Scholarship Tally: Kentucky has wiggle room after Early Signing Period

December was a madhouse in college football. Bowl selection, official visits, transfer portal, early signing period, and bowl practices all had to take place in three weeks. But most of that work is done now.

The Kentucky football program will meet in Nashville this week as on-site preparations begin for the Music City Bowl. There is still the original signing day in February and some more work to do in the transfer portal before the first window closes on Jan. 18, but for the most part, the hay is in the barn.

The Wildcats have one more game to play before officially closing the book on the 2022 season, but this feels like a good time to look ahead at some of the scholarship numbers for Mark Stoops and his football organization. After officially adding 23 new players to the roster on Dec. 21 but losing 10 scholarship players to the transfer portal, Kentucky will enter January with some wiggle room.

Let’s check out how Kentucky is spending its scholarship capital.

Offense has checked needs

As of right now, KSR has the offense at 39 scholarships. For this exercise, we are assuming that Kenneth Horsey, Ramon Jefferson, and Tayvion Robinson are all using their final season of eligibility as there has been some talk of that but no confirmation. Former Iowa transfer Deuce Hogan is also listed. The former four-star recruit was added as a walk-on, but the assumption is that a scholarship was earned since Hogan spent part of 2022 as the primary backup.

As always, things are subject to change. Now let’s get to the breakdown.

— QB (4): Devin Leary (Super), Deuce Hogan (RJr.), Kaiya Sheron (RSo.), Destin Wade (RFr.)

— RB (4): Ramon Jefferson (Super), Ray Davis (RSr.), JuTahn McClain (Sr.), La’Vell Wright (RSo.)

— WR (9): Tayvion Robinson (Super), Dekel Crowdus (RSo.), Barion Brown (So.), Dane Key (So.), Jordan Anthony (RFr.), Brandon White (RFr.), Ardell Banks (Fr.), Anthony Brown (Fr.), Shamar Porter (Fr.)

— TE (7): Izayah Cummings (Sr.), Dee Beckwith (RJr.), Jordan Dingle (RSo.), Josh Kattus (So.), Khamari Anderson (Fr.), Jakob Dixon (Fr.), Tanner Lemaster (Fr.)

— iOL (8): Kenneth Horsey (Super), Tanner Bowles (RSr.), Eli Cox (RSr.), Jager Burton (RSo.), Paul Rodriguez (RSo.), Grant Bingham (RFr.), Koby Keenum (Fr.), Austin Ramsey (Fr.)

— T (7): Marques Cox (Super), Jeremy Flax (RSr.), Deondre Buford (RJr.), Josh Jones (RJr.), David Wohlabaugh Jr. (RSo.), Nikolas Hall (RFr.), Malachi Wood (Fr.)

Kentucky has addressed quarterback, tailback, and left tackle in a big way. Marques Cox, Ray Davis, and Devin Leary will all play significant snaps for this offense in 2023. Digging deeper, Kentucky still has major questions at tackle despite a lot of numbers, and the offense is very young at wideout.

Tailback needs more depth and a younger player to balance out the depth chart. The offense also could use an addition at right tackle to create a competitive camp battle between Jeremy Flax and Deondre Buford. There is still work to be done, but this unit is in good shape right now.

As always, things can change if some of the expected super seniors decide to move on.

Defense has balance

Entering the final week of December, KSR has the Kentucky defense also at 40 scholarships. The Wildcats went into the transfer portal to address the secondary while a lot of young contributors will become upperclassmen in the front seven.

Let’s dive in.

— DL (11): Josaih Hayes (Sr.), Justin Rogers (Sr.), Sam Anaele (RJr.), Darrion Henry-Young (RJr.), Octavious Oxendine (RJr.), Tre’vonn Rybka (RJr.), Jamarius Dinkins (RSo.), Kahlil Saunders (RSo.), Deone Walker (So.), Tomiwa Durojaiye (RFr.), Tavion Gadson (Fr.)

— EDGE (6): J.J. Weaver (RSr.), Keaten Wade (So.), Tyreese Fearbry (RFr.), Noah Matthews (RFr.), Grant Godfrey (Fr.), Tommy Ziesmer (Fr.)

— LB (5): Luke Fulton (RSr.), D’Eryk Jackson (RJr.), Martez Thrower (Jr.), Trevin Wallace (Jr.), Jayvant Brown (Fr.)

— CB (9): Andru Phillips (RJr.), Jantzen Dunn (RSo.), Maxwell Hairston (RSo.), Jordan Robinson (RSo.), JQ Hardaway (So.), Elijah Reed (RFr.), Andre Stewart (RFr.), Nasir Addison (Fr.), Avery Stuart (Fr.)

— S (9) Taj Dodson (RSr.), Jalen Geiger (RSr.), Zion Childress (Sr.), Vito Tisdale (RJr.), Jordan Lovett (RSo.), Alex Afari (So.), Kobi Albert (So.), Jaremiah Anglin (Fr.), Ty Bryant (Fr.)

Kentucky appears to be in good shape right now. We’re still awaiting the final word from J.J. Weaver, but all signs seem to point to him returning for year five. The Wildcats are unproven at cornerback but have spent a lot of scholarship capital on the position in the last two recruiting cycles.

Depth at off-ball linebacker will be a worry as Luke Fulton and Martez Thrower have yet to play big snaps in their careers. Meanwhile, the defensive line remains in great shape.

The coaching staff can be very choosy in the transfer portal with potential prospects.

Does Kentucky address kicker or punter?

New special teams coach Jay Boulware is on campus working for Kentucky. The long-time college assistant at Auburn, Oklahoma, and Texas is currently in the process of evaluating the specialists on the roster. Assuming Chance Poore returns for one more year, the Cats currently have three.

— Specialists (3): Chance Poore (Super), Wilson Berry (RSo.), Jackson Smith (RFr.)

The biggest order of business for Kentucky will be to figure out if the program needs to spend a scholarship on a transfer punter or kicker.

Kentucky has 82 scholarships accounted for

As we stand right now, Kentucky has three unused scholarships to spend to reach the 85 mark. However, things can change quickly.

Some more players could decide to leave the program after the bowl game or following spring practice. The Wildcats will continue to be active shoppers in the transfer portal and will try to close on a few high school seniors for the late signing period.

The program has given itself some room to adjust while also doing a good job of addressing major needs early on in the roster-building process.