2023 Kentucky Position Previews: Specialists

Kentucky football camp is right around the corner. Before the Cats officially begin the 2023 season in August, KSR is taking a closer look at the roster and analyzing each position group. Personnel, storylines, questions, and one bold prediction will be included.

New assistant coach Jay Boulware takes over as the special teams coordinator in Lexington, and there has already been a lot of change. Kentucky is committed to fixing its problems in the third phase.

KSR Position Previews: Quarterback, Tailback, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, Linebacker, EDGE, Cornerback, Safety

Personnel

— Chance Poore (Super Senior): The Anderson (S.C.) Westside product is entering year six at Kentucky serving as the team’s kickoff specialist (67.2% touchback rate) each of the last three seasons. Poore has also made 8 of 14 career field goals and was given a long look at punter during spring practice on top of being the holder on field goals. The veteran will likely have a role again in the kicking game.

— Michael Bernard (Redshirt Senior): After four years at Fordham, Bernard transferred to Kentucky. At the FCS level, this Missouri native handled kickoff duties the last two seasons. Bernard will compete with Poore for the starting kickoff specialist role.

— Ronald Gaines (Super Senior): After spending five seasons at Temple, the Chicago native entered the transfer portal and landed at Kentucky. Gaines will be on scholarship this season after starting off and on for the Owls in the American Athletic Conference. Expect a hotly contested battle for the starting long snapper position. Gaines will be right in the middle of the competition.

— Alex Raynor (Redshirt Senior): The Georgia Southern transfer started 36 games in the Sun Belt hitting 45 of 59 field goals (.763) with only three missed extra points in 113 attempts. Raynor is the favorite to replace Matt Ruffolo as Kentucky’s starting placekicker.

— Clay Perry (Redshirt Junior): Perry saw action in 11 games last year as the punt team long snapper. The Cecilia (Ky.) Central Hardin product will compete with Gaines for a starting role.

— Wilson Berry (Redshirt Sophomore): The Australian native started the last four games for Kentucky and averaged 41.2 yards per punt. Berry will compete for the starting punter position.

— Jackson Smith (Redshirt Freshman): The Danville (Ky.) Boyle County product took a redshirt season last year and will re-enter the mix in 2023. It’s unclear whether Smith’s long-term position will be placekicker or punter.

— Max DeGraff (True Freshman): A walk-on from Lexington (Ky.) Catholic, is a two-way specialist that will be given a look at both placekicker and punter.

— Walker Himebauch (True Freshman): Another edition by Boulware, the Colorado native will have a chance to earn a starting spot as a long snapper during his first season on campus.

— Heath Jehu (True Freshman): Yet another Boulware addition, the Alabama native is a punter all the way and will compete with Berry for a starting spot.

— Jackson Moore (True Freshman): Another offseason addition, this North Carolina native was added to the roster by Jay Boulware and will be in the mix at placekicker.

Expected starters

That is very hard to project. I’m not sure the coaching staff even knows at this point.

Alex Raynor seems to have a leg up on the starting placekicker position. Outside of that, there will likely be competitive battles for each starting spot. We won’t know much about these battles until the first depth chart is released on the Monday before the Cats host Ball State.

Regardless, Kentucky has some legitimate depth now giving Jay Boulware multiple personnel options for each key role.

One Big Question: Will the third phase make a real improvement?

Matt Ruffolo finished the season making 16 of 24 field goals, and Colin Goodfellow helped guide Kentucky to a No. 99 finish net punting yards (36.9). That is simply not good enough.

Kentucky must replace its two main specialists and needs to see upgrades. Not every problem was on the kick. The Wildcats had blocking and snapping issues throughout the season. Jay Boulware is looking to change this in his first season on campus.

There will be new starters, and there could be some quick hooks if there are some misses or breakdowns. Kentucky has invested resources (scholarship capital) to fix the problems, and now we need to see that translate to the field.

Key Storyline: Kentucky’s field goal kicking operation

Not only were there issues on field goals, but the Wildcats had a very difficult time executing a simple extra point. There were multiple blocks throughout the season and snapping malfunctions. Most notably, the kickoff team left a ton of points on the field.

Kentucky must eliminate the unexpected inefficiencies with this phase of the game and get back become a dependable kicking operation. When scoring opportunities are earned, the Cats need their field goal team to put points on the scoreboard.

Eliminating blocks and self-inflicted errors will help this group make notable improvements in 2023.

One Bold Prediction: Kentucky will not have a kick blocked this season

For most teams, this wouldn’t be a bold take. For Kentucky, there is no denying that it is.

Just getting field goal and PAT attempts off last year without blocks occurring was a chore for the Wildcats. Making sure that doesn’t happen again in 2023 is a necessity and should be a point of emphasis throughout fall camp. I’m calling for a smooth operation this season after some ugly moments last year in the kicking game.

That should result in Alex Raynor having a solid first season with Kentucky.