There was a time when a 7-6 Kentucky football season was cause for a mild celebration and a Happy New Year. 2023 is not that time. Mark Stoops’ Wildcats underachieved, falling from 2 10-win seasons in 4 years to a season that saw them lose at home to South Carolina and Vanderbilt, en route to a slide from a top 10 team at 4-0 to a 3-6 finish. Still, the glass of Kentucky football is much more than half full … although there are some questions to address in the new year.

1. What happened to the offensive line, and how will it get fixed?

Kentucky’s offensive line has rapidly dissolved from a team strength to a massive weakness. Yes, having 3 position coaches in 3 years didn’t help anything … and neither did the death of beloved coach John Schlarman, which started the revolving door. Zach Yenser will apparently return for a 2nd season, and maybe contiunity will help fix a battered line.

2. Is Coem IN?

One of the worst-kept secrets in college football is that Liam Coen is slated to return to Lexington as UK’s offensive coordinator. Coen’s offense put up 32 points per game in 2021, and Big Blue Nation is excited to have him back. But because Coen is working for the Los Angeles Rams, UK hasn’t been able to officially finalize his deal. There is no indication of trouble, but Kentucky fans are looking forward to having the ink dry on his contract.

3. Is Wilcox coming?

Kentucky filled most of its needs on Early Signing Day, but given the end of Chris Rodriguez Jr.’s UK career and the apparent transfer of Kavosiey Smoke, the Wildcats need backfield help. Georgia prep standout Jamarion Wilcox has been long linked with the Wildcats, and he would make sense alongside Vandy transfer Ray Davis.

4. Will the special teams be fixed?

UK had massive issues in special teams. The kicking game was basically a disaster, and punting had issues even before starter Colin Goodfellow suffered an apparent broken leg bailing out the Wildcats after a snap over his head in the Missouri game. New assistant Jay Boulware gets the special teams designation, but it may take a village to fix UK’s special teams woes.

5. Who steps up at receiver?

Kentucky’s in pretty good shape, with Barion Brown and Dane Key bringing a strong 1-2 combination into next season. Senior Tayvion Robinson will apparently spend a super senior year in Lexington, which also helps. But who else will benefit? Could be Shamar Porter, who could fill the Brown/Key role as a true frosh to watch. Could be one of the returning guys, like Jordan Anthony or Dekel Crowdus.

6. Will recruiting be more even?

Kentucky finished well in recruiting, and it is clearly going in hard on the transfer portal, but the Wildcats’ 2023 recruiting class seemed kind of thrown together. Under Stoops, Kentucky has seemed to sometimes alternate big recruiting classes with so-so efforts. Admittedly, part of the issue is in the state of Kentucky, which doesn’t pump out P5 prospects like Alabama or Florida. But Kentucky — probably due to some staff discontiunity — felt a little off in this recruiting class. Will that be fixed moving ahead?

7. Is the NIL grumbling over?

Another component of the recruiting issues were some massive mixed messages on NIL. UK AD Mitch Barnhart has been pretty clear that he’s not a massive fan of the current situation or the lack of NCAA oversight of NIL. Kentucky has seemingly lagged behind in terms of collectives and some of the more active marketing aspects of NIL. Stoops and Vince Marrow have also spoken out on the need to keep up with the SEC herd on the NIL gravy train. All parties seemingly are on the same page … but we’ll see how that bears out moving forward.

8. Will the linebackers be ready?

Kentucky will have big shoes to fill with DeAndre Square and Jacquez Jones finishing up their careers. Trevin Wallace looks like a future star, and Keaten Wade played well as a freshman. Still, it’s a different world as a depth guy than as the starter, and UK will have to develop more young guys behind Wallace and Wade.

9. Where’s the pass rush?

Kentucky’s defense was very solid in 2022, but it wasn’t because of an overwhelming pass rush. UK finished the seasons with 20 sacks, and J.J. Weaver led the team with just 3. Kentucky’s secondary made significant strides in 2022, and it’s not unreasonable to expect 2023 to be the year of the defensive front.

10. Who’s the backup QB?

North Carolina State transfer Devin Leary figures to be the main man at QB. But who’s QB2? It certainly matters at Kentucky, where the Wildcats have had more than their share of QB injury problems. Destin Wade had a tough Music City Bowl, and he might be better away from the QB position. Kaiya Sheron didn’t play in the bowl, and he struggled in his 1 start in relief of Will Levis. It remains to be seen whether Sheron will be around next season. Kentucky may well opt for a portal addition for depth, but it’ll be a significant story.