Early Wednesday afternoon it will be Mark Stoops' turn to stand at the podium during SEC Media Days. Now one of the deans of coaching in the SEC, Stoops will have a lot to discuss going into his 10th season with the Wildcats.
After missing out on a bowl game in his first three seasons in Lexington, Stoops has led the Wildcats to six bowls in a row with four consecutive postseason wins, and a pair of 10-win seasons and Citrus Bowl trophies in the last four years.
Here are five big themes to watch and listen for tomorrow.
Chris Rodriguez's status going into the season
There has been no bigger question facing Kentucky football this offseason than the status of Chris Rodriguez.
Cats Illustrated reported that Rodriguez's status was up in the air internally weeks ago now, though details of the issue were lacking. More recently those around the program have signaled that it seems more likely that Rodriguez will be available for most of the upcoming season. There's a chance Stoops addresses the issue today.
Until there's some closure regarding what's going to happen with Rodriguez it will hang around as a big issue. After all, his physical running is really the foundation of Kentucky's offense. While everyone expects Will Levis to have a big season, if it's coming off more Rodriguez success on the ground and he can have another 1,200-yard plus season, it makes a huge difference for the offense.
Kentucky has some depth at running back but nobody that's the same kind of back as Rodriguez, much less proven. It would be odd for an event like this to come and go without getting some public comment on the matter.
Stoops will praise his polarizing quarterback
Levis is bringing out all the hot takes from the talking types this offseason. There have been 2023 NFL mock drafts with Levis featured prominently, and with one website even projecting him as the No. 1 overall pick because of his immense physical attributes, competitiveness, and release.
On the other hand, most of those ranking the top quarterbacks in the SEC haven't put Levis toward the top. It's not surprising to see him ranked fifth, sixth, or in some cases, even seventh or worse in the SEC. Pundits can attempt to factor different things ranging from pro potential to college production, and that's showing up in how folks talk about Levis.
Stoops has always seemed to have supreme confidence in his quarterback transfer from Penn State, and it's easy to understand that when you consider the passing game before Levis' arrival. Don't expect Stoops to try to put a lid on expectations for Levis now.
Breaking in new hires
Mark Stoops is one of the longest tenured head coaches not only in the SEC, but at the Power Five level, and that's a big selling point for the program. In a profession where a short shelf life and a hot seat almost seem like givens most places, the stability that Stoops has ushered into Lexington can't be taken for granted. But it's another year of transition for the Wildcats.
Out: Liam Coen. In: Rich Scangarello.
Out: Eric Wolford. In: Zach Yenser.
Out: Jon Sumrall. In: Mike Stoops.
That might not seem like a huge amount of change, but Coen's impact on the program in one year was undeniable. Can Scangarello have the same kind of impact starting from a better foundation?
Big year for the Big Blue Wall
Zach Yenser has already made his presence felt for the Wildcats in recruiting, landing a couple of UK's most recent commitments. He was hired, though, because of the all-around obvious fit and how much it made sense for Stoops when he learned about Yenser's background and met him.
He's tasked with ushering in a new era for the Big Blue Wall. Luke Fortner was drafted in the second round and now Eli Cox is returning from an injury and sliding inside to the position in order to try and keep a great recent tradition of center play going.
There aren't really any questions about the two guard positions, but UK is also breaking in a pair of new starting tackles.
UK's identity in recent years has been more about physical football and building out from that, and that has been possible because of the line play. Guys like Deondre Buford, Jeremy Flax, David Wohlabaugh, and even freshman Kiyaunta Goodwin have to be prepared to be thrown into the fire.
The view on NIL from Lexington
All week, already, SEC coaches have been tackling the topic of name, image, and likeness issues. We'd say reforms, but it's more like the Wild West and the situation appears to be stabilizing absent legislation from the NCAA or political forces.
Nick Saban has done more than any person alive to take a sledgehammer to any lingering hope for competitive balance in college football, but the national champion many times over started the festivities off by explaining that every sports league takes balance into consideration. His spat with Jimbo Fisher went unaddressed from the main podium but spoke to how much the issue has ruffled feathers.
Mark Stoops has forcefully stated UK's need to catch up in the NIL game. That message has been directed at people locally, but expect Stoops to touch on it again today.
If you want a bonus topic to expect, Stoops will surely touch on Kentucky's work in the transfer portal. The portal has cut into the number of high school players college programs are welcoming in, but out of a perceived necessity if "win now" is the emphasis. UK brought in another huge haul of players from other schools. There aren't quite the number of splash headliners as last year, when UK was a leading national storyline by bringing in Levis, Dare Rosenthal, Jaquez Jones, and Wan'Dale Robinson, among others, but UK was particularly active in the secondary.
