Mark Stoops addresses multiple players' availabilities, including Chris Rodriguez

As Kentucky gets ready for a big Week 2 matchup against Florida, the Wildcats have plenty of availability questions on the roster. That means questions are swirling ahead of the game — and Mark Stoops explained his approach to game-planning with that going on.

“I have to prepare for the players that are available to me,” Stoops said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “That’s what I released when I released the depth chart. I released it with the players that are available to play at that particular time. I have no updates right now. So we just prepare to play the game the best we can and we’ll be fine. Any which way it is, injuries happen, things happen. I’m going to play with the players that are available.”

The biggest question marks remain Chris Rodriguez and Jordan Wright. Rodriguez pleaded guilty to DUI earlier in the offseason, but other questions remain. Earlier Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference, Stoops didn’t provide much of an update on Wright’s situation.

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Stoops told Finebaum he can’t say much about what’s happening and stopped short of saying “investigation” in his answer.

“It’s really something that I can’t comment on,” Stoops said regarding the situation around players who didn’t play last week. “There’s layers to it. Let me put it to you that way. If I knew, if it was my decision, I wouldn’t be hem-hawing around about it. That’s really all I should say. There’s layers to it, there’s layers to this inve- what’s going on. I just have to let it play out.”

However, Stoops said he’ll provide an update once he’s able to share anything with the media.

“I try to be very open and honest with that, Paul, when I know,” Stoops said. “I tell the media certainly here locally. And I don’t know right now, so therefore, I can’t say anything.”

KSR: Kentucky is waiting on the NCAA to clear Chris Rodriguez and Jordan Wright

On Tuesday, KSR’s Matt Jones reported Kentucky is waiting on the NCAA to make a decision on both players. He said it’s likely out of the university’s hands.

“I am told it is the NCAA (causing the hold up). That UK is basically waiting to hear (from the NCAA),” Jones said, via KSR’s Nick Rousch. “They thought they would hear yesterday and they have not yet. So this is not a UK delay. It is an NCAA delay.”

“The working assumption right now is still the same as what it was a few weeks ago,” he continued. “There is still hope Jordan Wright will play this week. Even though; they didn’t put him on the depth chart because they don’t know. But there is hope he will play this week. Rodriguez the thought is still three to four games (until he can return).”