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With several new assistant coaches and a new presumed face of the program in QB Drew Barker, who will be protected by an experienced and upgraded offensive line, there is reason for optimism in Lexington. But the skeptics could point to second-half finishes in recent years that have been marked by losing streaks and puzzling performances against rivals.
Still, it’s a turning point season in 2016 for coach Mark Stoops, entering his fourth year at the helm as the Wildcats look to get to their first bowl game since 2011. Kentucky also hasn’t made back-to-back bowl games since 2008-09.
ON-FIELD PERFORMANCE
SEC standing: Near the bottom
Grade: C-
Hot starts and sluggish finishes have defined Stoops’ tenure. Stoops is putting stock in the play of presumed starting QB Barker after uneven quarterback play in 2015.
Patience will be needed because the Wildcats haven’t had a problem starting strong. That’s why the cynics will be out before Halloween to see if Stoops and Co. can avoid a disappointing finish.
Kentucky finished 5-7 for the second consecutive season. And it faded down the stretch again, losing six of its final seven games.
It’s one thing to lose to a heavyweight traditional powers, but not consistently to Vanderbilt and Louisville, which trailed 21-0 but rallied for a 38-24 victory in Lexington.
RECRUITING
SEC standing: On the rise
2016 rank: 12
Grade: C+
The 2013 class had three four-star players, but 2014 — Barker’s class — doubled that number.
At several skill positions, from Barker to running back Stanley “Boom” Williams, also four-stars, this is a defining season to learn if those evaluations were correct.
Defensive tackle Matt Elam has had a largely disappointing start to his career, considering he was a four-star prospect who chose Kentucky over Alabama. He, too, faces a season to prove he can be more than a wide body to stop the run and improve his pass-rushing skills, the Courier-Journal reported midway through last season.
Kentucky’s 2016 class included several highly-ranked offensive linemen, who also happened to hail from the Bluegrass State. Stoops called it his best class.
The formula for a program like Kentucky is find a three-star player like S A.J. Stamps, ranked No. 214 nationally entering college, and develop him into a senior starter who was invited to the NFL combine.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
SEC standing: Near the bottom
Grade: C-
Kentucky had just one player on either of the Associated Press all-SEC first or second teams, second-team defensive lineman Cory Johnson. There could be an asterisk for former defensive end Jason Hatcher, who was recently dismissed. Hatcher was one of three four-star recruits in the 2013 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Another four-star in that class, Za’Darius Smith, was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, while the remaining player among the four-stars, Marcus McWilson, started multiple games in 2015.
Stoops didn’t recruit linebacker Bud Dupree, but he coached him for his final two seasons. In 2015, Dupree became Kentucky’s first first-round pick since 2003.
FACILITIES
SEC standing: Middle of pack
Grade: B
The program last year rolled out $120-million in renovations to Commonwealth Stadium and $50 million more on a new football training and practice facility.
“What we’ve come to do in our facilities is a pretty clean look that is a little edgy, that’s got an element of cool to it,” Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “Hopefully we’ve done that. There’s a bit of a traditional piece to it that I want to keep. I want to incorporate all of those things.”
Kentucky’s recruiting room, which features a patio and is in one end zone, hosted several recruits last year including offensive lineman Drake Jackson, one of the top signees of the 2016 class.
COACHING
SEC standing: Near the bottom
Grade: C
Stoops might find himself on “hot seat” lists entering the 2016 season, but hefty buyouts remain that could make it more difficult. Stoops’ buyout is $15.5 million before next season and $12 million after next season in a contract that runs through June 30, 2020. Stoops’ salary is $3.25 million.
Stoops is 12-24 after three seasons, one fewer win than his predecessor, Joker Phillips. Each had a 4-20 mark in the SEC after three seasons.
If Stoops earns more time in Lexington, he’ll do it with the help of a trio of former Cincinnati coaches whom he poached this offseason: Offensive coordinators Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw and secondary coach Steve Clinkscale.
Gran and Hinshaw recruited Barker when they were at Cincinnati, so they will start the spring with some familiarity of the sophomore’s skills.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
