Mark Stoops breaks down Kentucky's needs in transfer portal

With Kentucky officially eliminated from bowl eligibility this season, coach Mark Stoops is beginning to look toward the offseason. The Wildcats head man addressed his team’s areas of need in his Monday press conference ahead of the season finale against Louisville.

Stoops focused mainly on the offensive line, which is set to lose starting center Eli Cox in 2025. Even so, the coach feels good about the players that he has on the inside while stressing a need to add talent at the tackle positions.

“We have to get in the portal with some positions, but I feel good about the inside,” Stoops said. “We need some depth at center. Obviously, losing Eli is a big piece of it. He’s been really steady for us. There’s no mystery that we need some help at tackle. Inside I think with Jagger, Jalen and Dylan are all guys that played good football for us inside. We need to go get some help at tackle for sure.”

Kentucky had a solid transfer class last season to ranks No. 6 in the SEC and No. 21 overall according to On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings. It will hope for similar success this offseason as it looks to get back to the winning ways it enjoyed the past several years under Stoops.

The Wildcats have not missed a bowl game for eight straight seasons but will see that streak come to an end this year. Stoops has been the coach for the past 12 years, having compiled a 77-72 record in that span and owning two of the four 10-win seasons in program history.

His success in Lexington speaks for itself, but it’s clear this year didn’t live up to the standard he has set. Because of that, expect Kentucky to once again be active on the transfer portal market in attempt to bounce back.

The portal will open up on Dec. 9 and close a little more than two weeks later on Dec. 28.