enrolling ear- ly. Three more highly-touted true freshmen, Dekel Crowdus, Chris Lewis and Devonte Ross, will also battle for playing time. Tight Ends Tight ends coach Vince Marrow has one of the most experienced position groups with all three of his top tight ends returning for 2021. The tight ends were key blockers for UK’s explosive running game, which averaged nearly 200 yards per game and ranked third in the SEC. Senior Justin Rigg is back after taking advantage of the NCAA’s blanket eligibility waiver for all 2020 fall student-athletes due to COVID-19. Rigg has 30 career receptions for 358 yards and one score and in 2020, had 12 catches for 145 yards. Junior Keaton Upshaw had 16 catches for 198 yards and three TDs in 2020, both leading the tight end corps and ranking sec- ond on the team overall. Junior Brenden Bates made his first ca- reer catch in the Mississippi State game last season, hauling in a 14-yard pass. He saw action in just six games after being injured in that game. New to the tight end room are true fresh- men Jordan Dingle and Jai Williams. Dingle was a first-team All-State selection in Ken- tucky. Williams was a two-way player at linebacker and tight end in high school and came to Kentucky as a preferred walk-on. Offensive Line John Schlarman was Kentucky’s offensive line coach for eight seasons before passing away on Nov. 12, 2020 after a two-year bat- tle with cancer. Eric Wolford was hired to replace Schlar- man in December of 2020 after four seasons at South Carolina. The O-line, known as the “Big Blue Wall,” returns three of five starters from 2020 in Darian Kinnard, Kenneth Horsey and Luke Fortner With key reserves in seniors Austin Dot-6 @UKFootball son and Naasir Watkins, the Wildcats return a combined 59 career starts on the “Big Blue Wall” for 2021. The addition of LSU transfer Za’Dari- us “Dare” Rosenthal in July was a huge boost of depth for the “Big Blue Wall.” The 6-foot-7, 327-pound offensive tackle played in 13 career games with eight ca- reer starts for the Tigers. Kinnard (33 career games, 26 career starts) has been holding down the right tackle position since he entered the starting lineup at the end of the 2018 season but fans could also see him at left tackle this season. He had 47 knockdowns in 2020, grading out at 87.4 percent with 142 blocks at the point of attack. He was named first- team All-America by Pro Football Focus, second-team All-America by CBS/247sports and The Sporting News , third team by AP and fourth team by Phil Steele. He received All-SEC First Team acco- lades from AP, Phil Steele and PFF and second-team All-SEC honors from the SEC Coaches. He’s already been rated by Pro Football Focus as the top returning Power 5 offensive lineman in the country and is list- ed on two-preseason All-America teams. Fortner (42 career games, 23 career starts) is another “super senior” He started in 10 games at right guard in 2020. Horsey (12 career games, eight career starts) manned the left guard spot last sea- son, starting in eight games. Horsey had open-heart surgery in April of 2018 and was named winner of the 2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year. Dotson (27 career games, four career start) looks for a larger role this season af- ter starting in four games. He can play ei- ther guard spot as he served as a backup for Horsey at left guard and Fortner at right guard last season. Watkins (25 career games, one career start) has been rehabbing an injured knee and hopes to return to the starting tackle ro- tation in 2021. Junior Quintin Wilson (10 career games) saw action in five games last season at center. Looking to get added playing time are a number of returning linemen with limited experience to date: senior Matthew Napier (two career games), junior Jake Pope, as well as sophomores Eli Cox (nine career games) and Jeremy Flax (two career games). Also available are redshirt freshmen R.J. Adams, Deondre Buford, Josh Jones and John Young. Freshmen Wildcats Jager Burton and Da- vid Wohlabaugh Jr., graduated high school a semester early and took advantage of being early enrollees. Burton was the winner of the 2020 Paul Hornung Award, chosen by the Louisville Quarterback Club, as the top high school player in Kentucky. He became only the third offensive lineman to win the award. Wohlabaugh is an all-state lineman out of Stow, Ohio. Three more true freshmen add depth to the o-line in Paul Rodriguez of Mason, Ohio, and walk-ons Jonathan Berry (Stamp- ing Ground, Ky.) and Lucas Padgett (son of former UK basketball standout Scott Padgett). The “Big Blue Wall” , along with UK tight ends, have helped Kentucky post five con- secutive seasons of 2,000 or more rushing yards, with at least one 1,000-yard individu- al in four of those. DEFENSIVE PREVIEW Defensive coordinator Brad White is enter- ing his third season as the defensive coordina- tor, his fourth as the outside linebackers coach at UK. Also helping with the coordinator du- ties is former Wildcat and inside linebackers coach Jon Sumrall. He added co-defensive coordinator title to his resume in 2020. Kentucky welcomes back 26 returning let- terwinners, including five starters in DE Josh Paschal, WLB DeAndre Square, LB Jordan Wright, DB Tyrell Aijan, and FS Yusuf Corker. UK started 19 different players on de- fense last season with three (Corker, Hoskins and Watson) starting in all 11 games. The good news is that 12 of those 19 players who started at least one game return for the 2021 season. UK ranked in the top 10 nationally in turnovers gained (22) and was 20th nation- ally and second in the SEC in red zone de- fense (.750). Kentucky also led the SEC in passing de- fense (224.6 yards per game) and ranked third in pass efficiency defense. UK ranked seventh nationally and led the SEC with three defensive touchdowns (Kel- vin Joseph, Jamin Davis and Jordan Wright). UK intercepted 16 passes on the season, including three in the Gator Bowl. It led the SEC and ranked third nationally. Defensive Line Former Wildcat Anwar Stewart is in his second season coaching the defensive line. His unit should still be a position of strength for UK. Returning senior Josh Paschal moved from outside linebacker to defensive end in 2020 and was a shining star in his new role. Defensive end Josh Paschal registered 32 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss last season. PREVIEWING THEAnother senior who looks to play a ma- jor role on the defensive line this season is Marquan “Bully” McCall. He proved to be a mountainous force in the middle last season, finishing with 22 tackles and three starting assignments. Also battling for play- ing time at nose guard are sophomores Jo- saih Hayes, Justin Rogers. Secondary The secondary unit is in the hands of two of the most energetic and talented young coaches in Chris Collins and Frank Buffano. Collins, who coaches the defensive backs, was hired in June of 2021 after spending the last four seasons at Georgia State. Buffano enters his second season coaching the safe- ties, a position he earned in March of 2020. UK has ranked in the top four of the SEC in pass defense, including leading the league in both 2019 and 2020, for three straight seasons. UK also led the SEC and ranked third na- tionally in total interceptions (16) in 2020, eight coming from the secondary. Returning defensive backs Tyrell Aijian, Cedrick Dort, Jr., and Carrington Valentine, all have starting experience under their belts. Ajian (36 career games, 12 career starts) stepped into a much larger role in 2020, starting in 10 games. Dort (31 career games, 13 career starts) battled through some aches and pains during the 2020 season but remained an ex- cellent player at corner. Valentine saw action in 10 games as a true freshman in 2020, earning his first ca- reer start at corner in the Gator Bowl. Another “super senior” looking to take his game to the next level is corner Quandre Mosely (23 career games, two career starts). The staff is also excited for the future of redshirt freshman Andru Phillips, who earned valuable playing time in 2020, and true fresh- men Adrian Huey and Maxwell Hairston. At safety, “super senior” Yusuf Corker (37 career games, 24 career starts) once again proved to be one of the SEC’s most underrat- ed players as he piled up 77 tackles (second on the team), 2.5 TFL and two INTs. Davonte Robinson (37 career games, eight career starts), another “super senior,” came back from a quadriceps injury that robbed him of the 2019 season and worked his way into the fold, starting in three of 11 games played. Playing at nickelback will be sopho- mores Vito Tisdale and Joel Williams. Both saw extensive action as true freshmen in 2020. Other returnees looking to break into the lineup at safety are sophomores Taj Dodson, Moses Douglass and Jalen Geiger, along with redshirt freshman Ricky Hyatt Jr. True freshman Jordan Lovett of Radcliff , Ky., graduated a semester early from North Hardin High School and enrolled at UK in January with hopes of getting a jump start on the playbook. Adding depth and experience is “super senior” Zach Johnson at safety and walk-on DBs Zac Berezowitz and Ben Drake. Linebackers Only three letterwinners in sophomores K.D. McDaniel and J.J. Weaver and senior Jordan Wright return for White’s outside linebackers group this fall. The staff was pleased to add Georgia Tech transfer Justice Dingle who enrolled in January to provide more depth. Walk-on senior Shawn Lawson, sopho- more Jase Bruner and true freshman Conner Long of East Lansing, Mich., also add depth to the OLB unit. Gone is Jamar “Boogie” Watson who started in 19 straight games at OLB. He also capped his career finish on the school’s all- time sacks list with 18.5. Looking to fill those “Boogie” shoes are dominant pass rushers Weaver and Wright. Weaver was having a stellar redshirt fresh- man season before missing the final two games with a torn ACL in his right knee. Wright (33 career games, five career starts) was also impressive in 2020. He fin- ished with 45 tackles (sixth on the team), 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, a team-high four pass break- ups, a team-high three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries and an interception. Dingle saw action in 19 games in three seasons at Georgia Tech, totaling eight tack- les, three fumble recoveries and a tackle for loss. He came to UK in January as a mid- year enrollee and benefited tremendously from participating in spring practice. McDaniel is also poised for productive fall after seeing action in five games in 2020. Moving from inside linebacker to outside in 2021 is senior Marquez Bembry. Making his first collegiate start last season, Bemb- ry had his first career double-figure tackle game with 10 stops vs. Vanderbilt. Bembry has seen action in 12 career games in his two seasons at UK. The inside linebackers are led by lone returning starter DeAndre Square (36 ca- reer games, 22 career starts). He was UK’s second leading tackler in 2019 (69) and in 2020 he ranked third on the team (60). Also returning after contributing quality snaps last season is sophomore Jared Casey. He played in all 11 games and had 20 tackles. As a true freshman in 2020, D’Eryk Jack- son earned praise from the coaching staff after playing in nine games and totaling four tackles and an interception. However, Jack- son is battling a torn Achilles tendon and his return in 2021 is undetermined at this time. Looking to help fill the void of Jackson will be two transfers in senior, Ole Miss transfer Jacquez Jones and sophomore, Michigan State transfer Luke Fulton. Jones was a three-year letterwinner who played in 33 games with 19 starts, totaling 182 tackles in his Ole Miss career. In 2020, he led the Rebels with 75 tackles. Fulton played in just one game in his two seasons with the Spartans but he also bene- fited from participating in UK’s spring prac- tice and learning under inside linebackers coach Jon Sumrall. Four walk-ons in senior William Nalty, junior Braxton Eiserman, sophomores Cody Goatley and Darren Green, and true fresh- man Austin Gough bolster the inside line- backer unit. Highly-regarded freshmen Martez Thrower and Trevin Wallace arrived this summer and are ready to showcase why they were two of Georgia’s top prep defen- sive players. The linebackers corralled six of UK’s 16 interceptions in 2020. SPECIAL TEAMS Special teams will be coached by new running backs coach John Settle and safeties coach Frank Buffano this season. The Wild- cats return all but their Australian transplant and 2019 Ray Guy Award winner in punter and holder Max Duffy. He concluded his career as the school’s all-time leading punt- er at 45.96 yards per kick. Returning are placekicker Matt Ruffolo, kickoff specialist Chance Poore, long snap- per Cade Degraw, punt returner Josh Ali and kick returner Zach Johnson. Competing for the punting duties are senior Colin Goodfellow and UK’s third straight Aussie transplant Wilson Berry. Goodfellow earned two starts last sea- son and he handled his first collegiate ap- pearances well. He punted three times for a 46.3-yard average against Vandy. He fol- lowed that up by averaging 48.3 yards on seven punts vs. Alabama, including a career long 55-yarder. Ruffolo, a “super senior” who took ad- vantage of the NCAA’s blanket waiver due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was UK’s starting placekicker last season. Poore handles kickoffs for the Wildcats and also has placekicking experience. Sophomore walk-on Graham Wald is also available for kicking duties. Johnson is back as UK’s kick returner, while another “super senior” Josh Ali han- dles punt returns. Ali had six punt returns for a 10.3 average in 2020, while. Johnson averaged 20.7 yards per kick return. Degraw enters his second season as UK’s long snapper. He’s backed up by walk-ons Clay Perry and Jordan Morrow. @UKSportsNetwork 7Next >