RJ Young
FOX Sports National College Football Analyst
Kentucky Wildcats Ranking: 28/134
[Check out RJ Young’s ultimate 134 college football rankings here]
Conference ranking: 10th in SEC (+10000 to win conference)
Teams ahead of them: Wisconsin (27), Miami (26), Iowa State (25), Iowa (24), Arizona (23)
Teams behind them: Arkansas (29), North Carolina State (30), Nebraska (31), SMU (32), Maryland (33)
[Kentucky 2024 schedule]
RJ’s take: Start with this: Mark Stoops has put the Wildcats into eight straight bowl games. If they make a ninth straight postseason appearance, defensive lineman Deone Walker will likely have quite a bit to do with it.
Walker, who was named a team captain as a sophomore, enters 2024 with a chance to end the year as a bona fide first-round NFL Draft selection. At 6-foot-6, 348 pounds, he led the team in tackles for loss (12.5) and sacks (7.5) in 2023. Teams won’t double-team him as often, with former Georgia linebacker and two-time national champion Jamon Dumas-Johnson joining UK through the portal.
The jewel in Stoops’ 2024 transfer class has to be former five-star and UGA backup Brock Vandagriff, who could be the Wildcats’ most talented quarterback since Tim Couch, still the only 4,000-yard passer in UK history.
Maxwell Hairston was an “All-Slept-On” player in 2023, recording 68 tackles, five picks, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble from his cornerback position.
And then there’s Barion Brown, who can flat out fly with the ball in his hands. He not only led Kentucky with 43 catches for 539 yards last season, but also returned three kickoffs for TDs and led the nation in return yards per kick at a whopping 36 yards on average.
Kentucky Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-115) Under 6.5 (-105)
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