Eric Wolford is leaving Kentucky for Alabama even though it has not been officially confirmed by UK or Alabama. (UK Athletics Photo)
This time Nick Saban and Alabama beat Kentucky. The Wildcats have had some recent recruiting success against Alabama for some highly-rated recruits but the Alabama coach now has successfully lured Eric Wolford to Alabama. Wolford came to UK from South Carolina last year to coach the offensive line after the death of former UK offensive line coach John Schlarman.
Kentucky led the SEC and ranked fourth in the nation in rushing yards last season and converted 67 percent of its third and fourth down plays. Chris Rodriguez ran for 1,379 yards and nine touchdowns.
Quarterback Will Levis threw for 2,812 yards and 24 touchdowns. Levis was sacked only 22 times — 17 less than Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.
Wolford was also assistant offensive line coach with the San Francisco 49ers along with a former head coach at Youngstown State.
Now a new offensive line coach will have to try to rebuild the Big Blue Wall and be the third offensive line coach in three years. Kentucky loses center Luke Fortner and tackles Darian Kinnard and Dare Rosenthal off this year’s team.
While UK coach Mark Stoops has a stellar record bringing in high-level assistant coaches, former UK quarterback Freddie Maggard was not totally happy with the job Wolford did. Maggard is now a football writer for https://www.on3.com (Kentucky Sports Radio) and does not think Wolford did enough to build for the future last season because he did not build depth like Schlarman did when he regularly used eight or nine players every game.
Maggard mentioned freshmen Jager Burton and David Wohlabaugh as two players he felt should have played more in 2021 to prepare them for bigger roles in the 2022 season. That’s why Maggard said the next offensive line coach “should be a leader that values its historic status as the backbone of the program.”
Making a move from Kentucky to Alabama is understandable. It’s more money for Wolford and a better chance to compete for a national championship. He did his job well at UK helping the Cats go 10-3.
Now his successor faces a tougher rebuilding job after UK has lost Landon Young, Drake Jackson, Kinnard, and Fortner during the last two years and returns less experience than it has any time in the last few years.
6 Responses
Huge stakes hire ! Betcha Liam knows young talented OL peeps !
To think Wolford can’t be replaced with a quality offensive line coach is an over reaction IMO. If he is not happy at UK "hit the road jack." First thing Stoops needs to do is take his time and pick one. Pick a coach that has a little loyalty built in, and knows how to coach the "BIGS" because he has a proven record doing just that. Maybe one from a proven FCS program who plans to stay around UK for a long time because of his chance to coach in the SEC. I often questioned why Burton didn’t see the field more in 202I, so I agree with Freddie on that. I wish Wolford well, but he can be replaced, and will be.
Well said LP
I heard a very disturbing report this morning on WLAP’s show between 9 am and 10 am about the circumstances under which this coach left UK.
If these points are wrong, and I hope they are, please correct them for us all, but here is what I heard:
1) Wolford was on a recruiting trip presumably recruiting for UK, and when he left the recruit, he went to interview with Alabama, and the next day returned to recruit the same player for Alabama.
2) Wolford did not return to Lexington and did not even give the UK players he just coached the courtesy of a farewell talk.
If true, the absence of class and character is astounding.
Was Coach Stoops blindsided by these events?
I think this is pretty close to what happened Professor
247Sports is now reporting this.
Wolford’s recruiting visit were on behalf of Alabama even though UK thought he was recruiting for UK, and he never returned to Lexington.
This guy is as slimy as they come.
Good riddance.