'We give Devin time, you gonna be able to see him shine': Kentucky's offensive line has one big goal

Kentucky finished last season ranked No. 112 in tackles for loss allowed and No. 126 in sacks allowed. A leaky offensive line was a top reason why Kentucky slipped to No. 92 in success rate and No. 95 in points per drive. Drastic improvement is needed.

To help fix the offensive issues, head coach Mark Stoops convinced offensive coordinator Liam Coen to return to Kentucky and landed top-10 transfer Devin Leary to play quarterback for the Wildcats. The top goal for the program entering the season is to fix the blocking issues that plagued the offense last season.

“I think we’re getting there. Extremely difficult to tell after two practices with no pads on. But the group, I think we evaluated and identified some players in the portal that would help us out from a depth standpoint. We lost a few but do feel good about the guys that did come in,” Coen told the media on Friday morning. “Simplifying some of the protection schemes. Simplifying some of the run schemes. So that we can get really good at the things we want to major in. And then we can just have some wrinkles off of those protections or run plays to have some good things for game planning.”

“Just giving them a better chance.”

Two of the transfers that Kentucky brought in were at premium positions. The Wildcats have two huge holes to fill at tackle. Northern Illinois transfer Marques Cox arrived on campus in January and quickly seized the starting left position. USC transfer Courtland Ford arrived this summer and is now competing for the starting right tackle position. Both agree that there is one ultimate goal for this offensive line.

Protect the asset.

“The main goal is to keep Devin clean. Whatever it takes to be able to keep him clean,” Ford told KSR at Kentucky media day. “If it’s like going out building brotherhood, chemistry within the o-line group we’re going to do that.”

“We give Devin time, you gonna be able to see him shine. And it rhymes. That is literally the main goal — pass protection. Keep him off the ground, keep him clean, untouched, clean jersey.”

After a strong spring, Cox is starting to generate some NFL Draft buzz. The MAC transfer has a chance to be one of the better left tackles in the SEC this season. Despite the positivity and hype surrounding his move to Kentucky, Cox has one goal and that is to keep No. 13 safe in the pocket.

“Make sure Devin’s safe, make sure Devin’s clean. If he’s clean, then I don’t have to worry about none of that draft stock stuff,” Cox said.

Kentucky’s offensive line has a clear goal. Keeping Devin Leary healthy and in clean pockets is what will allow this offense to reach its potential and the team to reach its ceiling in 2023.