Back when college football was in its prime, the Kentucky Wildcats had a monster defensive end lining up for them on any given Saturday. Za’Darius Smith, the nation’s No. 1 ranked junior college defensive end at the time, quickly became a fan favorite in his first year at Kentucky, fighting through defenders for monstrous tackles and making big plays constantly.

Through 24 career games in the blue and white, Smith finished his time in Lexington with 14.5 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks. After his senior season, he did what any good player would do, entering the 2015 NFL Draft and taking his chances on playing professionally.

Not only would he make it to the big leagues, with the Baltimore Ravens selecting him in the fourth round that year, but he would go on to play for 11 total seasons, a rare mark that many players in the NFL never reach.

Although considered a savvy veteran for the Philadelphia Eagles, fans were shocked when Smith abruptly retired and walked away from the game of football last October. Some questioned if he had some sort of undisclosed injury, or if he fell out of love with the game, given how many years he had already been at it.

It was later revealed that Smith wasn’t doing something like this for himself, but his family. He decided to take care of his mother on a full-time basis, who has sadly passed since then. Shortly after, Smith’s father and grandmother passed away as well, leaving the once dominant football player in a fragile and dark mental space.

Ultimately, the pass rusher found the field once again, eyeing a return with the Cleveland Browns, a team he was once with for two seasons. While the financial side of things were being negotiated, the former Wildcat received a call from the Atlanta Falcons.

Having had already lost edge rushers Jalon Walker to an ACL tear and James Pearce Jr. from a league suspension, the Falcons were desperate to add an experienced player to their front line. Just a couple of days later, Smith’s former coach in Cleveland, Kevin Stefanski, welcomed the team’s new gadget to a place that already felt like home.

On Wednesday, Aug. 26, Smith opened up about his recent loss to the media for the first time since his retirement.

“I got a phone call from my mom’s doctor telling me that she don’t have much longer to be on this Earth,” Smith said. “I let the team know. Obviously, they wasn’t trying to let me leave, but that was the only thing I had left, to retire. So I retired.”

With the Falcons being the closest team to his hometown of Montgomery, Alabama, there was a deeper meaning to this one-year deal.

“My mom, rest her soul, man,” Smith said. “She always wanted me to be in Atlanta with the Falcons.”

When asked another question regarding his return to the sport, Smith quickly broke down into tears, eventually gaining some composure to share his emotions.

“I could see this as my happy place…give me a second,” Smith said. “This is my happy place man, to come back and play football. I was in a dark place, but coming out, running out on the field…the fans, not only just the fans man, but the joy that I get from winning and just getting sacks.”

With 70.5 career sacks to his name in the NFL, and now a fresh start with a new team, Smith is eyeing to reach the 100-sack mark before he calls it a career for good. According to the man himself, there’s plenty of juice left in the tank, and plenty of loving eyes watching over him.

On Saturday afternoon, head coach Will Stein announced that linebacker Alex Afari, who has been with the team for exactly a week, will no longer be taking the practice field. This news comes after the recent court ruling in Colorado, which hasn’t yet deemed Afari eligible.

He played in 48 games during his time with the Wildcats, logging 26.5 TFL’s and six sacks. Playing all four seasons at Kentucky, Afari was attempting to gain a fifth year of eligibility after a very brief stint in the NFL.

Unlike the other cases, he wasn’t looking to enter the transfer portal, just to return to his former team. Afari was not selected in the NFL Draft and only took part in the Green Bay Packers minicamp.

Stein was blunt about the process, telling the media that his eye is still on the situation.

“We’ll monitor it and act accordingly,” Stein said. “Everybody is still in limbo, trying to figure it all out and waiting for these rulings to happen.”

The first year head coach kept it real, continuing on with the brutal truth.

“We’re not going to practice with a guy that’s not eligible to play, so he wasn’t out there today.”

Afari’s path to eligibility is uncertain, with the opportunity to jump into a state lawsuit still on the table. The Big Blue Nation will have to await a better development to see the former Cat back out on Kroger Field.

The first year of Kentucky Football under head coach Will Stein has caused a number of conversations to be had. How many games will they win? Can they compete in the SEC? Will they have a bowl game this year? 

All these questions will be answered in due time, but an early outlook of the team’s schedule tells you that the road to success is going to be bumpy, rough and testing. 

Kentucky will face seven opponents ranked within the AP Poll’s Preseason Top 25, tied with Arkansas and Texas for the most in the entire country. The SEC has a fair share of ranked games, with Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M playing six each. 

Up first for the Wildcats will be the No. 13 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, playing in Lexington for the first time since 2023. 

This once historic program has won eight in a row, holding a 39-2 all-time record against Kentucky. In that same breath, fans have circled this one as a sneaky win to jumpstart the Stein era, knowing that Nick Saban is no longer on the sidelines. 

From there the games don’t get any easier at all. The Wildcats will play their first road game of the season down in College Station, facing Jay Bateman’s former team for the first time. 

We all know how good the No. 8 ranked Texas A&M Aggies have been over the years, and playing them on their home field is one of the most difficult things to do, let alone actually beating them. Defense will be fun to watch here.

Thankfully, the blue and white have a two-week break in between ranked games after this gauntlet. South Alabama at home on Sept. 26 shouldn’t be much of a sweat, but facing the unranked South Carolina Gamecocks on the road is one that’ll call for 100% commitment and effort.

Led by Heisman contender LaNorris Sellers, the Gamecocks could certainly be a ranked team as the season goes on, but likely not before Oct. 3.

The next two games are the two most difficult on this year’s schedule, with Kentucky facing No. 11 LSU on Oct. 10 and traveling to Oklahoma to face the No. 10 Sooners on Oct. 17.

Obviously, there’s an extra amount of layers in this stretch. Lane Kiffin and the new-look Tigers. John Mateer in a proving-ground atmosphere after last season’s shortcomings. If the Wildcats were to pull out even one win here, it would be historic for the program.

Vanderbilt will come down to town the next week on Oct. 24, which will make for another classic, hearty football game between these two rivals. This has been brewing for years, and to see if the Commodores can maintain their success will be very interesting.

It’s always the perfect time for a Tennessee vs. Kentucky matchup, and that’s exactly what we get on Nov. 7 with the Wildcats heading over to Knoxville. We all know with the emotions of the game that this could go either way. Can you imagine the amount of social-media clowning there will be the next day if Stein waltzes down and defeats the No. 20 Vols in just year one?

Stud or not, the Cats will head back home to host the Florida Gators on Nov. 14. Kentucky has bested Florida in four out of the last five games against each other, so this will be one to head down to Kroger Field for.

UK rounds off the season with two final ranked games, facing No. 25 Missouri and No. 24 Louisville from Nov. 21-Nov. 28. Obviously both teams are barely in the top 25, so by time we get to this point of the season, things could look very different. But hey, it counts!

Seven, yes seven ranked opponents in year one of the Stein era. “Sure, bring it on,” he probably said. It can be really good, really bad, or maybe even somewhere in a respectable middle. Predictions at this point are dull, and no matter what someone may think, this team is more than capable of shocking the nation a couple of times.

Hopefully, seven, yes seven times.