Mark Stoops hopes players UK added in the transfer portal will lead to more victory celebrations. (Vicky Graff Photo)
High school recruiting is what both Mark Stoops and Vince Marrow insist will always be the foundation for the University of Kentucky football program. But that doesn’t mean they do not understand the importance of the transfer portal.
They brought in quarterback Will Levis, receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, linebacker Jacquez Jones and offensive tackle Dare Rosenthal in 2021 and UK won 10 games. Last season they added cornerback Keidron Smith, offensive guard Tashawn Manning and receiver Tayvion Robinson, both impact players on the seven-win season.
Now the head coach and recruiting coordinator have gone into the transfer portal to fill holes in the 2023 roster with six players who could all play key roles next season. Rivals.com has named Kentucky a top five portal winner for the second time in three years.
“I appreciate our team, again, the way they handle things and accept guys coming in. They know there’s going to be great competition, but they want our team better. They do a good job of that transition with transfers,” Stoops said.
Obviously the headliner in the transfer portal this year is North Carolina State quarterback Devin Leary, who is expected to take over for Levis, a two-year starter who won 17 games.
“Much like Will, authentic. Not forced. He’s one of those guys, he’s a dude,” Stoops said. “Very much you could see him being a great fit. It happens easily.”
He ranked sixth in school history at North Carolina State with 6,807 passing yards and fourth in completion percentage (.602).
While Leary is the marquee name, the other five transfers also have a chance to play key roles just like the others have done in starting roles the last two years.
— Vanderbilt running back Ray Davis might be almost as important as Leary with the departure of Chris Rodriguez, UK’s leading rusher the last three seasons. He ran 232 times for 1,042 yards and five touchdowns last season to rank fourth in the SEC and 32nd nationally in rushing yards per game. He had five 100-yard rushing games, including one in a win over Kentucky.
“He kind of fits that mold of what we’ve been, how you need to have that tough, strong, physical guy. But we also wanted some dynamic play-makers, as well,” Stoops said. “It was very important with Ray. He’s another guy that obviously did very well against us. He’s a proven player in the SEC. It’s been a great addition. He’s got a very charismatic personality, very strong man on and off the field. We’re grateful to have him.
— Offensive tackle Marquez Cox of Northern Illinois also played well against UK last season. before suffering an injury that ended his season. He only allowed three sacks in over 1,000 snaps according to Pro Football Focus and has started 33 collegiate games.
“Just a big, athletic guy. Again, arguably one of the very talented tackles in there. We know we needed a tackle. I think that was a real important get for us. You saw length, you saw athleticism. Another great addition,” Stoops said.
— Defensive back Jantzen Dunn of Ohio State was a priority recruit for UK and one of the state’s best high school players at South Warren High School. The four-star player played in four games last season. The 6-0, 185-pound Dunn ranks as a top 10 safety in the transfer portal but Stoops has a different position in mind for him.
“The plan is to play him at corner right now. I think that’s where we have an area of need. He’s a guy with very good top-end speed and length. Again, he’s a guy that’s versatile, though,” the UK head coach said.
— Defensive back JQ Hardaway played one season at Cincinnati and is rated as the ninth best overall overall player in the transfer portal by 247Sports. The Georgia native had a sack, four unassisted tackles and seven total tackles. He was a four-star recruit who played in the Under Armour All-American Game and had interest from Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss and others in high school.
“Another versatile guy we think can help us immediately in the secondary,” Stoops said.
— Glasgow High School product Tanner Bowles, a 300-pound offensive lineman transfer from Alabama, is another former four-star high school recruit that Kentucky wanted out of high school. He played in 19 games in four years at Alabama mainly on special teams. He had offers from Florida State, LSU, Tennessee, Oklahoma and many others in high school.
Bowles was a backup center/guard at Alabama but Stoops says UK plans to use him at guard.
“Again, a guy with experience, that’s been in a great program, from in-state. It’s a big, strong guy. He’s excited to come back home and play. We welcome him back and are excited about bringing him in,” Stoops said.
“Again, I think he kind of fits what we’ve been, a physical, tough guy. He’s been coached well, been in that program. We’re excited.”
Stoops and Marrow, UK’s recruiting coordinator, both openly talked about the need to add key “free agents” from the transfer portal to fill holes on the rest.
“I think we did a pretty solid job of what we were aiming for in the portal. I feel pretty good about that. It’s not to say you don’t want to take more,” Stoops laughed and said.
All six transfers are expected to enroll at UK in January and take part in spring practice.
6 Responses
Teams like Bama, Dawgs and OSU aren’t terribly aggressive in the portal – they don’t need to be. For mid range teams it’s a blessing.
The portal definitely gave us help where we needed it the most for next year. The portal is not going to be like this forever. Take advantage of it while you can, but we have to get better at recruiting at the high school level.
This season was a huge disappointment for everyone I know who follows UK football. The high expectations have become more common for UK football given the rise of the program and the recent successful 10-win seasons. However, this year’s high expectations were driven to new heights during the past off-season based on the optimism that Coach Stoops openly shared in his interviews.
I believe that Coach Stoops, more than most seasons that fell short of expectations, should address this season with the fan base in substantive terms about why this team failed to meet his, not our high expectations. I remain in Coach Stoops’ camp and continue to believe he will have even better seasons than the two 10-win seasons within the foreseeable future, but the disappointment of this season is tangible and it has damaged the program’s image among a large segment of fans and possible recruits.
As for the bowl game, the defense showed up and played well enough to keep any team in contention so long as the offense does not hand out 14 free points and the special teams don’t lose ground on punting and punt returns throughout the game. No points in a bowl game is essentially a NO SHOW by the offense despite promises by Coach Marrow over the last 2 weeks that the offense would put points on the board.
I hope Coach Stoops recognizes that this time around, the stock phrases and coach-speak to explain what happened is not sufficient for the stunned fan base.
The absence of UK’s starting QB in Levis, and their TB Rodriquez, cost UK big time in the Music City. Wade did the best he could, and looked pretty good at times, but UK could not do anything offensively against the Hawkeyes as the game progressed. I do believe Wade has a future though at UK. He is a good looking athlete and fine young man. I get that it was their right to sit this game out, but as a long time UK football fan I sure lost a little respect for those two. Never thought they would sit this one out, especially C-Rod. The UK defense played their hearts out again.
You are right Professor, some UK football coaches ran their mouth a little too much in the preseason and even before this bowl game IMO. Finishing 7-6 was a real disappointment too based on all the big talk. UK needs to get their OC back in place asap and get this football team ready offensively for 2023. To much talent on this team to ever get shut out.
Everyone acts like the coaches and players were not disappointed about the season. Nothing could be further from the truth. As far as the sitting out part, I see it both ways. I admit Rodriguez was a little confusing. As far as Levis, he was hurt for whole second half of the season. He gave it his all while he was here, including last years Historic season. I don’t blame him for wanting to get healthy. His future life’s work depends on it. Any parent should see that, and if you don’t, your just selfish over a ballgame.
Selfish, really? I raised two boys who are grown now, and I taught them to do the right thing when it involves character. The term "selfish" works back the other way too. This team and University had a game to play and good fans too cheer them on who were looking for victory No. 8. Levis looked healthy against Louisville from where I sat. He also would have had plenty of time to get 100% after participating in this bowl game. He also had a backup QB that was ready to go in anytime. The only ones looking selfish in my view are the two stars of this football team that sat this one out and watched UK get shut out. This is not life or death, I understand that, but it was important to UK and the fans. Square was really hurt so he probably did the best thing. The only two who know for sure they could have played are Levis and C-Rod.
Like Horsey said, every game your team plays is another opportunity to play the game you love. It is what it is, some of us just disagree with the outcome. I wish both those young men a long successful career in the NFL, they are UK legends, but l will remember them sitting this one out. Allen didn’t a few years back as I recall when his team won the citrus bowl. This year Jones played and had been injured. He lined up with his teammates and went to war. Just disappointed in the outcome is all.