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Published Jul 24, 2023
Roundtable: Kentucky's breakout offensive player in 2023
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Justin Rowland  •  CatsIllustrated
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There's about one more slow news week before things really heat up on the football side.

Camp begins next week, and we'll help pull you over the finish line over the next few days.

We'll be tackling questions about the upcoming Kentucky football season as a staff, and as always, your feedback and comments are much appreciated.

Who will be Kentucky's breakout offensive player in 2023?

Travis Graf: Izayah Cummings. Cummings had a very promising season two years ago under Liam Coen’s watch, but was pretty non-existent last season. I’m looking for him to bounce back in a big way this fall and take advantage of the attention Kentucky’s wide receivers are going to get on a weekly basis.

Jeff Drummond: Jager Burton. Traditionally, the third year in the program has always been a nice “breakout” spot for offensive linemen. That’s where we find Burton entering 2023, and I think the former Frederick Douglass standout is ready to show why he was a four-star recruit coveted by almost every elite program. I like the shift from guard to center — not just for him, but the rest of the line — and he looks really good right now at an athletic 307 pounds.

Justin Rowland: There are so many directions you could go here. There are some players who have already broken out at the college level but haven't at Kentucky. Devin Leary, Ray Davis, and others. I'll go with Marques Cox, the incoming left tackle from Northern Illinois. He's played well at the Group of Five level, but this is a huge step forward against SEC competition. I think he'll prove up to the task. There will be growing pains at times, but more often I expect him to be up to the task. Think about this: Cox has played nearly 2,500 snaps at the college level already. Even if it's a step up in competition, that's a player with a tremendous amount of experience, and that counts for a lot.

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