Counting Down the Days till Kentucky Football is Back in Action

In 102 days the Big Blue Nation will get to watch the Kentucky football team go to work at Kroger Field. The Wildcats will be back on the fields at the Joe Craft Football Training Center even sooner.

In less than two weeks Mark Stoops’ team will be participating in summer workouts, led by Corey Edmond, Mark Hill and the rest of the UK Football training staff. Players will begin arriving following the Memorial Day holiday, with Kentucky football workouts kicking off Monday, June 5. The newcomers will be the first to arrive, introduced to college football by waking up before the sun rises.

Strength and conditioning are the top priority during this month for the players. The coaches are a little more focused on recruiting, however, new rules implemented since the pandemic allow for some walk-through activities in June and July. The light practices and workouts all lay the foundation for Kentucky to hit the ground running when preseason camp begins in early August.

We may be 102 days away from seeing action on the field, but only 13 days away before the real preparation begins. Let’s count ’em down, shall we?

Kentucky Football Countdown till Summer Workouts

13 — Kentucky victories over Louisville in the modern iteration of the Governor’s Cup. The Wildcats have won four straight and five of the last six in the in-state rivalry. The Cards are lucky they got off the hook during the pandemic-plagued 2020 season.

12 — Sacks by Dennis Johnson in 2001 was the UK single-season record, until Josh Allen became college football’s most dominant defender in 2018. Johnson is currently the head football coach at Woodford County High School and his son, Jasper Johnson, is one of the most talented baketball recruits in the 2025 class.

11 — Rushing plays of 30+ yards by Lynn Bowden in 2019. The wide receiver turned quarterback had the most explosive rushing plays in the SEC and ranked No. 3 nationally.

10 — Interceptions by Mike Edwards during his impressive career are tied for the third-most in Kentucky football history. Freddie Maggard’s coach, Jerry Claiborne, almost did that in one season, picking off 9 passes in 1949, an untouchable record.

9 — Kentucky football bowl wins over the last 70 years, dating back to Bear Bryant’s run in Lexington. Mark Stoops and Rich Brooks combined to win seven of those postseason games.

8 — Times a Kentucky Wildcat has rushed for four touchdowns in a single-game, most recently Will Levis against Louisville. Also on that exclusive list: Lynn Bowden, Sonny Collins, Artose Pinner, Roger Bird and Benny Snell, twice.

7 — Touchdown passes are a single-game Kentucky football record, a feat Tim Couch accomplished twice. He did it against Indiana in 1997 and Louisville in 1998.

6 — Yard run by Chris Rodriguez gave Kentucky the go-ahead score with less than two minutes remaining to cap off a come-from-behind victory in the Citrus Bowl.

5 — Kentucky football defensive backs and 5 offensive linemen have been drafted over the last five years.

4 — Punt return touchdowns by Derek Abney in 2002. Along with two kickoff return scores, he set a single-season NCAA record for special teams touchdowns.

3 — Kentucky football games stand out above the rest for The Voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach.

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2 — Will not be Barion Brown‘s number in 2023. Despite a successful Freshman All-American campaign in the deuce, he’s switching back to his favorite number this fall, No. 7.

1 — Where Mark Stoops ranks among all Kentucky head football coaches in all-time wins. He surpassed Bear Bryant with a victory over Florida in his 10th season in Lexington. The longest-tenured coach in school history has a 66-59 record, including four bowl victories and two 10-wins seasons.