Mark Stoops breaks down what he learned about Kentucky in fall camp

Football season has arrived with Week 0 gone and Week 1 just days away from kicking off. That means programs across the country, including Kentucky, are putting the finishing touches on what they’ve worked on all offseason and throughout fall camp.

Ahead of their opener against Ball State on Saturday, Mark Stoops spoke about what he has learned about his Wildcats over the course of the last month. His biggest takeaway was their consistency as he now wants that to apply to their recent demeanor and mindset as they open the regular season this weekend.

“We’ll see, we’ll see. I mean I felt like there was some consistency,” Stoops said. “There’s always going to be some good and some bad. But I feel like it’s a good team with a good attitude and a mentality. That needs to stay at a high level and be like that each week and each day.”

Kentucky is looking to bounce back after a disappointing finish in 2022. After three straight non-pandemic seasons of eight or more wins, they took a step back as they went 7-6. Now, in 2023, intrigue is high in the bluegrass considering their pieces, the return of Liam Coen as offensive coordinator, and a perception that second place in the SEC East is up for grabs.

To be fair, no coach is exactly sure what they have on their hands until kickoff comes and their team goes live for the first time. For Kentucky to be what they could be, though, Stoops wants them to maintain what they’ve done over the month of August and see where it could take them by the end of this season.

Stoops awards Cole Lanter a scholarship heading into sophomore season

18 months after making the 37-mile trip from Boyle County High School to the University of Kentucky, sophomore WR Cole Lanter is now on scholarship with the Wildcats.

Lanter starred in his role as a do-it-all playmaker with the Rebels. He helped lead his team two consecutive KHSAA 4A State Championships. After passing up multiple scholarship offers, he is now the ninth scholarship receiver on the Wildcats’ roster.

Stoops let Lanter know the news in front of the whole team after practice on Monday. During the moment, the cameras were rolling for the special announcement.

WR @colelanterrr earned this! pic.twitter.com/zoTrhuV8kp

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) August 29, 2023

“This guy came to us from Boyle County. Good ‘ole Kentucky boy right here. He’s been here a year and a half, busting his ass,” Stoops said. “He passed on scholarship opportunities. He came here, he bet on himself. (Cole) wanted to be a part of this program and we wanted to reward him with a scholarship.”