Return of Jordan Wright will have ripple effect on Kentucky's defense

On Sunday, redshirt senior Jordan Wright made it official. The South Florida product will be returning in 2022 to take one more ride with the Kentucky Wildcats.

Judging by the reaction of Vince Marrow and defensive coordinator Brad White on Twitter, this decision is one of major significance for the Kentucky football program.

There are still some more draft decisions to be made, and Kentucky is still doing some transfer portal recruiting, but getting Jordan Wright back into the lineup was significant.

One-two punch

Entering the 2021 season, Kentucky had a starting lineup on defense littered with seniors. Marquan McCall, Josh Paschal, DeAndre Square, Tyrell Ajian, and Yusuf Corker were some main names of note as the Wildcats looked to have a breakthrough season.

On the edge, the Wildcats had a pair of explosive players who could each potentially turn into game-breakers.

Unfortunately, Kentucky did not have a healthy J.J. Weaver and Jordan Wright together for most of the season.

Weaver tore his ACL last November and was brought along slowly throughout the offseason. Wright suffered an ankle injury against Missouri and dealt with the lingering effects all season.

As Weaver had some moments, Wright had to miss a lot of time as the redshirt senior missed three games in November and another game in September. Wright returned to form at the Citrus Bowl, but Weaver was unable to participate due to COVID-19.

Now Kentucky will enter the 2022 season with both players ready to contribute and be havoc creators for Brad White’s defense. Over the last two seasons, the duo has combined to collect 11 sacks, 15 non-sack tackles for loss, 11 interceptions/pass breakups, and four forced fumbles.

Next-play mentality = Jordan Wright #Pick6.#BetweenTheLines x @JayyDubb15 pic.twitter.com/jbGVwGP0PS

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) March 8, 2021

Now the duo can team up for more disruption plays in 2022.

Get old, stay old

Recruiting is the lifeblood of any college football program. Teams must get good players on signing day for wins to follow on Saturday. However, just because young players are highly ranked doesn’t mean coaching staffs should expect them to play right away.

Jordan Wright assures Kentucky that won’t be the case at outside linebacker in 2022.

Signees Tyreese Fearbry and Keaten Wade were both top-250 prospects in the class of 2022. The duo will assure that the Wildcats have a bright future on the edge.

Now Kentucky can bring them on slowly in their first year on campus as Weaver and Wright take the lion’s share of snaps in 2022.

Defensive front will help fix the pass defense

Kentucky did not get stellar cornerback play this past season. Carrington Valentine is set to return but both Cedrick Dort Jr. and Quandre Mosely have moved on from the program.

The Wildcats missed out on some targets on the recruiting trail and are likely still looking for transfer help at both cornerback and safety. However, there is an alternate way to fix these issues.

Simply, Kentucky could improve the pass rush.

The return of Jordan Wright will give White more play-calling flexibility and a proven pass rusher/zone defender to use in a variety of ways when it comes time to heat up on opposing quarterbacks.

The pieces are starting to align for the Kentucky defense in 2022. Jordan Wright will play a critical role for the unit next fall.