ESPN Analyst Jesse Palmer Sees a Lot to Like About Kentucky

ESPN college football analyst Jesse Palmer admits he is “sort of on the Kentucky bandwagon” when it comes to excitement about this season. The former University of Florida quarterback has been with ESPN since 2007 and will work with Joe Tessitore and Katie George for ABC/ESPN college football on Saturdays this season.

Palmer was on an ESPN conference call Wednesday and I asked him about the big expectations Kentucky fans had for this season and if they were realistic or not. “I got excited when Liam Cohen was coming back based on what I saw him do a few years ago calling plays,” Palmer said. “I’m a big Devin Leary fan. I’ve been that. I’ve been watching him at NC State for years now.

“And I think that that was one of the big wins in the transfer portal. I know what he’s throwing to. I think those two true freshman receivers from a year ago (Barion Brown and Dane Key) were tremendous, and I think they’re gonna take another step. And I know Kentucky’s gonna play great defense.”

Palmer admitted he was excited to see what UK does this season but also offered a bit of perspective.

“Do I think Kentucky is gonna win the SEC? No,” the former NFL quarterback said. “But I do think they can get back to being an eight-, nine-win team going to a good bowl game. I think they can get this thing back to what sort of the expectation level that Mark Stoops has created.”

Palmer is an obvious Stoops fan.

“The job he’s done at Kentucky has just been remarkable. I don’t think this is smoke and mirrors. I really do think Kentucky is taking a huge step forward this season.”

I also asked him if the SEC was going to be top-heavy or well-balanced throughout the league.

“My initial reaction to that is top heavy. How do you define top heavy? How many teams? I think that’s part of the SEC’s greatness honestly is that it’s not one or two (at the top). There’s usually five or six,” Palmer said.

He sees Georgia and Tennessee as the best in the East with Alabama, LSU and maybe Ole Miss at the top of the West.

“But Texas A&M could have a special year. We just talked about Kentucky. They’re gonna be really good. I think South Carolina is gonna be really good,” Palmer said.

“Mississippi State is a nine-win team from a year ago. Obviously with the new coach. there’s question marks there. But you know, top to bottom, it’s always the best.”

He said in the SEC the “cream rises to the top” and he expects it will again this season as he has two-time defending national champion Georgia making the college football playoff along with Michigan, Florida State, and Texas.