FOOTBALL 2320 2023 OFFICIAL KENTUCKY FOOTBALL YEARBOOK Presented By Leave No Doubt Defining Wins Inside:It's Easy to SAVE with the Kroger App Score big with weekly sales and digital coupons Official Grocery Partner of UK Athletics2023 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 859-226-4368 UK Sports Marketing Powered by JMI Sports Brandon Baker, Curtis Burch, Randy Carter, John Foellger, Annie Gillenwater, Devin Jones, Adair Mattingly, Seth Poteat, Kim Ramsay, Lance Reed, Courtney Roney, Chad Ruhl, Kim Shelton, Brad Tucker Design & Publishing Managing Editor Jai Giffin Creative Director Jamie Barker Production Assistance Laura Doolittle, Lisa Roberts2023 Wildcats 18 .............................Alex Afari Jr. 20 ..........................Brenden Bates 22 ............................Wilson Berry 24 ...........................Barion Brown 26 .............................Jager Burton 28 .....................................Eli Cox 30 ............................Marques Cox 32 .....................Izayah Cummings 34 .................................Ray Davis 35 ...........................Jordan Dingle 36 ...........................JQ Hardaway 38 .......................Kenneth Horsey 39 .........................D’Eryk Jackson 40 ...............................Josh Kattus 42 .................................Dane Key 44 .............................Devin Leary 45 ............................Jordan Lovett 46 ................Octavious Oxendine 47 ..........................Andru Phillips 48 ..........................Chance Poore 49 .................... Tayvion Robinson 50 ..........................Deone Walker 51 .........................Trevin Wallace 52 ................................J.J. Weaver 55 .......................Kentucky Roster 57 .....................Returning Players 68 .........................Player By Class 70 .......................Cats on the Map 2023 Coaching Staff 72 .........Head Coach Mark Stoops 76 .....................Assistant Coaches This is Kentucky 81 ........................SEC Dominates 82 ..........Joe Craft Training Facility 84 ...................Nutter Field House 88 .................Player Development 89 ..........Community Involvement 90 .............University of Kentucky 91 ...................................Housing 92 ...............................Game Day 93 ................................Nike Swag 94 ..................The Kentucky Road 96 .Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) 98 ...............................Academics 100 ...Kentucky Football in the NFL 2023 Opponents 102 ..................................Ball State 103 ......................Eastern Kentucky 104 .......................................Akron 105 ................................Vanderbilt 106 .....................................Florida 107 ....................................Georgia 108 ...................................Missouri 109 ................................Tennessee 110 .......................Mississippi State 111 ..................................Alabama 112 .........................South Carolina 113 .................................Louisville The University 114 ..................UK Sports Network 116 .............President Eli Capilouto 118 ...................AD Mitch Barnhart On the Cover 2023 Kentucky Football Leave No Doubt With hard work, UK is looking to prove doubters wrong in 2023. 4 Defining Wins A look at the top 10 victories during Mark Stoops’ first decade at Kentucky. 8 Contents @UKSportsNetwork 3Leave No With Hard Work, UK Eyeing to Prove Doubters Wrong in 2023 By Tom Leach “Voice of the Wildcats” Leave No@UKSportsNetwork 5 M ore often than not in the Mark Stoops era, Kentucky football has exceeded expectations. Last year, the perfor- mance curve took a dip with a 7-6 record. On one hand, the Wildcats were two plays away from nine regular season wins, as pen- alties erased a late go-ahead TD pass at Ole Miss and a game-clinching interception in the upset loss to Vanderbilt. But on the other hand is the line attributed to legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells--”you are what your re- cord says you are.” There’s another old saying that is worth noting, ”fortune favors the bold,” and Mark Stoops decided to make some bold moves to get things back where he wants to see them for Kentucky football. He brought Liam Coen back to coordinate the offense and landed a special teams guru in Jay Boulware. “There were things last year that I wasn’t very proud of. I felt like there were some situations where I didn’t like the way we re- sponded and that’s on me. You have to look at that and have to change that,” Stoops said in his appearance on the SEC Network’s “Paul Finebaum Show” at media days last month in Nashville. “I felt like we’ve addressed some areas. You can’t stay stagnant. You better be willing to make some hard decisions and make some changes or you’re not going to be around very long.” Let’s start with the offense. Kentucky had NFL draft picks at quarterback and running back and yet averaged only 20 points per game which was last in the 14-team SEC. The previous year, Coen’s only season as playcall- er, the Wildcats averaged 32 points per game. In 2022, UK was 13th in the SEC in rush- ing, the lowest finish in Stoops’ time in the Bluegrass. UK allowed a league-worst 46 sacks that was a contributing factor (given that yards lost by sacks come off the rushing total in college football) in Kentucky's poor rushing total. That’s why it seems like every pundit or fan who analyzes Kentucky’s prospects for improvement on offense cites an upgrade in offensive line play. Acquiring 6-5, 311-pound left tackle Marques Cox from the transfer portal via Northern Illinois was the first step in rebuild- ing the offensive line. His resume is strong and his arrival allows a return to Kenneth Horsey's best position at left guard, where he could contend for All-SEC honors. Eli Cox is moving back to right guard and has received all league recognition in presea- son media polls. Cox’s move was made pos- sible by the promise shown in spring practice by Jager Burton at the center position. “He improved tremendously (over the course of spring practices). It would be awe- some if we could get a center to have some stability for the next few years of the program. When you have a revolving door at center, it’s tough,” said Coen. Burton has the athletic ability to get to the edges as a blocker and gives the Cats a new dimension at that position. Stoops is optimistic that the “Big Blue Wall” standard for Kentucky’s offensive line can be met with this group. “We never had to answer questions about the offensive line until this past year. There were several factors that went into that but they’re excuses. We got caught short and we didn’t produce,” Stoops told a crowd of Big Blue fans at the annual kickoff luncheon at Kroger Field. “I feel very good that we went out and addressed those needs. We brought in five transfer players that will all contribute. We brought in two tackles that we believe can be starters but they’ll have to earn that job.” Job one for the offensive line is protecting new quarterback Devin Leary. The NC State transfer is getting rave reviews from his team- mates for how he’s adapted to the culture at UK. A return to the form he displayed for the Wolfpack in 2021 would give the Wildcats one of the SEC's best signal callers. Leary had 35 TD passes against only five interceptions that season but injuries derailed his follow up campaign and that brings us back to the im- portance of the guys up front keeping Leary’s jersey clean. “My expectations are extremely high,” SEC Network analyst Chris Doering said of Leary, during an appearance on the “The Leach Report” radio show last month. “I think this is a guy that has the ability to come in and navigate the offense as well as Will (Levis) and remember he had the benefit of a spring practice before his first year (which Levis did not).” Coen was impressed from the start with Leary’s work ethic, too. “Devin is a film junkie. He loves to be in there and wants to truly understand the ‘why’ behind everything we’re doing. Very cerebral. He’s done a nice job of bringing some of the young guys along and building a relationship with them,” Coen observed after spring prac- tice. “He’s the ultimate competitor and he has a little ‘Jersey swag’ to him. He does every- thing you ask. He’s a tough kid, he’s extreme- ly talented, he’s smart, he connects well with the players,” Coen told the kickoff luncheon crowd. “It’s exciting,” Leary said in an interview Barion Brown is one of the most exciting kick returners in the SEC. On offense, he finished as Kentucky's leading receiver with 50 catches last season.6 @UKFootball while working at the Manning Passing Acad- emy, with the Locked On SEC podcast. “Me and coach Coen talk about it all the time. It’s up to me to distribute the ball to those guys, to be the point guard of the offense. That makes my job so much easier. Those guys are hungry. I think we’re going to be explosive and exciting this year. “I put my full trust in coach Stoops when I committed that he would put the right guys around me,” Leary continued, “and that’s what he did in bringing in coach Coen.” On paper, Leary has a stronger corps of wideouts and tight ends than Levis had when he arrived and a stronger offensive line than Levis had last season. At running back, there is no clear cut leader to carry the load Chris Rodriguez shouldered but the “2023 com- mittee” of runners provides reason for opti- mism. “Chris was a guy you knew you could give the ball to 25-30 times a game and he wasn’t going to wear down,” noted Coen. "We knew as an offensive staff if we needed four yards, we could just hand the ball off. That was such a huge advantage in being an efficient offense.“ In Barion Brown, Kentucky had one of the most exciting kick returners in the league last season but the special teams play overall was subpar, with mistakes spread over various el- ements. Enter coach Boulware, who brings a reputation for special teams acumen akin to previous UK special teams coaches like Steve Ortmayer, Dean Hood and Bradley Dale Pe- veto. “When I worked for Mike Tomlin, he used to talk about eight pounds in a five-pound bag. How much can we stuff into one day to gain a winning edge,” Boulware explained. “The more we can do over and over again, you’re going to win some games,” he says. "It’s a like a golfer who is struggling who sim- ply goes back to the practice range to repeat basic swings over and over again." We have not yet mentioned the defensive side of the ball because Brad White’s bunch posted numbers last season that won’t need the significant improvement that is necessary in the other two phases (offense and special teams) from last season. Only Georgia ranked higher than Ken- tucky in total defense last season. While the Cats held their opponents to less than 20 points per game seven times in 2022, White does see a need for growth in certain areas. “A couple of things. Continue to affect the quarterback more and we’d love to get back into the upper echelon of (forcing) turn- overs. Those are points of emphasis, along with continuing to rise up in big moments and make big plays when we need them. We need to capitalize on any time we can close out a game,” White said. “I think it starts with effort and play style and I think that starts Dane Key (above) and Tayvion Robinson (below), along with Barion Brown, will provide quarterback Devin Leary with one of the most talented receiving corps to target in the SEC. Leave Nofrom the top, with coach Stoops and how this entire program is run. We want to be tough and physical. I want them to be smart foot- ball players, too, play with a high football IQ, because that’s how you can steal plays. I feel good about this group. I think we can be a quality unit because they love football and they love each other. It’s fun to watch them compete.” The most-often mentioned question mark is the cornerback position, where two starters from last year left for the NFL. But White likes what he has seen from that group, a mix of returnees and a couple of promising transfers, and he believes he will have four players to rotate at corner. Second-year defensive lineman De- one Walker has received the most presea- son recognition but another contender for all-league-caliber honors will be linebacker J.J. Weaver, who has bulked up by 25 pounds. “To add that mass is a two-fold thing. You’re harder to move, especially if you can keep your speed, which he has, but you’re also more durable. His body has finally taken to it (adding weight to his frame),” said White. “It’s not fair that guys get compared to Josh (Allen, UK’s 2018 national defensive player of the year). I think J.J. can have an incred- ible season. He just needs to be the best J.J. he can be and he can be a dominant player in this league. The other thing I’m counting on is I need him to be a really good leader for us. He’s the guy that’s been around the longest, him and Jalen Geiger, and we need those guys to lead.” Kentucky was picked fourth in the East in the preseason poll of media members last month, behind Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina. It puts the Wildcats back into that familiar, and usually comfortable, position of having something to prove to doubters. Doer- ing isn’t one of those skeptics, though. “I am bullish on them again,” said the analyst who picked an 11-1 finish last sea- son. “I think they’ve got a lot of motivation. People are talking about Tennessee in the East and South Carolina and not enough people are talking about Kentucky. I think Kentucky is the second-best team in the East this year and I think they have a chance to win nine games.” Stoops isn’t going to make any headlines with bold proclamations. His style is nose-to- the-grindstone, keep working and it’s a cul- ture that thrives throughout those associated with his program. “Until you play a game, you don’t know exactly what you have. With this group, the expectations are very high within our build- ing. The way they work, the way they’re going about their business,” Stoops said to the fans. “They’re a very close team. We all believe in what we’re doing but we have to go prove it every day.” @UKSportsNetwork 7 Deone Walker (above) started 11 of 13 games last season and has garnered 2023 preseason accolades as one of the SEC's best defensive linemen. Linebacker J.J. Weaver (below) has added 25 pounds this season and is expected to be one of UK's leaders on defense. Next >