BREAKING NEWS: 3 freshmen key man who need to be key contributors for Kentucky football in 2024
For a brief period this offseason, it seemed Mark Stoops might be heading to College Station to take over at Texas A&M. However, he’s returned to Lexington for his 12th season leading the Wildcats and aims to secure a bowl game appearance for the eighth year in a row.
Achieving bowl eligibility will be challenging with Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC. Kentucky will travel to Austin for the second-to-last game of the 2024 season. Despite having an experienced roster enhanced by veteran transfers such as Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Brock Vandagriff from Georgia, Gerald Mincey from Tennessee, and Ja’Mori Maclin from North Texas, Stoops will need substantial contributions from his 2023 and 2024 freshman classes.
One notable highlight from Kentucky’s “spring game,” which was more of a structured 11-on-11 workout, was the impressive talent among the freshman skill players, with two of them potentially stepping into significant roles this season.
Koby Keenum, OL
The Wildcats will have sixth-year center Eli Cox back, providing some stability, but there are concerns about the depth of the interior offensive line. Cox is expected to be joined by returning starters at guard, Dylan Ray and Jager Burton. Beyond this experienced trio, however, there are significant uncertainties.
Tanner Bowles and Paul Rodriguez were the only other players besides Cox, Burton, and Ray to get any snaps on the interior last year, and they combined for just 59 snaps. If the team remains healthy, the offensive line should be solid, but any injuries could create problems. With Bowles gone, Rodriguez and sophomore Jalen Farmer are potential replacements, and 2023 tackle prospect Keenum will also be in contention.
Given the slim odds of the entire offensive line playing all 12 games without injury, it’s likely Keenum will see playing time as a backup on the interior.
Jason Patterson, RB
Evaluating the running game during spring football can be challenging without full-contact tackling, but that didn’t prevent Patterson from standing out to observers, including Nick Roush and Adam Luckett of Kentucky Sports Radio. The 5-foot-10, 203-pound running back showcased his impressive burst, building on his reputation as one of Florida high school football’s dominant players last fall.
Patterson’s strong performance may have influenced junior La’Vell Wright’s decision to transfer to Austin Peay during the spring portal window. Now, the freshman is expected to compete with redshirt freshman Jamarion Wilcox for the third-most backfield touches, behind presumptive starter Chip Traynum and experienced backup Demie Sumo-Karngbaye.
Hardley Gilmore IV, WR
Wide receiver might be the strongest position on Kentucky’s roster. The Wildcats bring back Barion Brown and Dane Key, along with Ja’Mori Maclin, who excelled at North Texas last year. In the previous season, Brown led the team with 43 catches, while Key had 42 receptions for a team-high 636 yards.
These three are expected to dominate the snaps and targets on the outside in Bush Hamdan’s offense. However, the Wildcats aim to integrate a young speedster, with Gilmore standing out this spring. During the spring portal window, Kentucky lost Raymond Cottrell, who had transferred from Texas A&M earlier in the offseason, Ardell Banks, and 2023 four-star Shamar Porter, who transferred to UConn.
These departures reflect not only the established roles of Key, Brown, and Maclin but also the rapid development of young talents like Gilmore. The main concern for the 6-foot-1, 165-pound, 3-star receiver is his weight. As a deep-ball threat, his slight frame is manageable if he can achieve good separation. However, Hamdan will need to employ creative strategies, such as stacks and bunch formations, to ensure the freshman gets a clean release off the line of scrimmage.