Amongst Many Positives Seven Reasons for Concern

By: LONNY DEMAREE

Before we get into the concerns, I will make my season win/loss record. It’s 8-4 trending strongly to 9-3. The latter is centered around if satisfactory addressing the concerns.
Though I have the moniker of “Mayor” based on historical knowledge of UK football prior of media involvement, and super fan. However, then and to this day I’ve been lauded by many as telling it like it is (cutting it down the middle.)
CONCERNS
• Regardless of all the positives we have to date there are reasons to dig deeper because either of the top two starting candidates. Neither have a significant footprint in the passing game. So this prompts us to go back to their high school accomplishments.
• Will Levis – A Penn State transfer formerly from Xavier High School in Madison, Connecticut. From a population standpoint Madison, Connecticut is comparable to Winchester, Kentucky – both in the 18,000 range. George Rogers Clark High School 1,500. Xavier High School an all-boys college Preparatory Catholic High School enrollment of 788. Lexington Catholic High School enrollment 840. The difference being Xavier 96 percent white and .06 percent African American, George Rogers Clark 6.0 percent African American.
• Levis had a bevy of awards in high school and was 3-star recruit out of high school. He was a very bright youngster as a 4.0 student.
• Joey Gatewood – An Auburn transfer in his second year at Kentucky. He was a 4-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals, and 247 Sports. He was rated #3 duel-threat and 26 overall out high school. The rub from high school and two quarterback coordinators is he has been miss-characterized as a duel-threat quarterback. He is a pocket-passer that’s finally under a coordinator, Liam Coen, that’s developing him properly. Gatewood had a successful spring practice. The spring practice stat of 500 passes and no interceptions is not one I hang my hat on but it’s one that can’t be ignored. Let the competition begin.
• #1 Quarterback – For the Cats to reach their full potential it is the utmost importance that the passing game be developed. Main reason being for the program to go forward pass this season UK has to step up their wide receiver recruiting.
• #2 Wide receivers – There is a donut-hole, no pun intended to Mike “Donut” Drennen, who is expected to help fill that hole this fall. There is plenty of room in the hole because the only player that takes up significant space is Josh Ali. Most of us expect Wan’Dale Robinson, unproven in the SEC, should fill more of that space. There are several other good undeveloped prospects.
• #3 Center – Big shoes of Drake Jackson to fill and Luke Fortner and Quinton Wilson. Executing the outside zone running game is a learning experience.
• #4 – A field-side edge rusher. Josh Paschal is such an energizer bunny type, you might think he’s playing both sides at the same time. The top candidate for the field side rusher is Isaiah Gibson. Other prospects are Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald and Josiah Hayes.
• #5 – The main-stay Jack linebacker and future star is Jordan Wright. The other side is open to be filed is experience inside backer Marquez Bembry. Other competitors are redshirt Sam Anaele, Georgia Tech transfer Justice Dingle, and K. D. McDaniel.
• #6 – Kelvin Joseph replacement. Joseph’s combination of football instincts and football smarts were some of the best I’ve ever seen at UK. UK had 16 interceptions and that led the shortened SEC season. The most talked about player to fill that slot is Carrington Valentine.
• #7 Punter – Max Duffy was the best punter at UK in for decades. Word has it another Aussie, Wilson Berry is very similar. The jury’s out.

Tipping the quality-meter is the much anticipated is true freshman Wayne County 4-star linebacker Trevin Wallace, an athlete, a two-way difference maker. He does everything on the football field. He was a track star in the 100, 200 meter dashes, and 110-hurdle and many field events. He has the credentials that may catapult into a starting role in September.

Have no deep concerns because there are eight starters on the defensive side of the football and we know as long as Mark Stoops is there the secondary will not be an issue.