Making Sense of Eric Wolford's Shocking Return to Kentucky

Just when you thought the Kentucky football offseason couldn’t get any more dramatic, Mark Stoops made the most shocking move of his 12-year tenure. Eric Wolford is reportedly returning to Lexington to coach the Kentucky offensive line. This is a significant move for more than one reason. Allow me to try to make sense of it all.

No One Believed a Wolford Return Could Happen

Even though this is the second straight offseason that Stoops has brought back an offensive assistant from the 2021 coaching staff, it seemed nonsensical at best when Caveman Calipari teased Wolford’s return on KSBoard.

When Liam Coen left, Mark Stoops and the rest of the Wildcats understood why. The Rams just won a Super Bowl and he had a chance to be their offensive coordinator. Stoops and Eddie Gran both knew it was time to part ways and hit the reset button offensively. The head coach begrudgingly made the move, then welcomed him back a few months later in an off-the-field role.

On Feb. 2, 2022, Eric Wolford was persona non grata in Lexington. While in the middle of a recruiting trip, he accepted a coaching position with Nick Saban. Anybody and everybody in that coaching staff was eager to share how unhappy they were with Wolford’s decision, and that is putting it mildly. Dirty laundry was aired over the following weeks until Liam Coen found Zach Yenser as the next offensive line coach.

Ironically enough, the recruit Wolford was visiting has now transferred to Kentucky, Jalen Farmer. Time is a flat circle.

What Wolford Brings (Back) to Kentucky

First and foremost, the Kentucky recruiting department just received a significant upgrade. Wolford played a role in landing some of the biggest fish in Kentucky’s lauded 2022 recruiting class, most notably Deone Walker. The Youngstown native has ties to every corner of the country, including the Central Tennessee region left vacant following the departure of Scott Woodward.

Wolford was in charge when Kentucky fielded its best offensive line in decades. The Joe Moore Award finalists paved the way for one of the best rushing seasons in school history. Darian Kinnard became Kentucky’s first Consensus All-American at offensive tackle since 1965 and Luke Fortner changed positions to center, a transition that has made him a two-year starter in the NFL. How much credit do the players get vs. the coach? You be the judge.

During his two-year tenure at Alabama, the offensive line play was a point of contention among fans. The Crimson Tide improved throughout his second season, but most of that goodwill was erased thanks to snapping issues against Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

What happens to Zach Yenser?

The Kentucky offensive line Yenser inherited became the worst of the Stoops era. Will Levis was sacked more than any other Power Five quarterback and the once high-powered rushing attack ranked No. 107 nationally. It was bad.

The Big Blue Wall took a step forward in 2023. Much of that success can be attributed to the addition of Marques Cox to left tackle, but also the dramatic improvement of Jeremy Flax. Kentucky allowed the third-fewest sacks in the SEC and ranked in the top 25 nationally in yards per carry.

The improvements by Yenser’s unit were enough to receive a one-year contract extension through the 2024 season, albeit without a raise. Kentucky will owe him the remaining $650,000 in unpaid salary.

This is Unbelievable

The more words I type aren’t making this situation any more palatable. Yenser was seen by many as a weak link on the coaching staff, particularly as a recruiter, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine they would let him go to bring back Eric Wolford.

Coach Wolf is a Youngstown guy, through and through. Maybe they let bygones be bygones after slugging it out the old-fashioned way? We’ll never know exactly how the two sides reconciled their differences.

What is clear is that Wolford is Mark Stoops’ prodigal son. For the Big Blue Nation’s sake, hopefully this act of forgiveness leads to a feast in the trenches during the 2024 season.

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