2025 Kentucky Position Previews: EDGE

Kentucky’s fall camp is off and running. Before the Cats officially begin the 2025 season, KSR is taking a closer look at the roster and analyzing each position group. Personnel, storylines, questions, and one bold prediction will be included.

Next up is a position where Kentucky is hoping to reload in 2025.

Position Preview: Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Line, Defensive Line

Expected Starter

Sam Greene (6-2, 248, RSo.)

Kentucky’s first portal addition of the offseason came from Los Angeles. The Big Ten transfer is a DMV native who emerged as a very effective run defender playing outside linebacker for USC as a redshirt freshman in 2024. Greene came to Lexington with three years of eligibility remaining after recording 16 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack in 205 defensive snaps last season.

There are some length concerns but the blend of power and motor gives Greene a high floor and a great chance as opening the season as a starter.

Kentucky’s Outside Linebacker Room

Defensive coordinator Brad White is now in his eighth season as the outside linebackers coach and seventh as defensive coordinator. In the offseason, Kentucky added former Georgia State defensive coordinator and Cincinnati co-defensive coordinator Nate Fuqua to the coaching staf to help at with this position. The experienced coaches will be working with a room that has six scholarship players highlighted by two transfers and four young high school signees.

Kam Olds (6-4, 252, Sr.)

The two-time MAC transfer is now at Kentucky for his final year of eligibility. Olds set career highs in snaps (474), tackles (42), tackles for loss (seven), sacks (six), and pressures (29) in 2024. The DMV native picked Kentucky over Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, and Nebraska. The addition gives UK a potential bendy edge rusher who can turn the corner. Olds should be considered a co-starter at Jack linebacker.

Steven Soles Jr. (6-2, 235, So.)

The East Tennessee native was a surprise contributor in year one as he showed some real juice as a pass rusher. Soles is undersized for the position but will be expected to have a big role in Kentucky’s pass rush packages this season. Recorded two tackles for loss in limited playing time as a true freshman.

Lorenzo Cowan (6-3, 247, RFr.)

The Savannah (Ga.) Jenkins product was committed to Kentucky during the 2024 high school cycle but flipped to USC late in the process. Now Cowan is back at Kentucky where he will join his brother, Tavion Gadson, on the roster after spending one year at USC. The spring transfer portal addition is another bendy edge rusher who could help Kentucky’s pass rush down the road.

Jacob Smith (6-4, 242, RFr.)

The blue-chip recruiting win dealt with a shoulder injury for most of last season. Smith is currently wearing a red non-contact jersey at practice. Is set to enter the year as EDGE4 but availability is a huge question mark.

CJ Works (6-5, 254, Fr.)

A four-star recruit out of Ohio who spent his senior season playing for Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass. Works is a twitchy edge rusher with an impressive athletic profile. Mass is needed and pass rush technique needs a fair amount of development, but this is a legitimate athlete who can run and chase. Potential redshirt candidate.

Big Question: How do Sam Greene and Kam Olds fit?

Kentucky had a need to fill at EDGE in the transfer portal. That ended with Sam Greene and Kam Olds joining the program. A platoon with these two mid-year additions is the expectation at Jack linebacker. Kentucky needs both to produce.

Greene should provide immediate production as a hard edge setter in the run game. Olds will give this position a boost in athleticism. Kentucky needs the transfer additions to play a significant role on defense.

Born for this! Let's go #BBN and ⁦@UKFootball⁩ ⁦@KevinOlds7⁩ ⁦@FUMAPGFootball⁩ #GrindNowShinelater pic.twitter.com/RsCaAqTZ70

— Kameron Olds (@kam_olds2) August 2, 2025

Brad White discussed on Friday how important depth will be for Kentucky’s defense this year. No where is that more true than EDGE. Greene and Olds will both be asked to play major snaps and each will play a critical role for the defense. Both will have to prove that they can be quality players in the SEC. This duo looks the part but they have to go and prove it.

Top Storyline: Potential year two leap for Steven Soles Jr.

Steven Soles Jr. was a bit of surprise recruiting addition add for Kentucky in the 2024 high school cycle. The three-star recruit did not wait long to make a splash. Soles played 49 snaps as a rookie and recorded 13 pressures in 36 pass rush snaps. The young player flashed when he was on the field.

What happens when the snap count sample size gets bigger?

The sophomore is a bit of a tweener and won’t see much time at Kentucky’s Jack position but will be someone Brad White makes a conscious effort to get on the field. Soles has motor and twitch. That could make the second-year player a highly effective situational pass rusher.

Soles is a unique player that Kentucky must find ways to get on the field. The havoc creation potential could show up big-time this season.

Bold Prediction: Kam Olds has best sack production at EDGE since Josh Allen

Josh Allen recorded 17 sacks in 2018, set the program sacks record, earned just about every honor possible in college football, and became a top-10 draft pick. In the six seasons since he left college football, no EDGE player has sniffed double-digit sacks. J.J. Weaver’s 7.5 sacks in 2023 is the high water mark for UK since Allen’s big year.

Kam Olds will reset that mark in 2025.

The Kent State transfer won’t be the top pass-rushing EDGE in the SEC but he will benefit from some of the havoc creation that this new look Kentucky defensive line should provide. Olds has legitimate edge rusher juice and is coming off a career-best year. He will deliver another one this season and lead an improved Kentucky pass rush in sacks.