UK has 3 of top 30 returning offensive linemen next season in college football

The Kentucky Wildcats boast one of the top offensive lines in the entire country going into the 2020 football season, and it might be the best we have ever seen at Kentucky.

Pro Football Focus seems to think so as well, as PFF ranked the top-30 blockers returning to school for this season, and three Wildcats make the list.

Darian Kinnard leads the list of Wildcats at No. 12 in the country, Drake Jackson followed suit at No. 18 on the list, and Luke Fortner closed it out at No. 26.

This is what PFF had to say about Darian Kinnard:

Kinnard’s run-blocking at right tackle was on another level this year — his 89.1 run-blocking grade was the fifth best at his position. When the Wildcats ran inside zone, Kinnard was making plays left and right and raised his run-blocking grade to an FBS high 93.4. All-in-all, Kinnard finished the year with the fifth-highest WAA (wins above average) among right tackles and was the highest among sophomores/freshman.

Kinnard is almost certainly gone to the NFL after this season, barring something catastrophic. He was arguably the best lineman last year on a line that featured a trio of returnees Drake Jackson and Landon Young, as well as Logan Stenberg, who was just drafted by the Detroit Lions.

Last year, Kentucky was robbed of the Joe Moore award for the best offensive line in college football, and this was after making sure Lynn Bowden rushed for the most yards in the SEC. With the returnees they have for this season, if they aren’t considered for the second straight season, then there is a problem.