Opposing coaches anonymously weigh in on Kentucky’s football program

If you asked Kentucky fans, I believe most if not all would agree that Mark Stoops has done an excellent job building the Kentucky football program to levels we haven’t seen in years.

However, what do SEC opponents think about the program?

Thankfully, Athlon Sports gives us the answer to that in their college football preview where SEC coaches had the chance to anonymously give their opinion on the Cats.

We have seen the media give the Cats little respect in recent years, but one coach believes Kentucky may be the most consistent program in the conference.

“A really consistent program...maybe the most steady in our league. They’re smart recruiters, and they have a nice system in place.”

That consistency has been built through the mentality of the coaching staff and the players on the field. The Cats have been led by their stout defense.

The offense, however, has been a polar opposite of the defense in recent seasons. One SEC coach pointed out how simple the offensive attack was but believes the new offense under Liam Coen will be much different.

“Making the change on offense was a big deal for them. Eddie Gran ran a lot of ball control, simple stuff by design to accommodate the defense. They really live and die with the quarterback because they’re just solid but not great anywhere else. The new offense will have more play-action, more of the Rams’ offense; they’ll run a lot of outside zone and probably not as much between the tackles.”

Another coach pointed out that the offensive success going forward is going to come down to whether or not we have a good quarterback running the show.

“They need to find their quarterback and build around him. The defense is going to be stout and it’s going to be interesting to see how this new offensive scheme complements what Mark wants.”

You can read a lot more in Athlon Sports’ 2021 college football preview which can be purchased online here.