Kentucky a team to watch in the SEC, says Roman Harper -- wait, what?!

Let’s go back in time, almost one year ago. Kentucky was 1-0, ranked No. 20 in the country, and getting ready to go to the Swamp to play the No. 12 Florida Gators. The Tuesday prior to the game, Roman Harper made a bold prediction on The Paul Finebaum Show that drew the ire of the Big Blue Nation. Not only did he call for Florida to beat Kentucky “handily,” he called Kentucky’s offensive line “soft.”

“Tell Coach Stoops I said it to motivate them. ‘Coach, y’all did not push anybody around. You were a little soft up front last week.’ That is not what I’m used to seeing out of a Kentucky offensive line.”

As you recall, Florida did not beat Kentucky handily. In fact, the Wildcats won 26-16, with Mark Stoops yelling “Who’s soft now!” to his team in the locker room at Ben Griffin Stadium. Clearly, Harper’s comments did motivate the Cats, and for that, we thank him.

Flash forward to the present. Kentucky finished last season 7-6, and if we’re honest, Harper’s comments about the offensive line hit a little differently. The Big Blue Wall struggled mightily last year, a topic that’s been covered ad nauseam on this here website. It’s a new year and the coaching staff brought in five transfers to transform the offensive line. It’s very early, but reviews thus far in fall camp have been promising.

Plus, the Wildcats have another significant transfer, quarterback Devin Leary. The former NC State star is just one reason Harper is changing his tune about Kentucky. On The Paul Finebaum Show this afternoon, Harper said Kentucky is a team to watch in the SEC this season, along with Mississippi State.

“I think Kentucky could actually be better than what we anticipate just because Devin Leary at quarterback — is it really, is he that injury prone or was NC State kind of cursed? They could be cursed.”

The other reason Harper is suddenly high on the Cats is their schedule. After opening the season vs. Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, and Akron, the Cats travel to Vanderbilt and return home to host Florida. In October, Kentucky travels to Georgia and hosts Missouri and Tennessee. The month of November starts with a road trip to Starkville to play Mississippi State, a home game vs. Alabama, and back-to-back away games vs. South Carolina and Louisville. October and November may sound daunting to most, but not Harper.

“Their schedule plays out really well for them,” he said.

“That’s a ridiculous schedule to me,” Finebaum interjected.

“It’s not that ridiculous at all when you look at all the other teams. They’re better than Florida this year. They’ve got to go to Georgia.”

“Really, for five games, they should coast,” Finebaum said.

“You’d think that, right? You would think that. And then you’ve got Tennessee at home. At Mississippi State is probably tough. But you’ve got Alabama at home. And at South Carolina, at Louisville.”

Paul: “I know people who think that Kentucky can beat Alabama at home.”

I do too, although I’m not quite there yet. Regardless, what a heel turn by Harper, right? Do we let him back on the Big Blue bandwagon? Or worry that he wants to join?

The two teams @harp41 wants you to look out for this season: @UKFootball & @HailStateFB 📈 pic.twitter.com/GCUHRxo6i9

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) August 11, 2023

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