Kentucky
Spring Briefing: New offense should not change much for Kentucky tight ends
![Spring Briefing: New offense should not change much for Kentucky tight ends Spring Briefing: New offense should not change much for Kentucky tight ends](https://on3static.com/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2023/12/16122948/te-jordan-dingle-will-not-transfer-announces-return-kentucky.png)
Jeff Lebby full Interview with Andy Staples | Arriving in Starkville, Learning Along the Way | 02.15.24
Preparations for the 2024 college football season are already underway at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility. The hiring of Boise State offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan means that Kentucky’s offense will be staying in the pro-style family. That is good news for Vince Marrow‘s position room.
The Wildcats are scheduled to have five scholarship tight ends on the roster in 2024, and four of them will be suited up for spring practice. Once again, this positional unit will have a sizable role in the offense.
In KSR’s Spring Briefing series, we will cover every position on Kentucky’s roster before spring practice begins. Next up is tight end where the Wildcats have experience and excellent depth.
Spring Rundown: Quarterback, Tailback, Wide Receiver
The Room
Jordan Dingle (6-4, 238, Redshirt Junior)
After flirting with Tennessee in the transfer portal, the Bowling Green (Ky.) High product is back for year four in Lexington. Dingle has recorded 34 receptions for 544 yards and three touchdowns in his career and will again play a key role for this offense.
Josh Kattus (6-4, 231 Junior)
The Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller product had some issues with penalties last season but still is a quality blocker in Kentucky’s pro-style scheme and can be a solid intermediate weapon in the play-action passing game. Kattus will again have a big role in this offense.
Khamari Anderson (6-5, 238, Sophomore)
Another recruiting win for Kentucky out of Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech, Anderson flashed in year one as a potential two-way tight end in the SEC. Expect the former four-star recruit to have a bigger role on offense after playing 64 offensive snaps in year one.
Tanner Lemaster (6-5, 253, Redshirt Freshman)
Another Ohio native, Lemaster took a redshirt season in year one and will look to find a role in year two. At 250-plus pounds, the class of 2023 prospect could give Kentucky another blocking tight end to utilize in heavy sets.
Willie Rodriguez (6-3, 235, Freshman)
Auburn and Tennessee made a late run at the Covington (Ky.) Catholic tight end who ultimately signed with Kentucky. Rodriguez is a legit two-way prospect who might be hard to keep off the field. The class of 2024 signee will not be on campus until the summer.
Top Storyline: How big of a role will the tight end position have in the new offense?
Kentucky is going to stay in the pro-style structure on offense under new play-caller Bush Hamdan. The former Boise State offensive coordinator is going to bring a no-huddle approach to the Joe Craft Football Training Facility, but do not expect this to be a full-out spread offense.
Kentucky will use the tight end position. Hamdan has featured a tight end in the passing game at Washington with Harrison Bryant recording 52 receptions for 825 yards. Will that happen in 2024? That is to be determined.
One thing we do know is this positional unit will be utilized. How big of a role will this group have? We should find out soon.
What to Watch: Jordan Dingle’s passing game involvement
If there was a player that could see a heavier involvement in the passing game it would be the oldest player in the room. Jordan Dingle is Kentucky’s most accomplished receiver at the tight end position and has produced 18 explosive receptions in 54 career targets. That is notable.
Dingle has All-SEC potential and could emerge as a key target for Bush Hamdan’s passing offense and a safety blanket for new quarterback Brock Vandagriff. Monitoring his usage during the spring could tell us how heavily involved the tight end position will be this season.
Bold Prediction: Usage rate of the tight end position will be high even if passing game targets do not come
Kentucky’s offense has a lot of mouths to feed at the wide receiver position. Barion Brown, Dane Key, and Ja’Mori Maclin each have WR1 potential for the Wildcats. The offense will also have an establish the run mindset. Kentucky will not be an operation that leads the SEC in pass play percentage. Not everyone can get targets.
I would not expect a huge receiving season from any of Kentucky’s tight ends, but that does not mean lack a of snaps for this position. The Wildcats will still value the tight end position and will carve out a role for this position. Vince Marrow’s group will play a key role in the run game, will factor in the play-action passing game, and will have a good volume of snaps in the new offense.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky firefighter dies during call
![Eastern Kentucky firefighter dies during call Eastern Kentucky firefighter dies during call](https://gray-wsaz-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/23NSHHFZU5B6BIOB65TTTJMB6Y.jpg?auth=9287493c138cbf08777fdc9af1ed1bbc1105648c71c4621b12ab9ed5a3456cce&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
BELFRY, Ky. (WSAZ) – A firefighter from eastern Kentucky died Wednesday night during a mutual aid call for a neighboring fire department.
The Belfry Volunteer Fire Department made that announcement Thursday about the loss of Darrell Helton.
Additional details about the incident were not released, but the fire department released the following statement on social media:
Copyright 2024 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
Kentucky
Tounde Yessoufou includes Kentucky in new list; Tennessee cut
![Tounde Yessoufou includes Kentucky in new list; Tennessee cut Tounde Yessoufou includes Kentucky in new list; Tennessee cut](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bmkV9edp5HyzAdl53Fwyr-ZGCQo=/512x206:3194x1610/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25590134/usa_today_22124612.jpg)
Mark Pope and his staff are starting to fill up their big board for the class of 2025 as the season quickly approaches.
With Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson already on board, the Cats are heading into the fall signing period with a class that On3 has ranked No. 1 overall, and it should add more firepower in the coming months.
Now, another player the Cats staff is high on has announced a new list.
According to Joe Tipton of On3, 5-star forward Tounde Yessoufou has cut his list to six, and Kentucky made the cut. Arizona State, Baylor, Kansas, UConn, and USC also made the list.
Tennessee, once viewed as a serious threat, did not make the cut, so that’s good news for the Cats.
Yessoufou will officially visit Lexington on October 11-12th for Big Blue Madness. He is coming off visits to USC and Baylor. He will see Arizona State this week while also visiting UConn (September 21-22) and Kansas (October 4-5).
When talking about Kentucky with Tipton, here is what Yessoufou had to say about Coach Pope and the program:
“My relationship has been really good with Kentucky. Mark Pope, every time he comes to my practice, he is a funny guy,” he said. “He tells me to keep going and to play hard. His energy is unique, he is the type of coach that can push you hard to develop yourself both on and off the court. His message to me is that he wants me to play for him because I am a great person and how hard I play. He says he enjoys watching me play every time. He always gives me advice to stay mentally strong out there, even if things don’t go my way, to stick to the plan and move on to the next play. It really matters to me that a coach can tell me what I need to hear, the truth.”
Things seem to be trending in the right direction for the Cats in this one, but Baylor has been picking up steam since his recent visit to Waco.
This would be another huge recruiting win for this staff. Let’s see if they can pull it off in the coming months.
A Sea of Blue comes loaded with the best Kentucky Wildcats links, news, analysis, and some other fun stuff, so go like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Go CATS!
Kentucky
Bleav in Kentucky recaps Southern Miss and previews South Carolina
![Bleav in Kentucky recaps Southern Miss and previews South Carolina Bleav in Kentucky recaps Southern Miss and previews South Carolina](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d_ghOFFjZQT_jPMy8uwXfdkSGIg=/0x0:1080x565/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25049180/bleav.jpg)
The 2024 college football season is officially underway for the Kentucky Wildcats, who came away with a 31-0 victory over Southern Miss in Week 1. Up next is the SEC opener vs. South Carolina on Saturday.
Ahead of the game, Vinny Hardy and Aaron Gershon dropped a new episode of Bleav in Kentucky.
On the show, the guys discussed:
- Getting win No. 1 amid multiple lightning delays.
- How Brock Vandagriff looked in his Kentucky debut.
- The versatility of JQ Hardaway and Alex Afari on defense.
- Kentucky beat writer Kyle Tucker calls it a career.
- Previewing Game 2 vs. the Gamecocks.
- And more!
Be sure to listen to the full episode below, then subscribe to the Bleav Podcast Network, Stitcher, iTunes, Audible, and Spotify!
Want more A Sea Of Blue coverage? Then follow our Twitter page and like us on Facebook to get all the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views. And Go CATS!
-
World1 week ago
Swiss court convicts two executives of embezzling $1.8bn from 1MDB
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Slingshot (2024) – Movie Review
-
World1 week ago
Commission mandarin flags convergence of digital with industry
-
World1 week ago
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 915
-
News1 week ago
After months on the run, a murder suspect falls through the ceiling and into custody
-
News1 week ago
Trump Vs Harris: The Battle Over Hot Mics Heats Up Ahead Of Key Debate
-
News1 week ago
The rise of the Pumpkin Spice Latte : It's Been a Minute
-
World1 week ago
Economic portfolios are key in talks to chose new EU commissioners