Kentucky has many pieces in place to be formidable once again on the defensive side of the ball but there is one glaring issue facing the Wildcats with the team heading into training camp.

Where will the pass rush come from?

That question could be answered by outside linebacker J.J. Weaver, provided of course, he’s ready to see the field this fall after tearing his ACL in November of last season.

During his Friday media availability, Mark Stoops shared the latest update on Weaver’s rehab from his late-season injury.

“JJ is ahead of schedule. He’s working extremely hard,” Stoops shared. “I stayed on JJ from day one, just to continue to make sure he stayed up with [his rehab], starting with his range of motion and then his strength and all those things. He’s putting it together.

“I don’t know, you know, what I mean, I don’t want to force that. He’s doing a very good job. But you also have to make sure you give that ligament time to heal. And he has a bright future and I have a tendency to try to be more cautious with those type of guys than force him back into it.”

Despite missing the final two games of the season, Weaver was named to the Coaches’ 2020 SEC All-Freshman Team after racking up 33 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup last fall.

He was also named SEC Freshman of the Week following Kentucky’s win over Tennessee last season.