Greg McElroy claims Kentucky is being overlooked entering 2024

Kentucky finished 7-6 in each of the past two seasons under longtime head coach Mark Stoops. Seemingly regressing after securing two 10-win seasons in four years, how much are the Wildcats undervalued heading into 2024?

According to ESPN analyst Greg McElroy, the Wildcats have improved along the offensive and defensive fronts. The downfall of the Big Blue Wall over the past two seasons mixed with a poor defensive effort across the board in 2023 should be answered — or at least improved — this fall.

“Kentucky’s defense was, at times, unrecognizably average last year by their standards,” McElroy explained. “If you think about what Kentucky has done in the last five years under Mark Stoops, they’ve been excellent along the offensive line, not all the time because two years ago wasn’t good. Last year, it was just okay. That has been a position group that has dipped drastically, and they’ve been really solid on the defensive side. Well, last year defensively, they just weren’t as consistent as they’ve been in the past. I don’t know why that is. Tackling in some cases, I don’t think they had the depth last year that they’ve had in other years. And I just think there have been some struggles for that group on that side of the ball.”

The 2024 group, led by offensive line coach Eric Wolford, returns to Lexington after two seasons at Alabama. He inherits one of the most experienced offensive line units in college football. Eli Cox will be a four-year starter, Jager Burton is a three-year starter. Marques Cox is now in year seven of his college football career with 46 starts at Kentucky and Northern Illinois. Tennessee transfer Gerald Mincey has 13 career starts in the SEC. Together, the whole OL group has 156 starts to their name.

McElroy also predicts stronger play at quarterback for the Wildcats in 2024.

“Brock Vandagriff steps into the shoes of Devin Leary. While Devin Leary had a ton of experience with the live arm, I also think that arm was a little too live. A ton of times, the guy threw bullets and they were uncatchable. That’s why Kentucky last year led the country in drops, not just because the receivers lack concentration — which is certainly a factor — but also because their quarterback threw away too are the passes were uncatchable.

“So I think Kentucky is one of those teams that is being slept on a little bit coming into the season. But are they really going to be good enough to compete at the top of the SEC this year?”

Ultimately, McElroy sees Kentucky finished around the seven-eight win mark this upcoming season with a predicted 9-10th place finish in the SEC. The Wildcats will look to prove him wrong beginning in Week 1 against Southern Miss on Aug. 31.