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Five Realistic Transfer Options for Kentucky Football

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Wisconsin Badgers Athletics

The transfer portal has transformed college athletics forever, but as head coach Mark Stoops has reiterated time and time again during his tenure, “you have to adapt.”

Just two days since the transfer portal has officially opened and over 1,000 players have entered their names. While this includes 8 eight Wildcats from this season’s roster – which Stoops said he has yet to see a name that surprises him – it also includes talented and immediate replacement options for Kentucky.

Given a lackluster 2023 recruiting class, and glaring holes on the roster – specifically at quarterback offensive line, and running back – the staff will look to bring in a decent number of transfers into the program

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With that said, here are five of the best and most realistic options for the Wildcats.

Note: Rankings come from 247 Sports Composite.

Tanner Bowles (RG/RT), Alabama

Notable Stats: Backup, played 86 snaps in 19 games.
HS Ranking: Four-star recruit, No. 290 overall, No. 19 offensive guard

Kentucky needs help on the offensive line and looking at a former Glasgow high school star from Alabama will be one of the first places that Mark Stoops will look.

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Coming out of high school, Tanner Bowles was ranked as one of the best offensive guards in the country. However, during his time at Alabama, he showed that he could play multiple positions on the offensive line, including center, right guard, left guard, and right tackle.

In four seasons with the Crimson Tide (including a redshirt season), Bowles never became a starter but appeared in all 12 games this season for one of the best offensive lines in the SEC.

Before his commitment in 2019, Bowles had a Crystal Ball pick to go to Kentucky. Given his prior interest in his home school and Kentucky’s need for such a player, the Wildcats will be the favorite for Bowles, who could give a huge boost on the ride side of the line where they need it the most.

Marques Cox (LT), Northern Illinois

Notable Stats: Helped NIU to the fourth-ranked rushing offense in 2021; NIU gave up just 10 sacks in 14 games to rank second in the country in 2021.
HS Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 1306 overall, No. 32 offensive lineman

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Marques Cox from Northern Illinois is a guy Kentucky has been focused on as soon as he announced he would be entering the portal and are leading the odds at the moment to land him. At 6-foot-6 310 pounds, Cox has the size and with over 2,000 snaps of college football, he has the experience.

Before his season-ending injury against the Wildcats back on September 24th, Cox helped lead NIU to the MAC Championship in 2021. In that season, the Huskies had one of the best rushing offenses in the country and gave up just the second least amount of sacks in the nation with (10). In comparison, the Wildcats gave up 42 sacks this season.

Known to be very good in pass protection, Cox would be a much-needed piece at tackle, arguably Kentucky’s worst position.

Graham Mertz (QB), Wisconsin

2022 Stats: 2,136 passing yards, 19 TDs, 10 INTs, 135 QBR
HS Ranking: 4-star recruit, No. 65 overall, No. 3 pro-style QB

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With the loss of Will Levis, Kentucky will be on the search for a new QB1 and one of the hottest names in the portal is Graham Mertz from Wisconsin, a former 4-star pro-style quarterback.

Similar to Levis when he arrived in Lexington, Mertz has yet to put all the pieces together. While he does have the arm talent and leadership ability to succeed, he struggles under pressure and is inconsistent.

Mertz was not a four-star recruit for no reason – ESPN had him ranked as the No. 1 QB – and if he can find a place that can help him put the pieces together, the gamble could pay off. With the proven development skills of the coaching staff and explosive weapons like Dane Key and Barion Brown to throw it to, Kentucky could be that place.

With that said, the QB will largely be dictated by who Kentucky hires as their next offensive coordinator.

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Stephen Herron (DE), Stanford

2022 Stats: 37 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
HS Ranking: 4-star recruit, No. 141 overall, No. 7 edge rusher

Coming out of high school at Trinity in Louisville, Stephen Herron was a four-star recruit and a top 150 prospect in the 2019 class before he committed to play for Stanford. After playing four years for the Cardinals, Herron has put his name in the transfer portal.

Prior to blowing up as a top recruit, Kentucky was one of the first schools to recruit Herron and he formed a close relationship with the late John Schlarman. With that relationship, Kentucky is one of the perceived favorites.

During his time at Stanford, Herron slowly developed but this past season as a senior, he proved himself as an impact player. After the departure of Jordan Wright and the potential departure of JJ Weaver, getting an experienced edge rusher is a must for the Wildcats this offseason from the portal.

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Re’Mahn Davis (RB), Vanderbilt

2022 Stats: 232 rushing attempts, 1,042 rushing yards (4.5 yards per carry), 5 rushing TDs
HS Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 1869 overall, No. 119 running back

Coming into the 2022 season, Kentucky had a deep running back room. However, that does not look the be the case next season as Chris Rodriguez will enter the NFL Draft as a senior, and both Kaviosey Smoke and Mike Drennen have entered the transfer portal.

This forces Kentucky to look towards the portal to add an experienced back and one with SEC experience is a great start.

Meet Re’Mahn Davis, a 1,000-yard rusher last season at Vanderbilt, including 129 yards and 1 TD against the Wildcats in their upset win at Kroger field in November. With 232 rushing attempts this season, Davis is a high-usage power back and is proven to be able to take the hits of SEC defenses with a respectable 4.5 yards per carry.

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National College Football Personality Calls Out Kentucky Football Program, “They’re Spiraling Out of Control”

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College football personality Paul Finebaum calls out Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats for poor season. "They're spiraling out of control."
Saul Young | Imagn

From hope to despair, that has been the tale of the 2024 Kentucky football season.

Entering the season with what many believed was one of Mark Stoops’ most talented rosters, at least on paper, to a 1-6 record in the SEC and most likely missing a bowl game for the first time since 2015.

“Kentucky seems like they’re spiraling out of control,” longtime SEC radio personality Paul Finebaum said this weekend.

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Yet, it’s not just this season. The regression has been apparent since Kentucky won 10 games in 2021. Rather than taking the next step, the program seems to have taken two steps back. They are just 4-7 against Florida, Missouri, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt, all programs that Kentucky was consistently beating. Even more embarrassing, they are just  2-11 in its last 13 SEC home games.

“I know some people have blamed it on injuries,” Finebaum said. “But, I don’t go that way. I just think there’s a malaise in that program that’s been there for almost two years. I’m not overly optimistic it’s going to be corrected.”

You can call Mark Stoops a victim of his own success, but in the last three seasons he has not met the expectations that he has set, nor the potential that his rosters have had.

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Grammy Nominated Music Star Has Credit Card Stolen, Thief Buys 15 Hotdogs at Kentucky Football Game

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A Kentucky football fan stole music artist Noah Kahan's wallet at an airport and purchased 15 overpriced hot dogs.
Piet Levy | Imagn

Not a lot of good things came from Kentucky’s 24-10 loss to Auburn on Saturday, but one fan did get FIFTEEN (yes, 1-5) hot dogs courtesy of Grammy-nominated folk-pop artist Noah Kahan.

To clarify it was not a gift, rather the fan stole Kahan’s wallet at Laguardia Airport in New York City. Of all the places for it to venture to, it was Kroger Field.

“The guy who took my wallet went to a Kentucky football game last night,” Kahan shared on social media. “I just know that Mofo bought 15 overpriced hot dogs.”

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Kahan has found comedy in the situation, despite having hundreds of dollars in hot dogs purchased on his dime.

“Come on dawg we gotta be collaborative in our spending!! Check with me first,” Kahan shared.

Kahan headlined Railbird Music Festival in Lexington this past summer. Maybe the next time he is in town, he can get a hot dog of his own.

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RECAP: Auburn defeats Kentucky, 24-10

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The Tigers came into Kroger Field looking for their first SEC win while Kentucky was trying to keep bowl hopes alive after disappointing back-to-back losses to Vanderbilt and Florida. Auburn hadn’t won at Kentucky since their 2015 campaign where they came away with a close 30-27 victory in Lexington.

The Cat Walk crowd was less than usual despite the three-crew fighter jet flyby. Many wondered if fans would show up and show out for the Cats this week and early it looked like it might be a slim crowd, but as game time neared Kroger Field began to take shape and fans flowed in.

First Half Battle

Kentucky opened the game up quickly, Dane Key helped get the Cats started with an impressive 21-yard grab on the left sideline, later kicker Alex Raynor put the ‘Cats up first with a 46-yard field goal, with 11:28 to go in the first quarter.

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Next, The ‘Cats’ tough defense forced an Auburn three and out at the Auburn 9-yard line to retake possession. Dane Key wasn’t done just yet, again he made another big grab this time for 34 yards which set up Jason Patterson for a 23-yard run to put Kentucky in scoring position and it was a score this time from freshman Jamarion Wilcox for his first career touchdown run to put the ‘Cats up 10-0 in the first quarter. JQ Hardaway later gave Kentucky the ball back after a pick that put Kentucky into scoring position but was later halted after a holding penalty and forced the ‘Cats to punt.

The second quarter was a little different with Kentucky opening up with a punt that later led to Auburn points with a touchdown from wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith which trimmed the Kentucky lead to just three with 10:56 to go in the half. Later in the quarter, Brock Vandagriff dropped back to throw which led to an Auburn interception from Keyron Crawford on the sideline that gave the Tigers possession at the Auburn 37-yard line and led to 3 points for the Tigers which tied the game at 10 a piece.

Then in a turn of events Auburn star running back Jaquez Hunter broke two runs to put the Tigers in scoring position before the half but Kentucky’s JJ Weaver sacked Payton Thorne which left Auburn with no timeouts and didn’t allow any time for the late field goal which ended the quarter at a 10 to 10 tie.

Second Half Disaster

Auburn’s offense began the half fast and so did running back Jarquez Hunter who found the end zone to give the Tigers a 17 to 10 lead with 7:53 to go in the third quarter. Kentucky’s first possession was a quick three-and-out,

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which led to Auburn getting the football and giving it to their guy Jarquez Hunter who ran for 50 yards but Kentucky’s defense prevailed to stop the Tigers which forced a 47-yard field goal miss from kicker Alex McPherson.

It was much the same in the final quarter of play in which Auburn and Hunter went on a 4-minute 45-second scoring drive where Hunter took it to the House for 45 yards with 12:11 to go. The Cats did however get into the red zone but the Tigers’ goal line defense stopped the Cats and forced a Gavin Wimsatt interception after coming to in the game for Brock Vandergriff after a sloppy performance, Kayin Lee was the defender who made the pick to give Auburn the ball back. Then on Auburn’s final drive, it was yet again another long gain from Jarquez Hunter who ran it for 46 yards to later lead to Auburn and Peyton Thorne kneeling it out. The Auburn would later come out of Kroger field victorious and beat the Kentucky Wildcats 24-10.

Jarquez Hunter’s record breaking game

There were many key takeaways from a very disappointing outcome but it was no bigger than running back Jarquez Hunter who rushed for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns, his 278 yards set a new record for most rushing yards by an opposing player against Kentucky inside Kroger Field credit to Corey Price for the record stat, after the game coach Mark Stoops had high praise for Hunter, saying “He’s an NFL back”, Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft doesn’t it have him within the top 10 running backs but that will likely change after his record performance.

Bowl Chances?

Kentucky likely drops themselves out of bowl eligibility standing now at 3-5 on the season and 1-5 in the SEC moving them to 15th in the conference standing only ahead of Mississippi State, Kentucky’s schedule isn’t easy either playing on the road at top 10 Tennessee in Knoxville, a Bye week follows the game before taking on the Murray State Racers at home, the next game is a road trip to Austin where the ‘Cats will play the Texas Longhorns who are high favorites to win the College Football Playoffs, and a season finale against arch rival Louisville on senior day for the ‘Cats. The schedule couldn’t get any tougher and the ‘Cats would have to win 3 of their last 4 games to become bowl-eligible to salvage what has really been a disaster of a season.

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Who’s the quarterback going forward?

Kentucky and Mark Stoops have a big decision to make with four games remaining. In the second half, backup Gavin Wimsatt took over for Brock Vandagriff after some sloppy play to try and give the ‘Cats a much-needed boost and keep them in reach. It was, however, much of the same with Wimsatt that many in the fan base are questioning. Wimsatt finished with just 34 yards on 3 of 10 passing while Brock Vandagriff finished with 120 yards on 9 of 17 passing.

Mark Stoops after the game said he “Just wanted to get a good look at Gavin and see if he can help us move the ball.” also said ” I don’t want any headlines on that. Gavin has been playing all year. We had – we planned on putting him in the third series of the game. But we moved the ball very well in the first two. Right? So. If I put him in in the first series of the game, but in hindsight, it would have run out anyway but you’d be asking me why in the world did I take him out when we were moving the ball. You know what I’m saying? I think we judge that and say we are moving the ball pretty well, let’s stick with what is going right. We went three and out and you know, that’s it.” when asked about a potential quarterback battle late in the season. It sure is unknown what’s next for the Kentucky football program but time will tell as the ‘Cats get ready for a tough top 10 Tennessee Volunteers squad that has already defeated Alabama at home 24-17.

Where to watch the Cats versus Vols

The Kentucky versus Tennessee game will be at 7:45 PM on Saturday, November 2nd. The game can be found on the SEC NETWORK as Mark Stoops’ squad looks to get back on track on ole Rocky Top.

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