Kentucky’s first fall camp under Will Stein is drawing closer, and with it comes the kind of roster reality every team has to face: the injury list is still hanging around Lexington.
The Wildcats are 33 days away from kickoff, and while there’s plenty of buzz around the program, several key names are still working their way through health issues that were already on the radar months ago. The staff has been adjusting accordingly, including recent running back additions and the decision to move Martel Carter from safety to running back. That shift is tied largely to Jovantae Barnes, the former Oklahoma running back who missed spring practice after transferring to Kentucky.
Two players dealing with season-ending injuries are still in the comeback process. Nic Anderson, a former Oklahoma and LSU wide receiver now in Lexington, is trying to finish his college career on a high note after a knee injury late last season at LSU slowed that plan down.
Sam Greene is also still fighting back after a knee injury suffered late last season at Kentucky. The edge rusher should be a familiar name to Wildcats fans after wearing blue and white last year.
There is some more encouraging news on the offensive line. Tegra Tshabola, the multi-year starting guard from Ohio State, recently had what Stein described as a minor setback.
Stein said, “Tegra had a minor procedure. He’ll be back within the next week or so.
So nothing that is a major season-ending setback.”
Another major portal addition, Tennessee transfer left tackle Lance Heard, has also been managing a minor issue. He missed the final week of spring practice because of a minor procedure, but the expectation is that Kentucky is simply being careful with a preseason All-SEC tackle before the real work begins this fall.
In Other News...
Kentucky May Have Found The Forward Its Roster Still Needs
Kentucky is still sorting through the kind of frontcourt help that can make a roster feel complete, and Keyshawn Hall has emerged as a name worth watching. The former Auburn forward has also spent time at UNLV, George Mason and UCF, and his track record suggests a player who has already seen plenty of different systems and roles while continuing to produce at a high level.
Halls appeal is obvious for a program looking to add another proven piece, and Kentucky is reportedly among several schools in the mix. The added wrinkle is that some of those same schools are already on Kentuckys schedule next season, which only makes the recruiting race feel a little more layered as the Wildcats try to figure out whether he can be the forward answer they still need. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Opens Will Stein Era With An Early Fall Camp Concern
Fall camp opens Aug. 6 for Kentucky, and the first preseason look at the Will Stein era comes with a little less full-speed buzz than usual. The Wildcats have loaded up through the portal with 29 transfer additions, but a handful of those newcomers are still working back from injuries and wont be ready when camp begins, alongside a few returning players in the same boat.
Among the group managing rehab are transfers Nic Anderson, Jovontae Barnes and Tegra Tshabola, plus returners Jaden Smith and Sam Greene. Greenes situation is the one Kentucky will keep watching most closely on the defensive side, because Stein has said he expects him to be a factor this season, but the early days of camp will show how quickly the Wildcats can get everyone else back into the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Will Stein Sets The Tone As Kentucky Enters A New Era
The first real public tune-up for Kentucky footballs new era came this week in Lexington, where Will Stein and several of his assistants and players met with local media at the teams Media Day before the season opener against Youngstown State. Stein, who took over the program last December, is now the face of a reset that has been months in the making, and this was a chance for everyone around the program to start putting names and voices to the changes.
For Kentucky fans, it is the kind of late-summer checkpoint that says more about direction than depth charts. Steins arrival has already shifted the tone around the program, and the Wildcats are trying to carry that energy into a new season while the schools basketball scene also had its own recent disappointment, with La Familia falling in the title game of The Basketball Tournament. The focus now belongs to football, and the first test is just ahead. [Read more 🡒]