Back in 2012, when Kentucky football was as beleaguered as a Power 5 program could be, Mark Stoops was hired to bring about the turnaround, and to do it largely on defense. After a few rough seasons of finishing near the bottom in the SEC defensive statistics, Stoops delivered. The 16.8 points per game his 2018 squad allowed was the fewest Kentucky had given up since the 1970s. While Kentucky didn’t fare quite as well defensively in 2019 and 2020, the Cats continue to be strong, finishing 5th in the SEC in scoring defense and yardage allowed in 2020.

With the offense getting a rebirth via new coordinator Liam Coen, can the defense hold up? Recent history suggests that Kentucky’s success will hinge on that question. Here are 5 keys to the Wildcats’ defense in 2021.

1. Where’s the pass rush?

Last season was a massive disappointment in terms of rushing the quarterback. Kentucky finished with 15 sacks, barely avoiding a tie for the SEC cellar, ahead of only Vandy, South Carolina and Ole Miss (each with 14). In 2018, Josh Allen surpassed that total himself. Granted, No. 41 isn’t walking through the door, but the Wildcats have to return to harassing passers with some consistency.

To further complicate the situation, half of those 15 sacks were from players who are gone. Senior linebacker Jordan Wright and sophomore backer J.J. Weaver are two of the biggest candidates for improvement. Wright, who had 3.5 sacks last year and won SEC Defensive Player of the Week after a big game including a pick-6 against Mississippi State, has the experience. Weaver, who was lost for the season with a leg injury in the Florida game, has the explosiveness. Standout defensive tackle Josh Paschal is probably part of the answer. But course, Josh Allen was a 2-star nobody whom UK nabbed from Monmouth. Stoops and Co. doubtlessly have a surprise or two up their sleeves.

2. Who replaces the corners?

Kentucky finished the season without corners Kelvin Joseph (early opt-out) and Cedric Dort (held out of the Gator Bowl for health reasons). Corner Brandin Echols is also now trying to make his way in the NFL. The Wildcats will have to greatly retool the secondary, which was among the best in the SEC in interceptions last season. Freshman Carrington Valentine started in the Gator Bowl and got picked on at times. Fellow freshman Vito Tisdale is doubtlessly part of the solution, although he might see snaps at the nickle spot or even as a safety.

3. Who’s in the middle?

A year ago, Jamin Davis was penciled in as the starting middle linebacker. To say that went well would be an understatement. Again, from seemingly out of nowhere, Davis became the latest Stoops player to blow up, playing his way to 102 tackles and a first-round NFL Draft pick. That’s the good news, but also the bad news. He’s gone, and backup D’Eryk Jackson suffered a knee injury in spring practice and will likely miss the season.

Outside ‘backer Jared Casey (2o tackles, 2 tackles for loss in ’20) could see some time in the middle, or perhaps a more outside-the-box possibility would be true frosh signee Trevin Wallace or Michigan State transfer Luke Fulton. The aforementioned Tisdale could even see some snaps at linebacker. But as unknown as Davis was a year ago, he looks that hard to replace now.

4. Who is in the middle up front?

The other spot to fill is that of massive nose guard Quinton Bohanna. The 357-pound Bohanna had only 10 tackles, but his true value would be hard to overstate. A huge lane-clogger, Bohanna often occupied two linemen and allowed other players to make plays. In Kentucky’s win over Tennessee in Knoxville, the UT offense looked hopeless until Bohanna went out briefly with an injury and UT immediately ran the ball right down the field.

The good news for Kentucky is that they have another massive inside player in Marquan McCall. McCall is listed at 379 pounds and was in on 22 tackles last season. But as the weight might suggest, McCall struggles to remain on the field due to conditioning issues. Freshman Justin Rogers saw some time last season and he figures to be another impact player. But figuratively and literally, replacing a man the size of Bohanna is a significant challenge.

5. Can the ‘Cats keep Brad White?

As Kentucky keeps doing more with less, many of the coaches become attractive to other schools (and NFL teams). Former defensive coordinator Matt House moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2018 season, leaving Brad White, who had only joined the UK staff before 2018, as the new coordinator. After 2 full seasons in Lexington, White has done an excellent job keeping Kentucky in games despite offenses that finished last in the SEC in passing (by a wide margin) in both 2019 and 2020.

With Jamin Davis, Kelvin Joseph and other Wildcats making the NFL jump, other schools will be considering White for head coaching jobs or their own defensive coordinator spot. Mitch Barnhart and the university have made a bigger commitment to football than at times past, but it’ll be interesting to see how long White remains in Lexington.