Kentucky’s New Year’s Day Citrus Bowl win was only three months ago, but it feels like much longer. Benny Snell, Josh Allen, and virtually the entire UK secondary (among others) are no longer seeking gridiron glory in Lexington.

But life has moved on for Mark Stoops’ 2019 squad, and this Friday, they’ll play their annual Blue/White spring game.

Hopefully, the game will provide some clues as to the makeup and potential stars of this season. Here are five particular things we’re looking for.

1. Some separation at the QB position

Returning starter and junior Terry Wilson probably looks better on paper than on the actual football field. A season ago, Wilson completed over 67% of his passes and rushed for over 500 yards while leading UK to a 10-3 mark. That said, Wilson threw for just 1,889 yards and 11 touchdowns. Sophomore Gunnar Hoak showed flashes as a pocket passer and has impressed in the spring. We’ll see if Wilson can emerge as the clear starter or if Hoak’s passing has improved enough that he shows a clear superiority in the passing game — which could lead to more playing time in 2019. If not, it’s possible Hoak could transfer after graduating this spring.

2. Snell 2.0?

He was the leading rusher in UK football history, so we won’t hold our breath waiting for somebody to truly replace Benny Snell. But at the same time, somebody will have to run the ball for Kentucky this season. Junior A.J. Rose (442 rushing yards, 6 TDs in 2018) is the most likely candidate, but freshmen Kavosiey Smoke and Chris Rodriguez looked good in a few snaps but managed to use their redshirt years in 2018. The smart money would be on UK replacing Snell by committee, but Rose, who has played well in the past two spring games, can go into fall camp with dibs on the starting nod with a big game on Friday.

3. The return of Landon Young

Kentucky’s offensive line paved the way for 202 rushing yards per game in 2018. They did so despite the preseason loss of junior tackle Landon Young, a 6-7, 324-pound giant who is probably the best pro prospect of the position group.

Young tore his ACL a spring ago, but has rehabbed carefully and has drawn praise from UK coaches this spring. If he can emerge as the kind of force that he was expected to be as a recruit, when he turned down late overtures from Michigan among other P5 powerhouses, Kentucky can go a long way toward helping make up for lost production elsewhere within its offense.

4. Who can replace Josh Allen?

Kentucky’s Nagurski-winning end/linebacker was not only one of the best players in the country, he might be the hardest to replace. Much like Snell above, there’s probably not one player who will replace Allen, but a combination of several. Linebackers Chris Oats and DeAndre Square played well as reserves last year and defensive end Jamar Watson was the team’s best developing pass rusher. Add in 6-3, 284-pound defensive end and physical specimen Josh Paschal, who is finally healthy after a cancer scare sidelined him for most of last season. Kentucky no longer has a game-changer like Allen, but each can provide part of the puzzle in terms of replacing his production.

5. Who is ready in the secondary?

Kentucky lost virtually everybody from its secondary. Mike Edwards, Lonnie Johnson, Derrick Baity, Chris Westry and Darius West are all gone. Kentucky has to shuffle in some new faces in a hurry. There are some experienced DBs returning — junior Davonte Robinson started 3 games and had 42 tackles last year. Sophomores Tyrell Ajian and Yusuf Corker each saw some action as well. But JUCO corners Quandre Mosely and Brandin Echols will draw plenty of attention, as one or both are likely to see the field in the fall. True freshman Moses Douglass is also a name to remember — his dad was a Wildcat and he was one of the higher-ranked signees of Stoops’ recruiting class. He’ll see the field Friday as well.