Spring Briefing: Kentucky Adds Experience to Rebuilt Offensive Line

From age 5 to 75, if you asked a Kentucky football fan what the team needed to fix this offseason, the first response would be the offensive line.

The Big Blue Wall gave Mark Stoops’ Kentucky football program a clear identity and that has been absent in recent years. Brock Vandagriff took enough hits to retire from football a year early. Jamarion Wilcox only had 590 yards rushing in 2024, the fewest by a Kentucky leading rusher since Boom Williams had 486 as a true freshman in 2014.

At Kentucky, “Big Men lead the way.” That might explain why the Wildcats were 4-8. Many fans wanted that performance to result in Eric Wolford’s termination. Mark Stoops brought Wolf back to bring in quality players and that’s exactly what he did during free agency, signing five transfer portal players to the offensive line. Let’s take a closer look at the new guys who are bringing plenty of experience from the lower ranks to Lexington.

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The Offensive Line Room

RT Alex Wollschlaeger (6-7, 310, Super Senior)

Alex Wollschlaeger fits Kentucky’s “recruit and develop” mantra. An undersized offensive tackle, he put in the work throughout his time at Bowling Green, steadily improving during each of his three years as a starter, eventually earning First-Team All-MAC honors as the Falcons’ team captain. He uses his size to get downhill in the run game where he plays through the whistle.

LT Shiyazh Pete (6-8, 321, Senior)

Like many of the other additions to the offensive line, Pete was an all-conference performer at the G5 level. He was a First-Team All-C-USA left tackle for New Mexico State during the 2023 season. A three-year starter in Las Cruces, an injury sidelined him until week eight of the 2024 season. He has shown great movement on tape.

OG Joshua Braun (6-6, 342, Super Senior)

Braun was a four-star recruit when he signed to play with Florida, but he did not get to show that off until he transferred to Arkansas. In 2023, he earned Second-Team All-SEC honors while playing right guard for the Razorbacks. He switched to left guard for the 2024 season. He has one year of eligibility remaining after starting in 31 games.

C Evan Wibberley (6-5, 301, Junior)

A Kentucky native who played high school football at Dixie Heights, Wibberley became the starting center for WKU during his redshirt sophomore season. Last fall, he allowed only 11 QB pressures and zero sacks while logging nearly 900 snaps, earning All-C-USA Honorable Mention honors.

OL Wallace Unamba (6-6, 335, Redshirt Senior)

The Texas native has played multiple positions at multiple levels of college football. He started his career at the JUCO ranks, then bounced around to FIU and New Mexico before landing at Kentucky. Unamba can play guard but spent the last season playing right tackle for the Lobos. He had six penalties last fall, but the positional versatility makes him an important part of this offensive line.

OG Jalen Farmer (6-5, 317, Redshirt Junior)

Farmer was recruited by Eric Wolford during the coach’s first stint in Lexington. He ultimately landed at Florida where he spent two years before transferring to Kentucky to play for Wolford. He started in all 12 games at right guard for the Cats in 2024 and only allowed one sack all season.

OG Jager Burton (6-4, 322, Redshirt Senior)

The dwindling numbers in the offensive line room forced the former Blue Chip prospect from Frederick Douglass to start in 13 games as a redshirt freshman. That was a year ahead of schedule, which was not ideal for his growth. Those problems were exacerbated by multiple changes in his position coach. Nobody in this room has more experience at Kentucky than Burton with 34 career starts.

OT Malachi Wood (6-8, 326, Redshirt Sophomore)

The Madison Central product brought ideal height and length to the offensive tackle position but needed to put on good weight during his redshirt campaign. He did things the right way, which earned him significant playing time as a redshirt freshman. He was an SEC All-Freshman selection after starting in the final five games at right tackle. There’s still a lot of room for growth, which is why he’s expected to be a reserve, swing tackle this fall.

Top Storyline: How Quickly Can This Experienced Group Gel?

The offensive line relies on no other position group to be successful, but every other group needs the offensive line to play well to be successful. That applies to every single position on the offensive line. It doesn’t matter if the right tackle has an outstanding pass pro rep if the left guard and tackle miscommunicate and allow a free-runner to the quarterback.

The individuals, especially the newcomers, have exceptional personal resumes, but none of it matters if they cannot quickly learn how to play together. That chemistry will be cultivated throughout spring practice.

What this group has on its side is quality experience. The maturity of the individuals should expedite this important process, even though it will not be evident right away.

What to Watch: Logjam at Guard

Pete and Wollschlaeger will be the tackles. Wibberley will be the center. The big question is at guard. Josh Braun didn’t leave another SEC school to be a backup. What will happen at the other guard spot? Burton, Unamba, and Farmer have all logged a ton of career starts. Are they willing to take a backseat? Spring practice should determine the pecking order and it may lead to a departure during the next transfer portal window.

Prediction: Kentucky will be better, but can’t win by relying on Offensive Line Play

The hottest take I have about this position group is actually rather mild. The Kentucky offensive line will be pretty good. That’s it. That’s the take.

When the Big Blue Wall was the Big Blue Wall, they had multiple all-conference selections opening rushing lanes for 1,000-yard backs. That’s not in the forecast for this group. They should be good enough to keep Zach Calzada off his back and to move the sticks in short-yardage situations, but Kentucky can’t rely on offensive line play alone to win SEC football games. The defensive lines in this league are just too good.

Hopefully, Kentucky gets out of playing consistently in condensed formations to alleviate some pressure from this group. The offensive line should no longer be a liability, but if you expect them to be Bush Hamdan’s greatest asset, you’re probably asking too much.