After back-to-back 5-7 seasons in Lexington, the stage is set for a pivotal season for coach Mark Stoops and his program.

Can the Wildcats find that little bit extra, and slip into the top half of the SEC East — and into a bowl game? Or will the team once again fall just a little short, warming up Stoops’ seat to the point where he has to get off of it?

Of the 22 players that started last year’s finale against Louisville, 16 are scheduled to return in 2016. That means that a lack of experience won’t be an issue at pretty much every position on the field for Kentucky next fall.

Except for one, that is. And it’s a big one.

Drew Barker will be the only quarterback on the roster with FBS experience on his resume in 2016 thanks to the departure of Patrick Towles, the starter for most of the last two seasons. Reserve Reese Phillips also left the program, leaving one of the most important jobs on the roster in the hands of a rising sophomore and a handful of incoming recruits.

So, who’s going to play quarterback? That’s the $64,000 question for Kentucky in 2016. The right answer likely means a chance at a bowl game and a winning season. A wrong one might lead to wholesale changes to the program.

MEET THE CONTENDERS

Drew Barker

In a perfect world, Barker is the guy.

He made a few starts last year and played in five games as a true freshman. His numbers weren’t overwhelming. He went 35 for 70 for 364 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

But, if Towles would have played better, Barker would have been wearing a headset and signaling in plays during his redshirt freshman season. But Stoops handed him the keys late last season, and the other contenders on the roster (Towles and Phillips) didn’t bother to stick around to challenge him this spring.

Barker has the size (6-3, 225 pounds) and the pedigree (Elite 11 camper, four-star recruit) to be a successful college quarterback. He’s blessed with a strong arm and, by all accounts, is a student of the game.

Stephen Johnson II

With the attrition on the roster, Stoops and his staff decided to hit the junior college ranks for reinforcements. Enter Stephen Johnson II.

Johnson, who stands 6-3, passed for 3,210 yards and 34 scores last season for the College of the Desert while adding eight more touchdowns on the ground.

If he can’t wrest the job from Barker, he’ll be a backup with some college experience under his belt. But standing on the sidelines is not why he’s heading east.

“I think a bring a great deal of talent to the team and that I can just help lead these guys to a championship and to win games,” Johnson said. “There’s definitely a great group of quarterbacks here with a whole lot of talent, but I’m definitely gonna compete to win the starting spot over this spring.”

He’s an interesting prospect who began his career at Grambling State before transferring to the College of the Desert last season. He chose the Wildcats over Arkansas State and Hawaii, and it looks like he’ll have his chance to push Barker for the starting spot in the spring.

Gunnar Hoak

Hoak is the third candidate to start at quarterback in 2016 for Kentucky, but probably the longest shot.

Like Johnson, he’s already enrolled. But unlike his new teammate, his next college snap will be his first one.

His senior stats at Dublin (Ohio) Coffman High were less than stellar with 1,798 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. His numbers during his junior season — on a more talented team — were better (2,584 yards, 30 TDs, 3 INT).

New Kentucky coaches Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw recruited Hoak while at Cincinnati, and the 6-4 quarterback followed them to Lexington.

A three-star recruit, Hoak is a pro-style passer who will likely need some time to acclimate to the college game.