{"id":49583,"date":"2023-08-23T15:00:47","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T19:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=49583"},"modified":"2023-08-22T17:49:16","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T21:49:16","slug":"2023-kentucky-position-previews-linemen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2023\/08\/23\/2023-kentucky-position-previews-linemen\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 Kentucky Position Previews: Linemen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most Scrutinized Group On The Team<\/span><\/h3>\n

Hello everyone and welcome back to the fourth in our ongoing series looking at the 2023 Kentucky Wildcats. We started\u00a0<\/span>with the quarterbacks,\u00a0<\/span><\/a>moved\u00a0<\/span>to the running backs,\u00a0<\/span><\/a>and then\u00a0<\/span>the receivers.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0This time out we\u2019re looking at the big guys up front whose job is to protect\u00a0<\/span>Devin Leary<\/span><\/a>. We begin our 2023 Kentucky Position Previews: Linemen with a look at the offensive line. In addition, we’ll move to the defense starting with the line.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back To What\u2019s Expected<\/span><\/h3>\n

For anyone who\u2019s watched Kentucky football over the last few years one of the hallmarks of the program is the offensive line. Under the late\u00a0<\/span>John Schlarman<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0the name \u201cBig Blue Wall\u201d was coined for their abilities. In fact, they were one of the finalists for the\u00a0<\/span>Joe Moore Award\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>for the nation\u2019s best line in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately for the Big Blue Nation, 2022 was not up to expectations. The group allowed 47 sacks which was fifth most in the nation and second-most among power-five schools. Only Boston College was worse. They also struggled opening up running lanes as the Cats only averaged 3.26 yards per carry. As a result Stoops and offensive line coach\u00a0<\/span>Zach Yenser<\/strong>\u00a0looked to the transfer portal for instant help.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instant Impact Transfers<\/span><\/h3>\n

Kentucky landed in the top 20\u00a0<\/span>in the transfer portal rankings.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0A big part of that was four offensive linemen heading to Lexington. They include\u00a0<\/span>Marques Cox<\/span><\/a>\u00a0from Northern Illinois,\u00a0<\/span>Courtland Ford<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0of USC,\u00a0<\/span>Tanner Bowles<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0from Alabama, and\u00a0<\/span>Ben Christman<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0of Ohio State. They look to provide a huge boost for the line.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bowles, a Kentucky native, is listed as a guard but played all five positions for the Crimson Tide. Cox graded exceptionally high last year before suffering a season-ending injury ironically in a game against Kentucky. Christman was a\u00a0<\/span>four-star player at Ohio State<\/span><\/a>\u00a0before leaving Columbus. Lastly, Ford comes from USC where he was the starter in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moving Around Some Key Pieces<\/span><\/h3>\n

Heading into the opener against Ball State four of the five positions are pretty well set. Cox is your starter at left tackle. In the spring the staff moved\u00a0<\/span>Jager Burton<\/a>\u00a0to center. The sophomore from Lexington played in all 13 games last season, mostly at left guard. He became the first UK player since\u00a0<\/span>Logan Stenberg<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0to earn freshmen All-SEC honors. However, he also spent emergency time at center. The staff was so impressed that he moved there in 2023. This allowed\u00a0<\/span>Eli Cox, who was the starting center last year, to go back to his normal guard position.<\/span><\/p>\n

With Cox taking over at tackle\u00a0<\/span>Kenneth Horsey<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0moves back to his preferred position of left guard. The super senior spent most of 2022 at tackle, a spot he wasn\u2019t as familiar with, and had an up-and-down year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ford most likely starts the season at right tackle though last year’s starter\u00a0<\/span>Jeremy Flax<\/a>\u00a0is also in the mix. Behind them, the Cats have several other options. One name to watch on the line freshman\u00a0<\/span>Koby Keenum<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0The Alabama native is the\u00a0<\/span>highest-ranked offensive lineman in the 2023 class.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0UK also has\u00a0<\/span>Grant Bingham, Paul Rodriguez<\/span><\/strong>, and\u00a0<\/span>Malachi Wood<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0are also competing for playing time.\u00a0<\/span>Nikolas Hall<\/a>,<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0son of former UK great Antonio Hall<\/strong>, will miss 2023 due to injury.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that we’ve finished up the offensive let’s flip to the defense as we continue our 2023 Kentucky Position Previews: Linemen.<\/span><\/p>\n

All-SEC Player<\/span><\/h3>\n

One of the biggest stories in 2022 was the development of tackle\u00a0<\/span>Deone Walker<\/span><\/a>. During his first season, the Detroit native had 40 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. He was named SEC\u2019s co-Defensive Lineman of the week for his performance against Louisville. In that contest, he made six tackles, had a half-sack, and forced a fumble. As a result of his strong play, Walker was also named a freshman All-American.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heading into this season Walker is on the watch lists for both the Nagurski Award and the Outland Trophy. In fact, he’s been so dominant in camp that Stoops had to “take action” recently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Expectations obviously sky-high for Kentucky Wildcats sophomore DT Deone Walker. Here\u2019s Mark Stoops\u2019 quip about \u201cthrowing him out of the scrimmage today\u201d so the offense had a better chance\u2026 #BBN<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/vWPkRfsl6N<\/a><\/p>\n

— Jeff Drummond (@JDrumUK) August 19, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n