Over the course of the next several weeks, the SoBros Network crew will be going around the landscape of the SEC, team by team, previewing the upcoming American tackle football season. Up next, our 2021 Kentucky preview!
2021 Kentucky preview
The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the more intriguing teams in the SEC this year. They’re coming off a disappointing 4-6 2020 season in the SEC when expectations were pretty high heading into the year. But, entering his 9th season as head coach, Mark Stoops has built the Wildcats into a perennial bowl contender. Hell, they’ve won three consecutive bowl games from 2018-20 (even at 4-6, the Wildcats were invited to a bowl game in these covid times). And, we aren’t too far removed from that special 10-win 2018 campaign. So, at a time when there’s some coaching turnover in the SEC East (three new coaches and a 4th who’s in his second year), the stability and pedigree that Stoops has built at Kentucky could come in handy. If ever there was a year that the Wildcats could really take that leap and push for a division title, this is it.
Stoops has built the program up into a solid defensive squad, and if the Wildcats are to take such a leap, it’ll need that sort of consistency on defense to do it. Kentucky lost a ton of talent and will be looking to replace seven starters from a season ago. However, that defense’s leader, linebacker DeAndre Square returns. They also have an SEC-elite caliber safety in Yusuf Corker. The pass rush was rather anemic in 2020, and cornerback will be a huge question mark as the Wildcats lost both starters from a season ago. Those would be my two areas of concern for this defense, but by and large, they have a lot of talented pieces to build around, and I don’t expect this unit to be the weakness of this team.
On offense, it’s been a different story for the Wildcats under Stoops. They’ve had some strong run games, and they’ll have another one in 2021. But, they just haven’t quite gotten mileage out of the passing game just yet. In the modern era of football, that’s a huge liability. So, Stoops called in Liam Coen off the Los Angeles Rams staff to come in as the new offensive coordinator – we joke about how anyone who’s ever had a cup of coffee with Sean McVay will get a job somewhere, but the hope is that some of that offensive prowess will rub off on Coen and he can bring it to Lexington. Coen even came in and found his quarterback in the transfer portal, targeting Penn State backup Will Levis, who joins the Wildcats and figures to be the starter for 2021 (Terry Wilson transferred to New Mexico). And, there’s some skill position talent at Kentucky, too – guys like WR Josh Ali and Nebraska transfer, WR Wan’Dale Robinson, in addition to the backs like Chris Rodriguez, Jr. and Kavosiey Smoke. So, if this new offense works, there’s plenty of reason for optimism this year.
2021 Wildcats Schedule
Saturday, 9/4: vs. ULM – Gotta get your veritable preseason game in like everyone else, I suppose!
Saturday, 9/11: vs. Missouri – It’s interesting because I see that second tier in the SEC East being a battle between Florida, Kentucky, and Mizzou. So, this could be an early elimination game in that race. Since it’s in Lexington, I’d favor the home team just a bit right now.
Saturday, 9/18: vs. Chattanooga – Yeah, let’s make it 3-0 to start the season.
Saturday, 9/25: @ South Carolina – Shane Beamer has a massive job to do in rebuilding South Carolina. Even on the road, I like the Wildcats to get it done against a team that is in the infancy of its rebuild.
Saturday, 10/2: vs. Florida – Most people will scoff at this, but I’m tellin’ y’all – Florida has some huge question marks this year, namely at quarterback and whether or not they’ll be successful in retooling the offense since Kyle Trask is now playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is absolutely a winnable game for Kentucky.
Saturday, 10/9: vs. LSU – Same as Florida, LSU is facing a ton of question marks entering the season with new coordinators, and a coach that’s trying to recapture the magic of a historic 2019 National Championship season. That said, this Tigers team is LOADED with talent and won’t be an easy out.
Saturday, 10/16: @ Georgia – This year’s Bulldogs are going to be pretty good and will benefit the most from the SEC East being a little down this year. I don’t think the Wildcats will be in a position to win this game, but man…if they can get to this game at 6-0, who knows? Maybe this could be the game that decides the SEC East. Is that crazy to say?
Saturday, 10/23: BYE
Saturday, 10/30: @ Mississippi State – Man, Mississippi State may be the greatest wild card in the entire SEC. They could either push for a 10-win season based on the talent they have there and Mike Leach’s offense finally clicking. Or, they could bottom out and be the worst team in the league. I have no idea.
Saturday, 11/6: vs. Tennessee – See what I said about South Carolina, just bear in mind that the Vols are a little more talented than South Carolina right now.
Saturday, 11/13: @ Vanderbilt – I’m all aboard the Clark Lea train, but I don’t think they’re going to be ready to win a game like this in November. This is why I say Kentucky may benefit from the stability in leadership over the last nine years.
Saturday, 11/20: vs. New Mexico State – Just like you get those preseason games in early, you gotta get in your ‘get healthy’ tune-up game before rivalry week.
Saturday, 11/27: @ Louisville – The Cards ain’t back! I’m willing to say it – the Wildcats should cap off a special season with a win over their hated rival.
Prediction
The only automatic loss I’m giving this Kentucky team is Georgia. That’s wild to say. But, they managed to dodge Alabama, Texas A&M, AND Ole Miss from the SEC West, and the SEC East is ripe for the taking this year. Plus, this should be a sneakily talented team that has the steadiness in leadership to get 2020 corrected quickly. If Coen and Levis work well together, this Kentucky team could be the surprise of the season. My official gun-to-my-head prediction is 9-3. They’ll lose to Georgia, and I think it’s entirely possible that they lose two of the three between Missouri, Florida, and LSU. Still, this is a team that could find itself competing in the New Year’s Six if everything clicks.
OTHER SEC 2021 SEASON PREVIEWS
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Florida Gators
- LSU Tigers
- Mississippi State Bulldogs
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Vanderbilt Commodores
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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