Kentucky Football: Mark Stoops has Wildcats ready to compete in 2018

Defense

Kentucky’s offense has the potential to be good. Their defense, on the other hand, could be great. Eight starters return, including the entire backfield, and one of the nation’s top linebackers. However, they’ve got some problems to take care of up front first, including just one returning starter.

A lot is going to be hinging on Adrian Middleton and Phil Hoskins. They’re the two best and most experienced players on the line, and they need to be solid to keep this defense intact. Outside of them is a lot of youth. Sophomores Quinton Bohanna and Joshua Paschal will both see the field a ton, and need to be able to step up. The pass rush needs to improve from last year, and I’m not sure if this group can do that. TJ Carter will be key as well, but he’s mostly just a specialist.

The linebackers on the other hand, should be awesome. Kash Daniel and Jamar Watson are both new to the starting lineup, but this group is held down by two stars. Josh Allen and Jordan Jones were awesome last year and should be even better this year. The senior duo will rack up tackles all year, and if everything goes according to plan, they could rush the quarterback a lot as well.

It’s going to be very tough to pass on this team. Every defensive back that saw significant time last year is back this year, and the group is led by one of the nation’s top safeties in Mike Edwards. Beside Edwards at safety will be Darius West, who picked up nearly as many tackles as Edwards did last year.

Moving to corner, Kentucky has two of the biggest corners in the SEC. Derrick Baity and Lonnie Johnson, both standing 6-foot-3, have all the makings of an awesome 1-2 punch. Baity was lockdown for much of 2017, and with just one year under his belt, Johnson has a ton of potential. The athleticism and talent at corner and safety makes Kentucky super dangerous.

Pass rush on the way?

If there’s one thing Kentucky really struggled with last year, it was getting to the quarterback. Their sack leader, Allen, is back, but he had just 7 in 2017. Denzil Ware (6.5) is gone, leaving just four players, (Paschall, Jones, and TJ Carter) with more than one recorded sack (3.5, 2, 3) last year on the roster along with Allen. That may be a big issue.

The youth up front causes a lot of concern. They could struggle with consistency, and in the SEC you can’t afford a bad game. If they can’t to the quarterback in every game, they’ll struggle a lot in such a good conference.

Schedule and Prediction

The non-conference is mostly a cakewalk, as Central Michigan, Murray State and Middle Tennessee State should all be wins. Louisville will always be tough, but they’re down a Heisman winning quarterback and have more questions than answers.

Getting into the SEC part of the schedule, Kentucky drew a decent cross-conference slate as well. You’re never going to have an easy schedule in the SEC. There are too many great teams, too much depth, and too many great home environments to get out unscathed. With that being said, as SEC schedules go, this is very generous.

With that being said, Mississippi State and Texas A&M are still going to be tough. Every conference game is going to be tough. The last big boost for the Wildcats is that the three toughest games on this schedule are home games. That’s huge.

Next: Every Johnny Manziel game at Texas A&M, ranked

Prediction: 8-4

I think Kentucky takes one step in the right direction. I see four non-conference wins, which will boost this a ton. Vanderbilt, and Tennessee should be wins as well. That leaves six games that are either toss-ups or likely losses. Georgia will beat Kentucky, as will South Carolina.

Mississippi State and Texas A&M should be good games, but I think Kentucky drops those too. That means that a win over Missouri gives them seven, and to get to eight, the Wildcats finally break the 31 game losing streak, and knock off Florida on the road.