Kentucky Football: 10 Big Questions

With football in the Bowl Subdivision beginning tonight and Kentucky's own season starting in only three weeks it's a good time to review some of what we've learned to this point in camp while looking ahead to some outstanding issues still unresolved.

Here are 10 Burning Questions about Kentucky football as we begin to think about Kentucky-Auburn.

1. How will Kentucky and opponents handle slowing the spread?

Not the spread offense. COVID-19. We might as well address this question up front even if most are tired of reading and talking about it. The issue that has dominated the national headlines for the last several months isn't going away. If we make it through the season that's a big "W" for every college football fan but nobody expects the process to be without bumps in the road. Avoiding the worst case scenarios — rampant infections and serious sickness — is the goal. Beyond that, COVID-19 cases are bound to have a major impact on games this fall.

It's a bit odd that we're going to spend so much time, as usual, breaking down depth charts, matchup issues, or Xs and Os when so many of those things will be dramatically altered with positive tests that shake up rosters and planning.

Auburn, Kentucky's Week 1 opponent, recently had 16 positive cases of COVID-19. While we're all hoping each and every one of those players avoids the worst and is back on the field as soon as possible, its fair to wonder if that will actually hurt the product Auburn puts on the field. It's certainly less impactful than 16 positive tests on September 20 would be.

Kentucky has done an excellent job of containing the issue so far but the longer students are on campus the trickier that will become. Then when you get into travel, lodging, and other issues associated with going on the road, the question becomes more complex.

This is something we'll be monitoring all season so be prepared to read more about it. It's a big enough issue that you could imagine a scenario where Kentucky goes to Alabama as only a narrow underdog if the Tide, for instance, is hit hard enough. Only hindsight will tell us how much this shakes up the normal course of a season.

2. Might anyone else opt out?

While the widespread assumption seems to be that most opt-outs have already happened, if they were going to, LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase deciding to forego his season recently is the latest reminder that players are still grappling with what to do. Whether the concern is COVID-19 or a player with strong NFL draft stock wants to avoid injury, it's unlikely that we've seen the last of opt-outs.

Kentucky has not had any to this point and it doesn't seem like the Wildcats have any players that wouldn't benefit from another season of college football in terms of the NFL, but so far as its SEC opponents go there could still be a decision or two that changes how we think about the season.

3. Who is the backup quarterback?

Nothing the coaches have said so far should lead anyone to question Terry Wilson's place as Kentucky's number one quarterback and when Mark Stoops said he's running with the same speed and explosiveness that we saw two seasons ago that should have been reinforcement of his standing on the depth chart.

But is the number two quarterback going to be senior Sawyer Smith, Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood, or true freshman Beau Allen?

We don't know if Gatewood will be eligible and the NCAA's upcoming furlough of all 600 employees could slow waiver approval processes even more, which is saying something.

Smith was last year's number two and looked good against Florida before he was injured, causing us to wonder what the year might have looked like for him if he remained healthy. He's apparently back to form and as early as the spring the coaches were raving about how he was throwing again.

Allen could be the X-Factor because even as a true freshman coaches and sources have raved about his accuracy, decision-making, and intangibles at the position.

Whoever wins that No. 2 spot, Darin Hinshaw finally has depth to work with again.

4. Can JuTahn McClain break into the backfield rotation?

Kentucky redshirted all of its true freshmen last season. JuTahn McClain was a respected but modestly ranked three-star running back prospect as a high school senior last year. Given that the Cats' top three running backs return to form one of the more impressive trios of rushers in the SEC, months ago it might have seemed crazy to suggest that McClain could break into the rotation.

But his running backs coach, Eddie Gran, also happens to be the offensive coordinator and he has done nothing to turn down the hype on McClain. He recently called him a "special player" and seems to be hinting that McClain has a chance to become a part, and maybe a big part, of Kentucky's offense in 2020.

If that happens someone else may be less thrilled but if its a meritocracy that could be a bridge that has to be crossed at some point. There are only so many carries to go around, especially with the offense likely to air the ball out significantly more than last year, too.

5. Will Kenneth Horsey have a smooth transition?

Kenneth Horsey has been the odds-on favorite to fill the spot vacated by Logan Stenberg. John Schlarman has options with Austin Dotson and Quintin Wilson if depth is needed. Who knows how Jeremy Flax could fit into the line's depth equation, and in a pinch Darian Kinnard could always be moved inside, too. In other words, there won't necessarily be a long leash for anyone who struggles but the staff obviously believes in Horsey, who is more athletic than Stenberg but has been working to approach that level of strength. He's the only unproven link on the line but as everyone knows those units are true units, so his part in the group's cohesion will be crucial.

6. Can freshman defensive linemen avoid a redshirt?

Kentucky has plenty of older bodies on the defensive line. Quinton Bohanna, Marquan McCall, Jerquavion Mahone, Kordell Looney, Josh Paschal, and Phil Hoskins, for instance, have all been around the block a time or two. For a program that only plays three defensive linemen at a time, that might not leave a lot of room for a younger player to make a big impact up front, especially in the SEC where time and work in a strength program is so essential. The coaches have praised the look of that defensive line group but sometimes young guys run into a wall during their first fall camp. That will be interesting to track. The talent is there for some unexpected position battles and simply because the group arrived with so much hype, all eyes will be on them.

7. Just how much is riding on DeAndre Square?

Jon Sumrall cannot afford to lose his junior WILL linebacker. In fact, DeAndre Square may be the single-most important player on Kentucky's entire team. The absence of Chris Oats has created a crisis of proven depth at the two inside linebacker positions. UK was already somewhat lean on that with Oats, but without him Square and Jamin Davis will be pulling a big load. Nobody knows how Jared Casey, Marquez Bembry, or D'Eryk Jackson would hold up in extended action inside. They all have talent and attributes the staff likes but there's little question that Square is someone who needs to stay healthy all season. His physical transformation in the offseason has been impressive.

8. Who are odd men out in the secondary logjam?

It's a simple fact that you can only play so many defensive backs at a time. Even in this day and age, when spread offenses force so many onto the field, not everyone can play. Jordan Griffin is the only defensive back the 'Cats lose from last year's unit, which ranked among the nation's best in almost every pass defense metric. Throw in the return of Davonte Robinson and Kelvin Joseph becoming eligible and for months, since the end of last season, we've been talking about this as maybe one of Kentucky's one or two best secondaries in the modern era.

Just go through the list of names: Brandin Echols, Joseph, Cedrick Dort, Jamari Brown, Tyrell Ajian, Robinson, Yusuf Corker, Quandre Mosely, Jalen Geiger, Andru Phillips.

Then throw in the fact that players like Vito Tisdale, Joel Williams, Rickey Hyatt Jr., and Carrington Valentine have all created quite a bit of buzz as true freshmen and the competition is fierce. Steve Clinkscale believes they can go three deep. But that's if necessary. Usually that's not going to happen. Who wins time?

9. Will the kicking game improve?

It seems like it has been forever since Austin MacGinnis has been around. Mark Stoops is optimistic that the kicking game is going to be okay but there's still a big difference in feeling somewhat confident on kicks inside of 40 yards and feeling like you can stretch that out with a weapon.

10. Is someone ready to step up next to Josh Ali?

There's little reason to believe Ali can't have one of Kentucky's better receiving seasons in quite some time, even if a 1,000 yard year seems unlikely in a program that still features the backs so heavily. But who steps up to help him? The staff knows what it has in Clevan Thomas and Allen Dailey. Bryce Oliver has been challenged to show consistency in the results he produced at the beginning of camp. Michael Drennen has apparently been an intriguing figure during camp because of his versatility. For Kentucky's passing game to really take flight it can't just be a healthy Terry Wilson throwing to Ali. Everyone on the outside has to step up and Jovon Bouknight's first group at Kentucky will probably be the biggest question on the team going into the season.