Kentucky 'Under the Radar' Freshmen Impressing at Practice

Late in the Kentucky football season, work in practice gets much lighter for the starters. Adding extra wear and tear to the players’ bodies after 10 weeks doesn’t make much sense. Mental reps are prioritized, while the underclassmen get more reps.

The coaching staff is getting a better idea of what the youngest Wildcats are bringing to the table. During Tuesday night’s call-in show, Liam Coen shared which underclassmen he has high expectations for in the waning months of the season.

“Malachi Wood has really done a nice job,” said the Kentucky offensive coordinator. “He’s transformed his body over the last year in the weight room. He’s dedicated himself to this program and he’s gotten better and better over the last couple of weeks, especially most recently.”

Wood was one of the lowest-ranked additions to the 2023 Kentucky football recruiting class, but the left tackle has done what he needed to do this fall: gain good weight. He always had the height and length to play the position, but many wondered if he could fill in that frame to withstand the physicality in the trenches. The Madison Central product has made the most of his redshirt season and that’s promising for a position that needs reinforcements.

Coen also likes the potential Khamari Anderson, an Under Armour All-American last year from Detroit, brings to the tight end room.

“He was playing for us early on at tight end in a crowded room, who then got hurt recently who was coming on as well, that we have a lot of promise for,” said Coen.

Anderson recently suffered an injury while participating in special teams. The highest-ranked player in the most recent recruiting class, Shamar Porter, hasn’t seen the field much at all this year. Last night we learned it’s because he suffered an ankle injury in preseason practice that put him behind the 8-ball.

“Shamar Porter is going to be a guy down the road that can help us win football games, whether that’s over the next couple of weeks or going into bowl prep or going into the offseason,” Coen said.

“We’re young but we’ve got experience right now. So there’s not probably a ton of true freshmen or young guys that will emerge over the next couple of weeks. But there are guys that you’re looking forward to coming on once we get into that bowl prep and when you get into the offseason, that can help you move forward.”

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