It’s officially game week for Kentucky Football and, with that, the first official depth chart of the season has arrived.
Looking into the specifics of that, the Kentucky Kernel will kick off a season-long series looking into who’s starting and who isn’t for the Cats this season.
Starting with the offense:
Quarterback:
Starter- Brock Vandagriff
Backup- Gavin Wimsatt
No surprises in the quarterback room as it was anticipated all off-season that the Georgia transfer Vandagriff would be QB1 and the highly talked about Rutgers transfer Wimsatt would be his backup. Now, both are official.
Running back:
Starter- Demie Sumo-Karngbaye
Backup- Jason Patterson
With the injury to DeaMonte “Chip” Trayanum, which will cause him to miss the first few weeks of play, the running back room will certainly evolve and look different week-to-week, but for the first week of action, Sumo-Karngbaye will get the starting nod with Patterson backing him up.
Wide receivers:
Starters- Barion Brown, Dane Key, Ja’Mori Maclin
Backup- Fred Farrier II, Anthony Brown-Stephens
No surprises in terms of receivers for the Wildcats, either, as the junior duo of Brown and Key is complemented by the transfer Maclin. Also no surprises when it comes to backups, with the only possible shakeup possibly having been Hardley Gilmore IV before he was injured during fall camp. Of note, Farrier II is the backup for both Key and Brown after impressing in fall camp.
Tight end:
Starters- Josh Kattus and Jordan Dingle
Backup- Willie Rodriguez and Khamari Anderson
The tight end group comes as no shock with the veteran duo of Kattus and Dingle being starters. Both are expected to play prominent roles with their various skill sets. On the depth chart, Rodriguez is listed as Kattus’ backup with Anderson being listed as Dingle’s.
Offensive line:
Starters- Marques Cox (LT), Jager Burton (LG), Eli Cox (C), Jalen Farmer (RG), Gerald Mincey (RT)
Backups- Malachi Wood (LT), Aba Selm (LG), Koby Keenum (C), Dylan Ray (RG), Anfernee Crease (RT)
The “Big Blue Wall” is official and it comes with few surprises as Cox headlines the unit at center along with Cox and Burton. The unit is rounded out by the transfer duo of Farmer and Mincey.
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Moving over to defense:
Defensive end:
Starter: Tre’vonn Rybka
Backup: Octavious Oxendine
This is another group on the Wildcat team where the depth chart turned out to be what everyone expected with Rybka getting the starting nod followed by the veteran Oxendine, who is also sure to see some playing time.
Nose guard:
Starter: Keeshawn Silver
Backup: Kendrick Gilbert
The nose guard position was largely affected by early-season injuries which caused some movement along the line, but, on gameday, Silver will line up across from center with Gilbert backing him up after a strong fall camp that got him on the radar of coaches and fans.
Defensive tackle:
Starter: Deone Walker
Backup: Kahlil Saunders
In perhaps the least surprising move of the depth chart, the likely first-round NFL draft pick, Walker, will be starting with Saunders backing him up.
Strongside linebacker:
Starter: Alex Afari Jr. OR Tyreese Fearbry
The strongside position begins a series of “ors” on the depth chart. Without a definite starter, it can be expected that both men will be used at the position, but it remains to be seen who will be on the field for the first snap.
Outside linebacker:
Starter: J.J. Weaver
Backup: Noah Matthews
The outside linebacker group is another group on this experienced defense where there were no questions about who would start, but it’s now official that the veteran Weaver will be the starter with Matthews backing him up.
Middle linebacker:
Jamon “Pop” Dumas-Johnson OR Daveren Rayner
As it was said with the strongside linebackers, “or” can be seen once again, so both men may see some action or it could depend on the situation and play where fans may see a mix-and-match between the two players. Rayner made a name for himself last season in blue and white while “Pop” is an incoming transfer from Georgia.
Weakside linebacker:
Starter: D’Eryk Jackson
Backup: Alex Afari Jr.
The weakside group serves as another unit headlined by an experienced veteran in Jackson, who is entering his senior season with Afari Jr. being able to shift over from strongside when needed.
Field cornerback:
Starter: JQ Hardaway OR Jantzen Dunn
Moving over to the corners, it appears that the “or” terminology is used again and either one of these men can be seen in action. Despite that, everyone will have to wait a few days longer to see who takes the field first and gains most of the reps.
Boundary cornerback:
Starter: Maxwell Hairston
Backups: DJ Waller Jr. or Nasir Addison
It comes as no surprise that Hairston gets the starting nod after a sensational season in 2023 and he will be backed up by one or both of Waller Jr. or Addison.
Strong safety:
Starter: Zion Childress
Backup: Kristian Story
When it comes to the safety groups, Childress is looking to build on his junior season where he started in all games. Another senior in Story will be backing him up.
Free safety:
Starter: Jordan Lovett or Ty Bryant
Rounding out the defense and safeties is the talented duo of Lovett and Bryant, who are both expected to see action in all games for the Wildcats barring injury.
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Rounding out the depth chart is the specialist group:
Kicker:
Starter: Alex Raynor
Backup: Jacob Kauwe
No surprises at kicker as the Wildcats found their guy in 2023 in Raynor and they will hope his reliability carries over into 2024 with Kauwe waiting in the wings in-case something happens to Raynor.
Kickoff:
Starter: Aidan Laros
Backup: Jacob Kauwe
A new face will be making his debut with Kentucky as the transfer Laros will be taking over kickoff duties with Kauwe backing him up. Laros joins UK by way of the transfer portal from UT Martin.
Punter:
Wilson Berry OR Aidan Laros
While the depth chart lists another “or,” head coach Mark Stoops made it clear on his weekly radio show that it will likely be Berry starting for the Cats on Saturday. This came as a surprise to some after a tough 2023 for Berry, but the Australian will have another shot to prove himself before Laros perhaps gets the nod instead.
Long and short snapper:
Starter: Alex McLaughlin
Backup: Walker Himebauch
The Wildcats are sticking with McLaughlin at snapper for punts and PATs.
Holder:
Starter: Wilson Berry OR Aidan Laros OR Beau Allen
When it comes to the holder position, fans can expect to see either punters Laros and Berry, as well as third-string quarterback Allen, getting the nod. The Wildcats certainly have options, though they may not have a definitive answer just yet.
Kickoff return:
Starter: Barion Brown
Backup: Demie Sumo-Karngbaye
Another basically automatic on the depth chart is the dynamite return man in Brown who can shift the momentum of the game whenever the ball is in his hands. If something were to happen to him, Sumo-Karngbaye would take over.
Punt return:
Starter: Ja’Mori Maclin OR Barion Brown
Backup: Dane Key
While it was an automatic for Brown to be on kickoff returns, it seems like punt returning may be a committee effort or a competition between the receiving trio.
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With the depth chart now official, Kentucky football will kickoff its 2024 season at home on Saturday, August 31, against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. The game is set to kick off at 7:45 p.m. ET and will air live on SEC Network.
