With 10 starters returning, coach Mark Stoops counting on Wildcat defense to deliver this season

By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops is counting on his team’s experienced defense heavily this season with 10 starters returning from last year.

The Wildcats have experience at multiple positions on defense, including linebackers Jamon Dumas-Johnson and D-Eryk Jackson, both of whom have been named to the Butkus Award Watch List. Cornerback Maxwell Hairston and defensive tackle Deone Walker are on the preseason Chuck Bednarik Watch List. Outside linebacker J.J. Weaver also returns this season.

Despite a solid nucleus of returnees, Stoops wants the Wildcats to improve in a variety of areas and spend less time on the field.

“We want to continue to get off the field. We did a decent job at times, but we have to get better at third down and executing and get some more three and outs, get off the field. I’d like to see the offense have more possession more plays,” Stoops said. “We’ve talked about that with the tempo and the offense, but that goes hand‑in‑hand. The defense needs to play well and get off the field. When we have opportunities get off the field we have to do that.”

Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White agreed and wants his unit to fare better on third-down situations than they did last season.

“When you look back and you self‑scout yourself, look at what you need to do better obviously, third‑down defense and, specifically, with the backend of the season, third-and-long situations, especially extra-long, was an area that, historically, if you look we have been really good, and we were not,” he said. ”Not anywhere close to the standard that we need to be at and it cost us. When you give up third‑downs, you extend drives and extended drives leads to points, it leads to less opportunities for the offense. So obviously, that is going to be a primary focus. Again, the year before 2022, was, sort of, our best year ever in third‑down defense, and there is a correlation to how well we played as a defense. We need to get back there.”

Stoops added the Wildcats were “disruptive” on defense last season, but wants them to create more negative plays.

“I think we were disruptive last year. I liked that,” Stoops said. ”I liked the fact that we created negative yardage plays. We had more sacks, we are getting some pressure, but we want to continue to build on that. You want to continue to be able to when you want to rush forward and get great pressure.

“Some of the best defenses we’ve had here it was a predictable pass, you know, rushing forward and getting coverage and mixing up the coverage and getting good pressure.”

In a preseason scrimmage last week, Stoops was pleased with his team’s ability to defend the run and the team’s overall pass rush on defense.

“The older guys, frontline guys, have seen a lot of football played, a lot of football, are very physical and did a good job with pass rush,” Stoops said.

Stoops added that Weaver, a fifth-year senior, played well during the scrimmage.

“I’ve seen him working really hard. He showed up (in the scrimmage),” Stoops said. “I think you’re going to see a guy that plays with the consistency that you would expect from a guy that’s been around for a while and has the talent that he has. I like what I’m seeing there.”

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