Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said Monday that Wildcats senior offensive tackle Naasir Watkins has been suspended for the first 4 games of the 2021 season.

Stoops made the announcement during his weekly press conference, which comes in advance of Kentucky’s season opener against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.

Stoops did not reveal what led to the suspension, but did reiterate that Watkins is fully healthy.

Watkins played in just 1 game last season due to a knee injury, but he saw action in all 13 of Kentucky’s games in 2019 as a reserve at both left and right tackle. The 6-5, 305-pounder was part of an offensive line unit that season that helped the Wildcats set new school records of 3,624 rushing yards, 36 rushing touchdowns, and an average of 6.3 yards per carry.

The news that Watkins will miss the opening 4 games is especially unfortunate because he had fully recovered from last year’s knee injury and was expected to play a major role this season either in a starting role at right tackle or in the role he played in 2019 as the back-up at both tackle spots.

Kentucky’s game against Louisiana-Monroe is scheduled for 12 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday and will be televised on the SEC Network. The Wildcats have opened as 29.5-point favorites.