What to expect from Kentucky football at SEC Media Days: More Texas A&M talk, QB questions

By the time Mark Stoops and three Kentucky football players make their appearance at SEC Media Days in Dallas on Thursday the event will be winding down.

Kentucky shares the last session of the four-day showcase with Texas A&M. While many of the reporters attending the event may have left by the time Stoops takes the podium, there will still be plenty of intrigue for the Wildcats.

Here is a look at three questions facing Stoops and company in Dallas.

What is Stoops’ mindset after interviewing for the Texas A&M job?

The SEC did not do Stoops any favor by scheduling Kentucky and Texas A&M for the same day. With local Texas media still likely to be in Dallas for the Aggies appearance Thursday morning, Stoops will surely be asked multiple times about appearing to be on the verge of moving to Texas A&M in November.

After multiple reports from College Station surfaced that the Aggies were going to offer Stoops the job, a vocal portion of the Texas A&M fan base voiced its displeasure with the potential hire online. Regardless of whether Stoops pulled out of the search after that response or Texas A&M administrators decided not to offer him the job, in the wee hours of Nov. 26 Stoops tweeted he was staying at Kentucky .

Stoops has denied he was ever on the verge of leaving UK, but he used the busy December calendar to his advantage by addressing the reports on his final weekly radio show then not holding a news conference until after the focus had shifted to UK’s bowl matchup with Clemson and the transfer portal. Now, Stoops will have to revisit his version of the Texas A&M saga.

While many of those questions will come from Texas media writing about the juxtaposition of Stoops and new Aggies coach Mike Elko attending SEC Media Days at the same time, there are still lingering questions about the events that could affect Kentucky’s future. Did Stoops consider leaving UK because he fears the program has hit its peak? Now that he is back, what is his plan to keep the Wildcats relevant in an expanded SEC without divisions?

What is the injury situation on Kentucky’s defensive line?

UK’s defensive line was so thin by the end of spring practice that a walk-on offensive linemen saw significant snaps at the position during the abbreviated spring game. Stoops expressed optimism after that game that most of the players injured or rehabbing from offseason surgery would be back in time for the start of the 2024 season, but we now know at least one lineman (nose guard Josaih Hayes) is expected to miss a large portion, if not all, of the season.

The loss of Hayes deals a blow to the depth at nose guard , especially considering starter Keeshawn Silver was also unavailable in spring practice. Will Silver be ready for the start of the season? Are any of the younger defensive linemen ready to contribute at the position?

Kentucky received a commitment from junior college transfer Dennious Jackson this month to help boost depth at nose guard, but considering UK was his only FBS offer it would be dangerous to count on him being a difference-maker right away. The best solution might be to play Deone Walker at nose with Octavious Oxendine and Tre’vonn Rybka alongside him on the defensive line.

Walker, one of three players representing UK in Dallas, will have the chance to address that possibility Thursday.

How have Brock Vandagriff and the offense progressed since spring practice?

Kentucky is one of just five of the 16 SEC teams that elected not to bring its quarterback to Dallas. That was the same decision Stoops made a year ago when Devin Leary did not represent UK at the event despite being ranked as the top transfer quarterback in the portal when he committed to the Wildcats.

Two SEC teams (Arkansas and Mississippi State) did choose to bring an incoming transfer quarterback this week, but Kentucky instead brought three returning players likely to be named captains. While Georgia quarterback transfer Brock Vandagriff will not be in Dallas, there will still be plenty of questions about him and UK’s new offense.

There were moments during UK’s spring practice when the offense struggled with presnap communication as it transitions to a no-huddle attack under new coordinator Bush Hamdan , but the unit was able to operate without issue in the abbreviated spring game. We will not get a full progress report on the adjustment to the new scheme until camp starts, but the hope is Vandagriff has spent the summer helping bring his teammates up to speed.

It is difficult to imagine a special season for Kentucky without Vandagriff living up to his high school recruiting hype, but he is still a relative unknown entering his fourth season of college football. UK added Rutgers transfer Gavin Wimsatt to at least provide depth behind Vandagriff, but it will be interesting to hear if Stoops is approaching camp as an open quarterback competition.

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