Stoops: "You might see a little bit of Jager this weekend."

The Big Blue Wall is banged up inside with ESPN Midseason All-American Eli Cox likely out for the year with an injury suffered in the Tennessee game. An SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week earlier this season, Cox handed over his right guard duties to Austin Dotson and Quintin Wilson in the Vanderbilt game this past Saturday.

“They filled in and did a good job,” Stoops said of the reserve guards’ play down in Nashville. However, “Q is a little bit banged up now and Austin has been fighting through an injury as well,” Stoops announced on his Monday night call-in show, alluding to lingering injuries to both Dotson and Wilson.

If they’re unable to play this coming Saturday, Stoops will call up one of the Wall’s youngest building blocks: freshman Jager Burton out Fredrick Douglass High School in Lexington, Kentucky. It will be Burton’s first time on the field since a brief appearance in the season opener against ULM.

“I’m excited,” Stoops admitted. “You might see a little bit of Jager this weekend. I hope we do.

“Obviously, I hope Austin’s healthy and Q can play because I love those guys and they give us everything they have. But I would also like to see this young guy get a good opportunity to play with the older guys.”

Burton signed with Kentucky as one of the Class of 2021’s top offensive guards, a four-star prospect, and the No. 1 ranked player in Kentucky. He earned a share of the state’s Mr. Football award and became the first player from Lexington and the first offensive lineman to win the award since its inception.

In January 2021 he enrolled early at the University of Kentucky to get a jump on his college career. The headstart helped him add 35 pounds from his first day on campus until the start of preseason camp in August.

“Getting in here early, I had the chance to get to know the strength staff and really put on some weight,” Burton said after jumping from 270 to 305 in under eight months. “I’m really glad I came early and got that opportunity.”

By the sound of Stoops’ comments, Burton’s next big opportunity will be this coming Saturday when he will presumably be asked to move some weight around against New Mexico State.

And whatever is bothering Dotson and Wilson, let’s hope it’s a quick fix in time for the Louisville game.