Defensive back Keidron Smith is one of the transfers who could play a big role for UK this season. (Photo by Twitter)
The transfer portal has been great for the Kentucky football program. Last year Kentucky had four key starters — quarterback Will Levis, receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, linebacker Jacquez Jones and offensive tackle Dare Rosenthal — join the team via transfer.
However, there have also been defections as Kentucky had 16 players put their names into the transfer portal after the 2021 season ended.
They are quarterback Nik Scalzo (Samford), offensive tackle Jake Pope, running back Travis Tisdale, linebacker Jared Casey (Indiana), running back Torrance Davis, linebacker KD McDaniel (Central Florida), defensive tackle Isaiah Gibson (Marshall), defensive back Moses Douglass (Alabama A&M), linebacker Marquez Bembry (UConn), wide receiver Isaiah Epps (Tulsa), cornerback Cedrick Dort (Wisconsin), wide receiver Tre’Von Morgan (Miami), wide receiver Earnest Sanders, defensive back Rickey Hyatt, offensive lineman RJ Adams and offensive tackle Naasir Watkins (Liberty).
Kentucky has added three potential starters — receiver Tayvion Robinson (Virginia Tech), offensive lineman Tashawn Manning (Auburn) and cornerback Keidron Smith (Mississippi) — from the transfer portal this season and UK associate head coach Vince Marrow is not mincing words about what could lie ahead. He might have even provided bulletin board material for defending national champion Georgia when it plays at UK Nov. 19.
“I think it’s going to come down to that game (for the SEC Eastern Division title). Gonna be cold. Kroger Field will be rocking. It’ll be a good time to play some football,” Marrow said on Kentucky Sports Radio last week.
“What fans are going to see is what Mark Stoops has built. You’re going to see a team that expects to win, that will win and we’re gonna try to get to Atlanta (for the SEC championship game). This may be the year we say this is the last door we need to kick in to get down there.”
7 Responses
It is my opinion that most of the transfers were told they would probably not play, so their best option to play was the transfer portal. This could all change if the NCAA does away with limits to the number of players and coaches. I am not saying they were pushed out, but in all reality, they were.
The coaches really had no choice to build a championship team. These future changes are really needed immediately. Players deserve the opportunity given coaches and average students. NIL has brought all this about.
On a side note, the NCAA has handled the NIL terribly. Instead of listing the rules in advance, they have taken the wild west approach, that anything goes until they are forced to limit actions. Changes are coming soon.
You are right Ben. A changing world for college sports
Win the SEC East? That means no slip ups with Missouri, S. Carolina, and Vanderbilt PLUS winning at least 2 of 3 games with Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia. Coach Stoops has made progress, but not sure we are Atlanta bound just yet.
I’m all for confidence, and I have a lot of respect for the job Coach Marrow is doing, especially recruiting, but Coach Marrow takes it to far. He talks to much, and UGA probably has that quote circled in red, and hanging in their locker room right now. For starters, UK has to find a way to beat Tennessee in 22, which is always a huge challenge for the Cats no matter what kind of team they have, this one included. Knoxville is a tough place to play for UK in any year, always has been. I say ease up on all the talking and keep it close to the vest right now. Just go and prove it on the field. Talk don’t win games. Maybe it helps sell tickets. It can and probably does fire up opposing teams though. Georgia is always loaded with talent, and is the defending NC. Georgia will be very talented again this year as well. Why give them any kind of edge.
During talking season, everybody is great, and many talk the talk but don’t deliver. I hope this does not happen to the Cats this year with all this hype. With all the improved talent, UK still has to produce wins in a very tough league. I say just stay humble, keep your powder dry, and simply get after some opposing football teams in 2022 with less talk and great effort. I hope UK wins it all, I do, and I also hope they prove to be as good as we are hearing. Coach Marrow has put some people on notice with his talk. Hope he is right. We shall see.
You’re right Pup, talk is cheap and it usually only gets us in trouble. The time for talk is AFTER we have won something, especially in Knoxville.
Go Big Blue! BBN for life!
Win the SEC East?
Have a QB that is the #1 NFL draft pick?
Let’s celebrate what Coach Stoops has done for this program, and then we can celebrate what he does next after it happens.
I have little doubt that Coach Stoops has this program on the move in the right direction. However, this job is only about 1/2 done, and Coach Stoops and this program need another decade or so to finish the job of reaching true SEC competitiveness at the championship level.
To finish that journey, it will have to beat Tennessee (and others) more often than not, and it will have to become truly competitive against Georgia.