Takeo Spikes picks Kentucky to finish second in SEC East

Add former Auburn star and NFL Pro Bowler Takeo Spikes to the growing number of people that believe Kentucky will finish second in the SEC East to Georgia. Spikes, now a college football analyst for the SEC Network, made the prediction during a recent episode of “SEC Now,” citing the return of Liam Coen and the addition of NC State transfer Devin Leary as the primary factors the Cats will finish ahead of teams like Tennessee, Florida, and South Carolina.

“I see a team that has the potential to finish not No. 1 in the [SEC] East but No. 2,” Spikes said of Kentucky. “And the reason why I say that is because of Liam Coen. He’s coming back, the outstanding offensive coordinator that was there two years ago, and he also has Devin Leary.

“Devin Leary is a proven product coming out of North Carolina State and this guy knows how to spin it. He’s a proven leader and the thing I really appreciate about his game is he knows where he’s going with the ball before he even takes the snap at the line of scrimmage; I really like that.”

Leary will have plenty of weapons at his disposal. Spikes mentioned running back Ray Davis and wide receivers Dane Key and Barion Brown by name, but veteran wideout Tayvion Robinson also returns and the Cats have a loaded tight end room, including Jordan Dingle, who returned to practice this week.

“You’ve got Ray Davis, the transfer, came over from Vanderbilt,” Spikes said. “Also, the sensational sophomores Dane Key and Barion Brown. I really like this team coming in as second in the SEC East.”

Now, if the offensive line protects Leary, we’ll be in business. Fittingly, the SEC paired this clip with Kentucky’s mic’d up segment with Northern Illinois offensive line transfer Marques Cox.

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Kentucky Football buzz building on social media

Spikes’ comments come at a time when the Kentucky Football program is picking up steam with talking heads. Not only did Tim Brando also call for the Cats to finish second in the SEC East a few weeks ago, social media has been filled with praise for Mark Stoops’ squad in recent days. Nick Roush rounded up some of those takes for you this morning. I especially liked this line from Josh Pate, which led to Tennessee fans getting BIG mad in his mentions the rest of the day.

“Some of the best intel I’m hearing from any camp is coming out of Kentucky,” Pate wrote. “They’ll be a problem.”

One brave KSR+ member shared that quote on Reddit and received the same treatment from Vol Nation. Feel free to peruse those if you like. Or, just watch some highlights from Kentucky’s open practice earlier this month.

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