6 Wildcats named to Preseason All-SEC teams by league coaches

Six Kentucky Wildcats have been named to the Preseason All-SEC teams by league coaches, it was announced Tuesday. They are as follows:

• Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. was a First-Team pick on offense.
• Offensive guard Kenneth Horsey was named to the Second-Team offense.
• Quarterback Will Levis and wide receiver Tayvion Robinson were named to the Third-team offense.
• Senior linebackers Jacquez Jones and DeAndre Square were named Third-Team defense.

Rodriguez is the SEC’s leading returning rusher. In 2021, he averaged 106.1 yards per game, ranking 12th nationally and second in the SEC. His 1,379 rushing yards ranks fifth on UK’s single-season list. He also became the 10th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. His nine 100+ yard rushing games last season were a school record.

Horsey has been Kentucky’s starting left guard for two seasons and now is the Wildcats’ most experienced lineman with 25 career games and 21 career starts. This, after he had open-heart surgery in April of 2018, prior to his freshman year at UK, then went on to earn the 2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award. He also earned spot on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and the SEC Community Service Team in 2021.

Levis is entering his second year as the starter at quarterback. After transferring in from Penn State in 2021, Levis threw for 2,827 yards and 24 scores last season while rushing for 376 net yards and nine touchdowns. His 24 touchdown passes were the most since Andre’ Woodson had 40 in 2007. Levis totaled 3,203 yards of total offense, the seventh player in school history to reach 3,000 yards of total offense in a season.

Robinson joins the Wildcats after three seasons at Virginia Tech, where he had 113 catches for 1,555 yards and nine touchdowns (eight receiving, one punt return score) across 36 games.

Square (49 career games, 35 career starts) was third-leading tackler in 2021 with 80 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. He also grabbed the game-clinching interception in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl vs. Iowa.

Jones joined UK from Ole Miss before the 2021 campaign and led the team with 86 total tackles. He had 3.5 tackles for loss, a game-sealing pass breakup vs. Florida, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.