Our daily fall camp preview series continues with the Kentucky Wildcats, a team hoping to reach bowl eligibility this season despite being picked to finish sixth in the Eastern Division according to league media.

Personnel

Entering his third season in the Bluegrass, it appears Mark Stoops has this program headed in the right direction, doing so with players. No doubt basketball receives much of the buzz at the university and surrounding areas, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Beat a nationally-ranked team and win a bowl this season and more folks will turn their sights toward Commonwealth Stadium, a friendly venue set to debut a considerable upgrade in September.

From a personnel standpoint, Kentucky hasn’t looked this good since the tail end of the Rich Brooks era when the Wildcats won eight games during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The offense has depth at the skill positions and two weapons at quarterback that first-year play-caller Shannon Dawson will utilize this fall. The front seven defensively is this team’s primary question after losing two premium edge rushers to the NFL, but Kentucky has several players capable of developing into formidable talents if they can establish confidence in August. Stoops is hoping senior linebacker Josh Forrest leads in that regard.

Primary position battles

Quarterback — Patrick Towles vs. Drew Barker: Stoops has been asked at length where he’s leaning in the quarterback competition and during every instance, he’s touched on strengths associated with both candidates. Towles has the experience edge and ranks amongst the SEC’s best when he finds a rhythm while Barker’s the prodigy, a redshirt freshman with an athletic flare to his game and powerful arm. Stoops continues to stress that it’s a ‘healthy competition’ heading into camp, but admitted during last week’s ESPN ‘Car Wash’ appearance that Towles has a leg up and will start fall practice with the first team. “He’ll take the first snaps with the ones and have a great opportunity like he did last year to win the job, but competition’s important to us,” Stoops said.

Wide receiver — Garrett Johnson vs. Ryan Timmons: The battle for Kentucky’s No. 1 target in a wide-open attack remains up for grabs, but it appears the sophomore Johnson is out front of Timmons, a junior playmaker who led the team in receptions and yards last fall but has been slowed by injuries. Coming off a stellar spring, Johnson’s a big-play play threat who scored both of his touchdowns at Florida (his home state) last season, out-racing a talented secondary on a pair of broken coverages. Kentucky’s staff is expecting a breakout year from Johnson. There’s depth at receiver and it really doesn’t matter which one of these guys catches more passes than the other as long as the other potential playmakers — Blake Bone, Thaddeus Snodgrass and Dorian Baker — make things happen with the football in their hands.

End goal

It’s a simple, overused coaching adage that holds a good bit of weight for Kentucky this season — take it one game at a time and avoid looking ahead. Unlike SEC bottom-dweller Vanderbilt, who always seems to be mentioned in the same breath as the Wildcats, Kentucky has a lineup on offense that can disrupt a defensive game plan, one that will leads to big plays throughout the season. Prior to the bye week in October, it’s important for the Wildcats to win at least three of their first five games to give themselves a shot entering a four-game SEC gauntlet (probably all ranked competition) prior to a soft three-game stretch to close out the regular season. Coming up with a plan on both sides of the ball is essential this fall and could pay off for Kentucky later this season.