5 Things We'd Learn if Mark Stoops took Truth Serum at SEC Media Days

On Wednesday Mark Stoops will take the podium in Nashville at SEC Media Days. He’ll have a few opening remarks prepared, probably a joke or two, and he’ll be ready for whatever questions the media tosses his way. Most of those answers won’t be too enlightening for Kentucky fans. We’ve either heard them before, or he’ll finesse them with an indirect response. If Mark Stoops had to answer honestly, here’s what I’d ask him.

How exactly are things different for Liam Coen 2.0?

We know it’s great. You’re happy to have Liam Coen back in the building. But the day-to-day offensive operation cannot be the same as it was in 2021. Two years ago he did not walk into the Joe Craft Football Training Facility as a former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator.

Obviously, he’s more comfortable in this setting. Liam Coen now has a year of experience in the SEC, shrinking the learning curve from 2021. What I want to know is how much control he has over the offensive operation, from recruiting to scouting to play-calling. I tend to side more with Mark Stoops — that the head coach truly has little to no involvement with the offensive operation — but I want to believe that Liam Coen is much more hands-on and demanding in 2023 than he was as a first time play-caller in 2021.

For example: If it’s third and nine, does the offensive coordinator have a long enough leash from Mark Stoops to throw a pass short of the sticks, then go for it on fourth and two? That kind of freedom for Liam Coen can take this offense to places we haven’t seen during the first ten years of Mark Stoops at Kentucky.

Who gets personnel priority, tight ends or wide receivers?

Aside from some uncertainties in position battles, this is my biggest question mark for the 2023 Kentucky football team. Kentucky is loaded at tight end and wide receiver. That’s not an opinion from a blue glasses-wearing homer. It’s a fact. There is little to no drop off from TE1 to TE5 and the same can be said from WR1 to WR6. So who’s going to play?

On talented basketball teams folks like to say, “But there’s only one ball.” Well, you can only play 11 guys on the field at once. Six are accounted for (OL and QB), seven if you include a running back, which is safe to assume will be present for almost every snap. So who will the other four players be? The Rams seem to prefer two-tight end sets, but are you holding the passing game back if you’re only playing two wide receivers at a time? Liam Coen has a good problem on his hands, one I’m fascinated to see play out over the course of the season.

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How do you really feel about the offensive line?

We gave the offensive line the benefit of the doubt last offseason. It was a mistake. A big one. Even the biggest critics could not have predicted an outcome that poor for the Big Blue Wall.

On paper, Kentucky appears to have corrected course by adding two new offensive tackles, Marques Cox and Courtland Ford. They also beefed up the interior with Alabama’s Tanner Bowles and Ohio State’s Ben Christman. All of the new additions allowed Kentucky to reshuffle the deck, sliding Kenneth Horsey back to left guard, kicking Jager Burton over to center and Eli Cox back to right guard.

That sounds like enough moves to fix the Big Blue Wall, but is it? I don’t think any of the coaches can answer affirmatively until the team takes the field in 50 days.

What do cornerbacks have to do to earn the trust of Mark Stoops?

When completing a two-deep, no position has more uncertainty than cornerback. It feels like two of the vets, Maxwell Hairston and Dru Phillips, will see a significant amount of snaps. The transfer portal additions have the tools to play the position, but can they consistently perform?

Mark Stoops rose through the coaching ranks because of his ability to develop defensive backs. Kentucky has a loaded group of safeties, while they break in two new starters at cornerback. The last time there was this much turnover at the position, the SEC’s top-ranked Kentucky pass defense fell to No. 8 in the league. What lessons did Mark Stoops and Brad White learn from that experience and how must the young players grow to reach their expectations? I’d like an answer that’s a little more detailed than, “be consistent.”

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Which true freshmen will play first?

A half dozen members of the highly-touted class of 2022 logged significant snaps last fall. Dane Key and Barion Brown broke UK freshman receiving records, while Deone Walker was one of only three true freshmen to earn First Team All-SEC honors. Even though that group is probably full of outliers, at least one or two new guys should open eyes at Kroger Field this fall.

With uncertainty at cornerback, there could be an opportunity for Avery Stuart or Nasir Addison to shine. Kendrick Gilbert certainly has the size to enter the rotation on the defensive line. On3’s Matt Zenitz believes slot receiver Anthony Brown has the best chance to make an early impact. As an early enrollee behind Tayvion Robinson, who under-performed throughout the second half of the season, the opportunity to play is there.

The best case scenario is that Jamarion Wilcox is just a bonafide badass. Ray Davis is the thunder, but who is the lightning out of UK’s backfield? If Wilcox can provide big-play spurt-ability in year one, Kentucky might just have its next superstar running back locked in for the next two years.

Who does Mark Stoops want to run up the score on?

And why exactly is it South Carolina?

P.S. Is it time to come home?