Kentucky’s fall camp is right around the corner. Before the Cats officially begin the 2024 season, KSR is taking a closer look at the roster and analyzing each position group. Personnel, storylines, questions, and one bold prediction will be included.

Now we wrap up the offense by taking a look at what Kentucky has in the trenches. The floor should be very high for this group in 2024.

Position Preview: Quarterback | Flipped QB room has unknown ceiling but should provide safe floor for offense (KSR+ column)

Postion Preview: Running Back | Kentucky has earned benefit of the doubt at tailback but there is much to prove (KSR+ column)

Position Preview: Wide Receiver | Wide receiver play will determine Kentucky’s offensive ceiling (KSR+ column)

Position Preview: Tight End

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Expected Starters

Marques Cox (6-5, 318, Super)

The former Northern Illinois transfer is back for year two at Kentucky and is now in his seventh season of college football. Cox has 46 career starts, 3,009 career snaps, and was quietly one of the best players on this offense last season. The veteran has a great shot at becoming a Day 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and will fill a priority position for Kentucky this fall.

Jager Burton (6-4, 316, RJr.)

The former top-150 recruit has made 25 consecutive starts entering year four but has not lived up to his recruiting ranking yet. Burton is back at guard full-time after playing center at the beginning of last year and needs to add more play strength. The Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass product will need to hold off some competition during fall camp.

Eli Cox (6-4, 309, Super)

The Nicholasville (Ky.) West Jessamine product is now in year six at Kentucky and is entering his fourth season in the starting lineup. Cox has played over 2,000 career snaps and gives Eric Wolford a dependable veteran in the pivot.

Jalen Farmer (6-5, 314, RSo.)

Both guard spots are up for grabs, but the Florida transfer appears to have the inside track at right guard. Farmer was recruited heavily by Wolford at both Kentucky and Alabama. The Covington (Ga.) Eastside product has three years of eligibility remaining and projects to give the offense some downhill power in the run game.

Gerald Mincey (6-4, 335, RSr.)

The class of 2020 recruit started 13 games for Tennessee over the last two seasons spending time at both tackle spots. Mincey gives the offense another physical downhill mauler in the run game with over 1,000 career snaps played. The South Florida native will need to earn a starting spot in fall camp but Kentucky brought him in to fill the right tackle hole.

Kentucky’s Offensive Line Room

Ben Christman (6-6, 325, RJr.)

The former Ohio State transfer missed last season with a knee injury and will return to full football activities during fall camp. Christman is a guard with potential right tackle flex and figures to be a factor in position battles at both right and left. Another big offensive lineman with some downhill power. If you’re sensing a theme you are on the right track. There isn’t any hiding on what Kentucky wants to do on offense and Christman could help enhance the run game.

Anfernee Crease (6-6, 315, RSo.)

A junior college addition that Kentucky flipped from SMU, Crease looks like a true left tackle and still has three years of eligibility remaining. The Texas native is not expected to push for playing time this season but could give Kentucky a long-term left tackle after Marques Cox leaves. JUCO tape showed some intriguing pass protection tools.

Courtland Ford (6-6, 327, RSr.)

Ford is back for year two at Kentucky after playing in all 13 games with two starting assignments. The former USC transfer can play both tackle spots and has logged 11 career starts with 981 career snaps. The fifth-year player will compete with Gerald Mincey for a starting spot and could also emerge as Kentucky’s swing tackle.

Hayes Johnson (6-4, 300, Fr.)

Kentucky’s first recruiting win of the 2024 cycle flashes play strength at the point of attack on tape. Will need time in a strength & conditioning program to add good weight. Very likely redshirt candidate.

Koby Keenum (6-4, 302, RFr.)

The Alabama native was a solid recruiting win for Kentucky in the 2023 high school cycle. Keenum now enters year two in the program and should lock up the backup center position this fall camp. The second-year player will need to prove to the coaching staff this season that he can slide in as a full-time starter next year or a transfer at center could be needed in the offseason.

Daniel Mincey (6-4, 290, Fr.)

A late addition to the 2024 high school signing class, the younger Mincey will play tackle at Kentucky and is likely headed for a redshirt season. Will immediately help Kentucky’s numbers at tackle.

Marc Nave Jr. (6-6, 335, Fr.)

The former Ohio State commit ended up flipping to Kentucky and brings some great size to the position. Nave is a true guard with some tackle flex. Flashed good grip strength, functional athleticism, and a high-level frame on his high school tape. Owns the size and play strength to make an impact at a power conference level.

Austin Ramsey (6-4, 328, RFr.)

Another guard with some tackle flex potential, Ramsey redshirted in 2023 but generated some buzz during spring practice. The Philadelphia native is a potential young player to monitor in this room as he is another player with terrific size who could help enhance Kentucky’s downhill run game.

Dylan Ray (6-6, 310, RJr.)

The West Virginia transfer started 10 games for Kentucky at guard in 2023 and also owns some tackle flex. Ray is a former walk-on who gives Eric Wolford some much-needed veteran experience. Expect the Indiana native to compete for a starting spot in fall camp.

Aba Selm (6-4, 303, Fr.)

The Northern Kentucky native was an early enrollee and top-500 recruiting win for the Wildcats. Selm shows functional athleticism on film. Pass protection gives the true freshman a high floor and could help him find a spot sooner rather than later in the rotation.

Malachi Wood (6-8, 320, RFr.)

The second-year player created some buzz about his development last season and has added some good weight. Wood owns a great frame and still has a high ceiling as a prospect. Another development year is needed but this could become an important player to watch in spring 2025.

Kentucky’s ground game was explosive without a QB run element in 2023 but the Wildcats were not efficient. That was a positive step forward for the offensive line but better play is still needed for Kentucky to be who they want to be on offense.

QB run is returning to the offense with offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and the offensive line should be improved for the second year in a row. The Wildcats have a boatload of experience and some legitimate experienced depth at both guard and tackle. Now we need to see if they can go displace big defensive fronts.

Mark Stoops has not shied away from saying that Kentucky needs better and more physical play from the offensive line. Eric Wolford was hired to help get this experienced group to the next level. Much is riding on the offensive line as Kentucky wants to get back to becoming one of the best rushing units in the SEC again.

Top Storyline: Eric Wolford’s return to Lexington

Mark Stoops surprised many when he decided to bring Eric Wolford back to Lexington and mend some fences from the previous ugly breakup. The hire also came quickly after Zach Yenser signed a contract extension. Stoops is making a big wager on the Youngstown native.

Wolford is inheriting a unit that might not have the highest ceiling but there is experience in spades and the floor should be fairly high. The Wildcats have an experienced center, a good SEC left tackle, and depth across the board. Improvement from last season is a reasonable expectation. Better recruiting results are also an expectation.

We have not seen Wolford reel in a top-250 target yet, but the offensive line coach did flip Anfernee Crease from an ACC program and was the lead recruiter for Darrin Strey and Bryan Auguste. The expectations are high but a lot of work needs to be done.

Wolford and the offensive line for the program both now and in the offseason. Some more transfer portal additions will likely be needed in December and the offensive line coach will be asked to land some high-quality players.

Bold Prediction: Kentucky’s offensive line produces multiple draft picks

Kentucky has only produced multiple NFL Draft picks on the offensive line one time. That was following the 2021 season led by Eric Wolford. The offensive line coach inherited some good talent and that will repeat itself in 2023.

I do not believe this unit will be as physically imposing as that one led by Luke Fortner and Darian Kinnard, but there are some Day 3 picks in Kentucky’s lineup. Both tackles have a great chance to be drafted and Eli Cox has more than a puncher’s chance.

We see the Wildcats take a positive step in the trenches this fall and that ends with a couple more draft picks to sell on the recruiting trail.

Opposition to the water rule isn’t about political party. The challenges are about the proper role of the state and federal governments.

As Kentuckians, we’ve been blessed by geography. Our commonwealth is at the heart of America’s inland waterways—providing easy access for our people and our products. Farmers, workers and sportsmen have been good stewards of our God-given resources for generations. We take care of these natural gifts today and work to preserve them for years to come.

It’s too bad the Biden-Harris Administration and its nonsensical green agenda have totally disregarded our deep connection to Kentucky’s resources. Again and again, the EPA and an alphabet-soup of federal bureaucracies have tried to stick their noses into Kentucky’s land, air and water. Why would far-off Washington think its clumsy power grab could take care of Kentucky better than the men and women who live here every day? 

WOTUS regulates every pond, ditch and puddle

It’s unlawful, and even worse, it nearly always leads to devastating results.

There’s no better example of this regulatory overreach than the so-called “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule. As initially drafted, it empowered federal bureaucrats to regulate nearly every pond, ditch and puddle in Kentucky—including on private property. Under the rule, Kentucky farmers would be forced to seek expensive permits just to make simple updates to their property. Otherwise, they would face serious legal penalties. 

We know what happens when costs go up for farmers and entrepreneurs, especially during historic inflation. Everyday Kentucky families see higher prices at the grocery store, fewer jobs created on Main Street and more foreign imports displacing American-made products. 

More opinions about WOTUS: Is Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman OK with polluting Kentucky’s water?

Big government politicians are relentless

This water rule is like a bad penny. We’ve been battling it for nearly a decade—even helping to secure a major victory at the U.S. Supreme Court. But it just keeps coming back. Big-government politicians are relentless in thinking they can make rules for our land, air and water better than those of us who have been caring for them for generations.

It’s been a long legal fight, and we’re not stopping until we win. We recently argued Kentucky’s case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The court cleared the way for us to continue our years-long effort to send this tired and failed water rule to the trash heap once and for all.

To understand how far back this bad idea goes, we have to look at President Obama’s attempt to tie Kentucky up in red tape. When the Obama-era rule was published in 2015, Kentucky’s Attorney General Jack Conway—a Democrat—took his own party’s President to court.

Kentucky doesn’t need the EPA’s help

Opposition to the water rule isn’t about political party. The challenges are about the proper role of the state and federal governments. The Commonwealth of Kentucky has the lawful responsibility to protect and preserve our own land, air and waters. We’ve been doing it for years, and—in most cases—we don’t need the EPA’s help.

The chorus opposing President Obama’s terrible water rule grew so loud, and after court rulings striking it down, the EPA eventually rescinded it altogether. This was a major victory for Kentucky families and workers. But it was short lived.

Feldkamp: Chickasaw Park received $5 million in investments. Then a tornado hit the West End.

It wasn’t long before the Biden-Harris Administration decided to come after Kentucky growers and producers once again. They dusted off President Obama’s idea and tried to foist a similar rule on Middle America.

Their first attempt at a water rule would have been devastating for Kentucky. Don’t take my word for it. The U.S. Supreme Court made clear the rule was unlawful by going far beyond the federal government’s authority.

Now, they’ve come back with a revised rule, which they say is “slimmed down.” But it still has some of the same problems for Kentucky and contradicts the Supreme Court’s ruling. This is the regulation we’re seeking to continue fighting in court today, alongside farmers, entrepreneurs and homebuilders. And it’s a fight we must win.

Growing up in rural Western Kentucky and spending my adult life traveling to every corner of this great Commonwealth, I’ve seen good stewardship, and I’ve lived it. Whether it’s the farmer who works the land to feed his family, or the sportsman who passed down the tradition through generations, the respect our people show for our shared home state is on full display.

It’s these men and women—not bloated federal bureaucracy—who will preserve our natural resources for the future. As long as I’m Attorney General, I’ll fight to protect their right to do it.

Agree or disagree? Submit your letter to the editor here.

Russell Coleman is the Kentucky Attorney General. He is a national leader pushing back against federal overreach, especially from the EPA, and is part of more than a dozen legal challenges to the Biden-Harris Administration’s green agenda.

SOMERSET, Ky. (WKYT) – Severe storms Tuesday dealt some serious injuries to a Southern Kentucky woman.

The woman was hospitalized after a large tree limb came crashing down on her camper.

Austin and Ashley Molesworth have managed Happy Camper RV Park. They rent out short and long term spaces, just minutes from Lake Cumberland.

“Nine times out of ten, once they get here they become more like family,” said Ashley Molesworth.

Molesworth says they sheltered in their home as severe storms passed through. She looked outside after the storm passed, and found large tree limbs down, including one that crashed right through a camper.

“It scares you, it really does,” said Austin Molesworth. “Especially for us, we used to live in our camper. It really kind of makes you think twice about what can happen.”

The Molesworth’s say the woman was working on her computer inside when the limb grazed her head and badly cut open her arm.

They are now rethinking how they will manage trees at the RV park, many of which tower over their guests and tenants.

“Shade versus safety, we more than likely will be taking out a majority of our trees.”

The Molesworths say they are hoping for a speedy recovery for the woman. Her family is looking at thousands of dollars in damages to the camper on top of medical bills and other expenses.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.

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