The 5 Kentucky football players to watch in Citrus Bowl practices

Courier Journal

LEXINGTON, Ky. — As Kentucky football players and coaches strive toward the first bowl win of the Mark Stoops era this month, a second and perhaps equally important goal will be finding practice reps for young players who will be needed for larger roles moving forward.

Kentucky will need to replace at least seven starters on defense and four on offense after the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl matchup with Penn State.

Some new faces will factor in those competitions in the spring and summer, but players already on the roster can gain a head start with strong Decembers. The fact that all of Kentucky’s freshmen have either already played in too many games to redshirt or can play in the bowl and stay below the four-game limit to redshirt only adds to the motivation to make an impact in pre-bowl practices.

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Which players could use December practices to catapult into key roles next season? Here are five candidates.

RB Kavosiey Smoke

Benny Snell could end the Citrus Bowl as Kentucky’s all-time leading rusher, but even if he fails to get the 107 yards needed to break the record Snell is almost certainly headed to the NFL draft. That means at least one freshman running back will be needed to step up and play alongside A.J. Rose next fall. Smoke was the first player Stoops mentioned when asked about young players he was eager to see more of in bowl practices, and he ended the regular season on a high note with four carries for 45 yards against Louisville in his collegiate debut.

WR Ahmad Wagner

Kentucky is set to lose senior Dorian Baker from its group of outside receivers, and while Baker was far from a consistent contributor himself in 2018, the need for playmakers to step up at the position is less about replacing his production than finding more options for quarterback Terry Wilson in an offense that will no longer have Snell to lean on. A fifth-year senior in 2019, Wagner does not fit the mold of mostly young players you will see on this list, but he looks like the most likely wide receiver to breakout during bowl practices given his numerous physical gifts and a full season of practice to reacquaint himself with football after three years playing basketball for Iowa. Wagner did not catch a pass in the regular season, but drew multiple pass interference penalties on his few targets.

OLB Jordan Wright

The Wildcats’ chances of beating Penn State were boosted when national Defensive Player of the Year Josh Allen elected to play in the Citrus Bowl, but his practice reps will likely still be limited to protect his health in advance of the NFL draft and give UK coaches a chance to audition his possible replacements. Senior Kengera Daniel, who decided to use the new redshirt rule this season to preserve an extra year of eligibility, might be the leading candidate to start at “Jack” linebacker next season should he return to UK, but Wright is a young player coaches have spoken highly of in his limited opportunities thus far.

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DB Jordan Griffin

No position group will face more turnover in 2019 than Kentucky’s secondary where four senior starters are set to depart after the bowl game. Griffin has the most experience of the returning defensive backs as a three-year contributor, but his junior season failed to materialize into the breakout year some had predicted with just 12 tackles in 11 regular-season games. Griffin can play any position in the secondary but has been listed as a backup safety in 2018. Davonte Robinson seems a lock to start at one safety spot next fall, but a strong December for Griffin could earn him the other safety spot or a chance to play at corner if coaches decide there is a greater need there in 2019.

CB Michael Nesbitt

Seniors Lonnie Johnson, Derrick Baity and Chris Westry have taken almost every significant snap at cornerback this season, leaving little opportunity for Nesbitt, a redshirt freshman second-stringer, to learn on the job. Still, he’s the most experienced of any of the players set to return at the position next year and likely has an early lead on sophomore Cedrick Dort, junior Dominique Williams and freshmen Stanley Garner and Jamari Brown in the race to start at cornerback next season. Expect at least one junior-college transfer to be brought in to compete for a starting job next fall, so Nesbitt could use an impressive December to remain in the driver’s seat.

Jon Hale: jahale@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @JonHale_CJ. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/jonh.