Three Biggest WHAT IFs For Kentucky Football This Season

[Music] a pivotal year for Mark Stoops in the Kentucky Wildcats approaches what are the three biggest wha ifs for Big Blue Nation entering the 2024 season hello everyone I'm Chris Phillips of SEC unfiltered appreciate each and every single one of you tuning in make sure you like subscribe turn notifications check us out via podcast where you get your podcast you can also find us across all social media platforms as well as our website sec unfiltered.com we're brought to you by our friends over at priz Pi guys download the priz PI app or go to price.com when you do use promo code SECU for a first deposit match of up to $100 again guys it's your friends over at priz piics promo code SECU to get your first deposit match today what feels like a pivotal year for Mark Stoops in the Kentucky football program is upcoming this season as we're really going to figure out what is the trajectory of Kentucky football this is year 12 of Mark stops and after a couple Seasons You could argue of slightly falling below expectations from my perspective there's this little hype and hoopla and Buzz and excitement around Kentucky as there's been in quite some time and I think that's bound to happen when you underachieve when you fall short of expectation so this year is really really important to you know is Kentucky going to be one of those surprise teams are they going to get back to winning eight or nine games or do we see Big Blue Nation slowly fall back to that 500 Mark and maybe even below and get back to the Kentucky of old dare I say before Mark stews around a pivotal year a huge year when it comes to the perception of Kentucky and defining what trajectory they are on these are my three biggest what ifs for Kentucky three wh ifs that are really going to help shape is it a positive trajectory is it a negative trajectory and really going to help us Define how we view Kentucky football after this 2024 season guys my first biggest what if and speaking of hype and hoopla and when it comes to predictions and projections and and offseason hype and the way people talk about your football program guys what you'll notice is if you underachieve and you fall short of that expectations and you burn folks a couple times you're just not going to get that benefit of the doubt if you will from people I think that's sort of what Kentucky has been but especially at the quarterback position you look back over the last couple years guys will Levis Devin lery and you can talk about offensive line wos or the receiver position or running back but those two dudes in their final seasons in Lexington flat out underachieved and what I found really really interesting we talked about our Kentucky folks back back in the spring right before the spring game and kind of got an update on how things are going in Spring ball you know I was asked by the Kentucky guy hey have you noticed a lot of hype around the quarterback position with Brock vandagriff transferring in and I said no not really you know it feels like it's been as quiet an off season as I can recall for Kentucky football and he mentioned to me Chris that's by Design that's on purpose because what Kentucky identifies is that you know what all this preseason hype and building guys up and and creating this buzz it hasn't worked out well for them in the past so what Kentucky's trying to do guys is really kind of sit back and say you know what it's okay to be the Dark Horse it's okay to be underrated it's okay to not add this extra pressure and mount that pressure and put that on our guys and put that on the quarterback position especially when you got a guy that yes got tons of talent tons of upside but we have not seen him do it in any sort of meaningful game action so guys my first what if for Kentucky is this what if a Kentucky quarterback and of course that quarterback being Brock vandagriff but what if a Kentucky quarterback finally overd delivers after being underhyped what if because Kentucky guys they've been winning seven games eight you know kind of falling quote unquote below expectations and they have not gotten good quarterback play I mean that that's the reason why they have not been you know living up to I think this height that a lot of people created for them so what if this play actually works what if Kentucky what if it's the best possible thing for Brock Vandergriff again a guy in Brock Vandergriff tons of talent he's got the bill the dude's like 65 250 he can run the football as well we'll see what he does throw in the football we'll see what he can do in that offense but what if a Kentucky quarterback and this being Brock vandagriff what if they finally live up to the hype what if they deliver and maybe overd deliver it's it's interesting guys how perception and how you know how that type of stuff matters like when you're talking about positive or negative trajectory when you put a bunch of hype on somebody and then you fall short even if you had a good season if you fall short of that hype you're looked at as a disappointment versus guys right now nobody's talking about Kentucky and very very few are talking about Brock Vander so what if just what if a Kentucky quarterback finally overd delivers after being under hype plays football and what would that mean for Kentucky in this season guys my second what if for Big Blue Nation in 2024 and the thing that has perplexed me most guys over the last couple years is it feels like Kentucky has gotten away from their identity when I think of Kentucky football I think Benny Snell I think ground and pound I think punch you in the face I think step on your throat I think winning that physicality the battle at the line of scrimmage and being the more physical football team I think of Kentucky a team that maybe you look at and say they're probably not as talented as who they're playing but they are going to impose their will on you in the trenches and they're going to beat you up to a point where they're going to beat you in a submission and that's how they're going to win games what's been so perplexing is seeing Kentucky get away from that and you know I guys I look at last year I remember watching Kentucky playing in a non-conference game I I forget exactly who the opponent was but either way they've got first and goal at the two yard line and ky's running a play action kuy's running spread and I'm just thinking like what happened to the Kentucky football that we all knew and loved what happened to this program's identity and my second what if guys is what if the puzzling offensive line woes continue and they are puzzling because you look at kuy's offensive line they've got a lot of dudes back this year they added guys on the portal their o line should be better this should be the best o line ky's had in a couple years now but we've been saying that I feel like the last couple years Kentucky there hadn't been a reason they've struggled the way they have and it just hasn't clicked or has not worked out so you know you've got Brock vandagriff who you're high on you've got the running back position you add a couple guys you're high on you've got Bon Brown and Dane key on the outside you're really really high on those guys are two of the best wide receivers in the SEC when they're clicking none of of that matters if Kentucky cannot get back to their identity which is whipping people's ass in the front seven whipping people's ass in the line of scrimmage in the Run game protecting their quarterback being the more physical football team if Kentucky can't get back to that if the offensive line woes continue none of the other stuff really matters so what if the puzzling offensive line W continue what will that mean for this Kentucky team this year and guys my third and final what if for Big Blue Nation 2024 season speaking of the line of scrimmage and Brad white has done an incredible job on that defensive side for the Kentucky Wildcats I mean EV every single year you know there's one thing you can count on it is Kentucky on the defensive side being salty giving this football team a chance to win and we've talked a lot about him again Kentucky's not getting nearly enough hype especially in the defensive side of the football guys because you look at that front seven I'm not saying it's the best in the SEC but it's top half of the league at minimum I mean at minimum it might be top three or four come season's end what if the front seven is as good as we think it can be and listen to some of these names guys Octavius oxendon Dion Walker kesan silver jaman Dumas Johnson JJ Weaver debt Jackson like ky's got some straight up dudes in the front seven they they've got some dudes who are going to wreak havoc if you are not solid on your offensive front it's going to be a very long afternoon for you we talk about Kentucky on the offensive side winning at the point of attack being the more physical team I expect that identity from the defensive side too you know again oxen Don and Deon Walker in the middle of that defense Deon Walker is a onean wck crew that guy that guy takes up half the defensive front and then jaman Dumas Johnson the linebacker coming over from Georgia I thought he was one of the most underrated pickups in the transfer portal he was a stud in Athens I think he'll continue to be that and be a star for Kentucky defense so what if guys what if the front seven is as good as we think it can be and if it is I think that's going to spell really really big things that Kentucky defense and this Kentucky football team as well I think it's going to help Kentucky potentially be a surprise eight or nine win football team like can Kentucky go from I think most are expecting six or seven wins to dude maybe we're talking about Kentucky two-thirds of the way through the season is hey this Falls this way and this goes right and maybe ky's on the verge of competing to getting a college football playoff I know that sounds nuts but what if what if the front Seven's as good as we think it can be what if it makes that defense Elite could spell some big things for the Wildcats this fall so guys my three biggest wh ifs for Kentucky football this season number one what if a Kentucky quarterback finally overd delivers after being underhyped number two what if the puzzling offensive line W continue and number three what if the front seven is as good as we think it can be guys this going to do all for me appreciate each and every single one of you tuning in make sure you like subscribe turn notifications check us out via podcast wherever you get your podcast you can also find us across all social media platforms as well as our website SEC unfiltered.com as the next time guys I'm Chris F of SEC unfiltered appreciate each and every single one of you tuning in and we'll catch you on the other side [Music]