2018 Kentucky Wildcats football team

2018 Kentucky Wildcats football
Conference Southeastern Conference
Division Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches No. 20
AP No. 18
2018 record 5–1 (3–1 SEC)
Head coach Mark Stoops (6th season)
Offensive coordinator Eddie Gran (3rd season)
Co-offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator Matt House (2nd as OC; 3rd overall season)
Home stadium Kroger Field
(Capacity: 61,000)
2018 SEC football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
No. 11 Florida  4 –1     6 –1  
No. 8 Georgia  4 –1     6 –1  
No. 14 Kentucky  3 –1     5 –1  
South Carolina  2 –3     3 –3  
Tennessee  1 –2     3 –3  
Missouri  0 –3     3 –3  
Vanderbilt  0 –3     3 –4  
West Division
No. 1 Alabama  4 –0     7 –0  
No. 5 LSU  3 –1     6 –1  
No. 17 Texas A&M  3 –1     5 –2  
Ole Miss  1 –2     5 –2  
No. 22 Mississippi State  1 –2     4 –2  
Auburn  1 –3     4 –3  
Arkansas  0 –4     1 –6  
Championship: December 1, 2018
  • Ole Miss ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions
As of October 16, 2018; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018 Kentucky Wildcats football team represents the University of Kentucky in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats play their home games at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky and compete in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They are led by sixth-year head coach Mark Stoops.

Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2017 season 7–6, 4–4 in SEC play to finish in a tie for third place in the Eastern Division. They were invited to the Music City Bowl where they lost to Northwestern.

Offseason

Spring game

The spring game took place on April 13 at Kroger Field.

DateTimeSpring GameSiteTVResultAttendance
April 136:30 p.m.Blue vs. WhiteKroger Field • Lexington, KYSECNBlue 45, White 32
36,090

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Drew Barker#7QB6'3"222JuniorOrlando, FLRetired
Stephen Johnson#15QB6'2"195SeniorRancho Cucamonga, CaliforniaGraduated
Blake Bone#6WR6'5"213SeniorWoodruff, South CarolinaGraduated
Garrett Johnson#9WR5'11"175SeniorWinter Park, FloridaGraduated
Kayaune Ross#19WR6'6"225SeniorWest Chester, OhioGraduated
Charles Walker#88WR5'11"203SeniorLouisville, KentuckyGraduated
Greg Hart#85TE6'5"245SeniorDayton, OhioGraduated
Kyle Meadows#73OT6'5"300SeniorWest Chester, OhioGraduated
Nick Haynes#68OG6'3"300SeniorNiceville, FloridaGraduated
Matt Elam#69DT6'7"360SeniorElizabethtown, KentuckyGraduated
Jacob Hyde#36DT6'2"320SeniorManchester, KentuckyGraduated
Naquez Pringle#77DT6'3"320SeniorGeorgetown, South CarolinaGraduated
Denzil Ware#35DE6'2"240JuniorOpp, AlabamaTransferred to Jacksonville State
Eli Brown#32LB6'2"208SophomoreBowling Green, KentuckyTransferred to WKU
Courtney Love#51LB6'2"245SeniorYoungstown, OhioGraduated
Kendall Randolph#5DB6'0"183SeniorTallahassee, FloridaGraduated
Marcus Walker#16DB6'1"208JuniorLake Wales, FloridaKicked off team
Austin MacGinnis#99K5'10"172SeniorWedowee, AlabamaGraduated

2018 signing class

The 2018 football recruiting cycle was the first in which the NCAA authorized two signing periods for high school seniors in that sport. In addition to the traditional spring period starting with National Signing Day on February 7, 2018, a new early signing period was introduced, with the first such period falling from December 20–22, 2017.[1]

Notably, the Wildcats did not sign a single in-state player in their 2018 class—the first time this had happened since 1940.[2]

Personnel

Coaching staff

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops enters his sixth season as the Wildcat's head coach for the 2018 season. During his previous five seasons he led the Wildcats to an overall record of 26 wins and 36 losses.

Name Position Consecutive season at
Kentucky in current position
Mark StoopsHead coach6th
Eddie GranOffensive Coordinator, Running backs3rd
Darin HinshawCo-Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks3rd
Matt HouseDefensive Coordinator, Inside Linebackers2nd
Michael SmithWide receivers1st
Vince MarrowTight Ends, Recruiting Coordinator6th
John SchlarmanOffensive Line6th
Derrick LeBlancDefensive Line2nd
Steve ClinkscaleDefensive backs3rd
Dean HoodSpecial Teams, Outside Linebackers2nd
Corey EdmondDirector of Performance2nd
Reference:

Roster

2018 Kentucky Wildcats football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 1 Lynn Bowden So
WR 2 Dorian Baker Sr
QB 3 Terry Wilson So
RB 5 Sihiem King Sr
WR 6 Blake Bone Sr
QB 8 Danny Clark Fr
RB 10 A.J. Rose So
WR 11 Tavin Richardson Jr
QB 12 Gunnar Hoak So
WR 13 Zy'Aire Hughes So
WR 14 Ahmad Wagner Jr
QB 15 Kolbe Langhi Fr
QB 17 Walker Wood Fr
WR 18 Clevan Thomas So
WR 19 Akeem Hayes Fr
RB 20 Kavosiey Smoke Fr
WR 23 Brayden Berezowitz Jr
RB 24 Chris Rodriguez Fr
WR 25 Brett Slusher Jr
RB 26 Benny Snell Jr. Jr
WR 27 Bryan Berezowitz Jr
RB 28 Zach Johnson Jr
WR 29 Zac Berezowitz Fr
RB 30 Donald Smith So
WR 31 Darren Edmond Fr
RB 32 Tyler Markray Fr
WR 33 David Bouvier Sr
WR 35 John Daido So
WR 36 Patrick Henschen So
WR 37 Tyler Beisner Fr
TE 46 Drew Schlegel Jr
WR 48 Will Crum Fr
C 52 Drake Jackson So
FR 60 Quintin Wilson Fr
OG 61 Austin Dotson So
OG 62 Tyler Couch Fr
OG 64 George Asafo-Adjei Sr
OG 65 Jervontius Stallings Sr
OT 66 Naasir Watkins Fr
OT 67 Landon Young   Jr
OG 68 Kenneth Horsey Fr
OG 71 Logan Stenberg Jr
OG 72 E.J. Price So
OT 73 Matthew Napier Fr
OT 76 Sebastien Dolcine Fr
OT 77 Mason Wolfe So
OT 78 Nick Lewis Fr
OT 79 Luke Fortner So
TE 80 Brenden Bates Fr
WR 81 Isaiah Epps So
WR 82 Josh Ali So
TE 83 Justin Rigg Jr
WR 84 B.J. Alexander Fr
WR 84 Bryce Oliver Fr
TE 87 C.J. Conrad Sr
TE 88 Keaton Upshaw Fr
WR 89 Allen Dailey Fr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
S 3 Jordan Griffin Jr
DE 4 Joshua Paschal So
CB 6 Lonnie Johnson Sr
S 7 Mike Edwards Sr
CB 8 Derrick Baity Sr
S 9 Davonte Robinson So
LB 15 Jordan Wright Fr
DE 20 Kengera Daniel Sr
CB 21 Chris Westry Sr
LB 22 Chris Oats Fr
S 23 Tyrell Ajian Fr
S 25 Darius West Sr
CB 26 Michael Nesbitt Fr
CB 27 Cedrick Dort Fr
S 29 Yusuf Corker Fr
CB 30 Domonique Williams Jr
LB 31 Jamar Watkins So
LB 34 Jordan Jones Sr
CB 35 Immanuel Bowie Fr
LB 36 Ashtan Pierre  Fr
CB 37 Stanley Garner Fr
LB 38 William Nalty So
LB 39 Elijah Barnett Jr
LB 41 Josh Allen Sr
LB 43 DeAndre Square Fr
LB 44 Jamin Davis Fr
LB 47 Harold Lacy So
DE 49 Shawn Lawson Fr
DT 50 Marquan McCall Fr
DE 55 Davoan Hawkins Fr
LB 56 Kash Daniel Jr
LB 58 Alex King Fr
DT 59 Kordell Looney So
DE 90 T.J. Carter Jr
DE 91 Calvin Taylor Jr
DT 92 Phil Hoskins Jr
DT 93 Jerquavion Mahone Fr
DE 94 Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald Fr
DT 95 Quinton Bohanna So
DE 97 Chris Whittaker Fr
DE 98 Tymere Dubose Sr
DT 99 Adrian Middleton Sr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
LS 42 Tristan Yeomans Sr
LS 53 Blake Best Jr
P 86 Grant McKinniss Jr
P 93 Max Duffy So
PK 95 Miles Butler Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Eddie Gran
    Offensive Coordinator/Running backs
  • Darin Hinshaw
    Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
  • Matt House
    Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers
  • Michael Smith
    Wide Receivers
  • Vince Marrow
    Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
  • John Schlarman
    Offensive Line
  • Derrick LeBlanc
    Defensive Line
  • Steve Clinkscale
    Defensive Backs
  • Dean Hood
    Special Teams/Outside Linebackers
  • Corey Edmund
    Director of Performance
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 1, 2018

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award Player Position Year
Lott Trophy[4] Josh Allen LB SR
Chuck Bednarik Award[5] Josh Allen LB SR
Mike Edwards S SR
Maxwell Award[6] Benny Snell Jr. RB JR
Doak Walker Award[7] Benny Snell Jr. RB JR
John Mackey Award[8] CJ Conrad TE SR
Butkus Award[9] Josh Allen LB JR
Jim Thorpe Award[10] Mike Edwards S SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[11] Mike Edwards S SR
Paul Hornung Award[12] Lynn Bowden WR/KR SO
Wuerffel Trophy[13] CJ Conrad TE SR
Walter Camp Award[14] Benny Snell Jr. RB JR

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on July 20, 2018 with the Wildcats predicted to finish in fifth place in the East Division.[15]

Media poll (East)
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1Georgia1,977 (271)
2South Carolina1,535 (8)
3Florida1,441 (2)
4Missouri1,057
5Kentucky874 (1)
6Tennessee704 (1)
7Vanderbilt392

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Wildcats had four players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 13:30 p.m.Central Michigan*
ESPNUW 35–2049,138
September 87:30 p.m.at No. 25 Florida
SECNW 27–1680,651
September 1512:00 p.m.Murray State*
  • Kroger Field
  • Lexington, KY
SECNW 48–1048,217
September 227:00 p.m.No. 14 Mississippi State
  • Kroger Field
  • Lexington, KY (rivalry)
ESPN2W 28–760,037
September 297:30 p.m.South CarolinaNo. 17
  • Kroger Field
  • Lexington, KY
SECNW 24–1063,081
October 67:00 p.m.at Texas A&MNo. 13
ESPNL 14–20 OT99,829
October 207:30 p.m.Vanderbilt
  • Kroger Field
  • Lexington, KY (rivalry)
SECN
October 27at Missouri
November 3Georgia
  • Kroger Field
  • Lexington, KY
November 10at Tennessee
November 17Middle Tennessee*
  • Kroger Field
  • Lexington, KY
November 24at Louisville*
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Central Michigan

Overall record Last Meeting Result
6–0 2011 Kentucky, 27–13
Central Michigan at Kentucky
1 2 34Total
Chippewas 3 17 0020
Wildcats 7 14 7735

at Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky

  • Date: September 1, 2018
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 49,138
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst)

at Florida

Overall record Last meeting Result
17–51 2017 Florida, 28–27
Kentucky at Florida
1 2 34Total
Wildcats 7 0 14627
No. 25 Gators 0 10 0616

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

Murray State

Overall record Last Meeting Result
1–0 2003 Kentucky, 37–6
Murray State at Kentucky
1 2 34Total
Racers 0 3 0710
Wildcats 7 10 171448

at Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky

  • Date: September 15, 2018
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 48,217
  • TV announcers (SECN): Mike Morgan (play-by-play), John Congemi (analyst), Taylor Gray (sideline reporter)

Mississippi State

Overall record Last Meeting Result
22–23 2017 Mississippi State, 45–7
Mississippi State at Kentucky
1 2 34Total
No. 14 Bulldogs 0 7 007
Wildcats 0 7 71428

at Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky

South Carolina

Overall record Last Meeting Result
11–17–1 2017 Kentucky, 23–13
South Carolina at Kentucky
1 2 34Total
Gamecocks 3 0 7010
No. 17 Wildcats 3 21 0024

at Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky

at Texas A&M

Overall record Last meeting Result
1–1 1953 Texas A&M, 7–6
Kentucky at Texas A&M
1 2 34OTTotal
No. 13 Wildcats 7 0 07014
Aggies 0 7 07620

at Kyle Field, College Station, Texas

Vanderbilt

Overall record Last Meeting Result
44–42–4 2017 Kentucky, 44–21
Vanderbilt at Kentucky
1 2 34Total
Commodores - - --0
Wildcats - - --0

at Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky

  • Date: October 20, 2018
  • Game time: EST

at Missouri

Overall record Last meeting Result
5–3 2017 Kentucky, 40–34
Kentucky at Missouri
1 2 34Total
Wildcats - - --0
Tigers - - --0

at Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri

  • Date: October 27, 2018
  • Game time: EST

Georgia

Overall record Last Meeting Result
12–56–2 2017 Georgia, 42–13
Georgia at Kentucky
1 2 34Total
Bulldogs - - --0
Wildcats - - --0

at Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky

  • Date: November 3, 2018
  • Game time: EST

at Tennessee

Overall record Last meeting Result
25–79–9 2017 Kentucky, 29–26
Kentucky at Tennessee
1 2 34Total
Wildcats - - --0
Volunteers - - --0

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee

  • Date: November 10, 2018
  • Game time: EST

Middle Tennessee

Overall record Last Meeting Result
2–0 2008 Kentucky, 20–14
Middle Tennessee at Kentucky
1 2 34Total
Blue Raiders - - --0
Wildcats - - --0

at Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky

  • Date: November 17, 2018
  • Game time: EST

at Louisville

Overall record Last meeting Result
15–15 2017 Louisville, 44–17
Kentucky at Louisville
1 2 34Total
Wildcats - - --0
Cardinals - - --0

at Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky

  • Date: November 24, 2018
  • Game time: EST

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final 
AP RV NR RV RV 17 13 18  
Coaches RV RV RV RV 17 15 20  
CFP Not released Not released

References

  1. ↑ Rittenberg, Adam (May 8, 2017). "Collegiate Commissioners Association approves early signing period for football". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  2. ↑ Roush, Nick (April 11, 2018). "Kentucky Could Lose Rare In-State Recruiting Opportunity". Kentucky Sports Radio. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Football – 2015 Coaches". University of Kentucky Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on 2012-01-03. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  4. ↑ "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  5. ↑ "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  6. ↑ "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  7. ↑ "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ "2018 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released" (PDF). July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Butkus Award - 2018 Collegiate Watchlist". The Butkus Award. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Names 2018 Preseason Watchlist". July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  11. ↑ "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  12. ↑ "43 PLAYERS NAMED TO 2018 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST". July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  14. ↑ Carbone, Al (July 27, 2018). "Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces 2018 Player of the Year Preseason "Watch List"". Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  15. ↑ http://www.secsports.com/article/24148392/media-predicts-alabama-win-2018-sec-championship
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