Ad Disclosure
Coming off back-to-back 5-7 seasons, Kentucky has lost its fans’ interest to the hardwood for the winter. And with the Wildcats’ collection of basketball talent, who can blame them?
Still, the Wildcats football team will return plenty of talent in 2016 with 17 players who started the season finale expected back in next fall.
But there are significant losses that must be addressed, particularly at quarterback and on the defensive side of the ball, where four of the team’s top five tacklers will be moving on.
Here are the five players that coach Mark Stoops and his staff will have the most trouble replacing for next season:
5. LT Jordan Swindle — There’s only one projected loss on the offensive line, but it’s at the most important position. Swindle made 34 starts in his career at Kentucky, and his experience in the trenches will be sorely missed.
4. S A.J. Stamps — Tied for second on the team with 67 tackles in 12 games (10 starts) for the Wildcats, Stamps finished his two-year career in Lexington with five interceptions and 123 tackles.
3. QB Patrick Towles — This name may draw some groans from Wildcat fans, but with the recent exodus of quarterbacks from the program, his departure becomes all the more important. Towles, who will play his final season at Boston College, made 10 starts in 2015, passing for 2,148 yards, nine touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He departs as the sixth-leading passer in Kentucky history, and as of right now, Drew Barker is the only scholarship quarterback on the roster.
2. DT Cory Johnson — He had a strong season from his interior line position, posting 67 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception. In addition to drawing some all-SEC recognition, he also helped keep Josh Forrest free to make plays from his middle linebacker position.
1. LB Josh Forrest — The Paducah, Ky., native led the team in tackles (93) and sacks (3.5) while adding six tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions. He leaves with 232 tackles in his career, which isn’t too shabby for a receiving prospect coming out of high school.
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.
