Friday Quickies: Respect for Kentucky Football

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Jan 15, 2021, 6:40am EST

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NCAA Football: Gator Bowl-North Carolina State vs Kentucky

It seems as every year Kentucky Football has a somewhat decent chance of finishing near the top of the SEC East. Though Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs annually stand in their way, the other programs on that side of the Southeastern Conference aren’t expected to be nearly the same level in 2021.

Here’s are my very early SEC East predictions for the 2021 season heading into spring practice pic.twitter.com/nJCEuRYbzY
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) January 14, 2021

In fact, after multiple announcements by Kentucky players making their return for next season, Mike Bratton of Saturday Down South has predicted Kentucky as the second-best team in his pre-spring rankings.

Of course, a lot can happen between now and the first game of the season. Then each team has to actually live up to expectations for the entire course of the season. It’s truly a lot to ask for. But thanks to Kentucky retaining several key starters and bringing in a handful of quality recruits, the Wildcats are poised to meet those expectations this coming fall.

Following a year that brought so much sorrow to the Kentucky Football program, it’s quite satisfying to see the respect head coach Mark Stoops and the rest of the program are receiving.