How losing OL coach Eric Wolford to Alabama adds to Kentucky football's biggest question
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football's offensive line is undergoing more turnover this offseason.
After losing three starters, the group is now set to lose its position coach. Kentucky offensive line coach Eric Wolford, who joined the staff before the 2021 season, is set to join Nick Saban's staff at Alabama, according to multiple reports.
Wolford spent just one season in Lexington but made an immediate impact in replacing beloved UK coach John Schlarman, who died in November 2020 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Kentucky was one of four finalists for the 2021 Joe Moore Award, which goes to college football's best offensive line. Wolford also played a key role in establishing Kentucky's new recruiting pipeline to the Nashville area.
Kentucky football: What to know about Mark Stoops' new UK contract
Most of the Kentucky football's 2022 roster news has been positive since the Wildcats' Citrus Bowl win over Iowa, but offensive line has to be viewed as a significant question mark entering spring practice.
What Kentucky football's next offensive line coach will inherit
Whoever replaces Wolford on Mark Stoops' staff will have to deal with major turnover.
Gone are first-team All-American right tackle Darian Kinnard, All-SEC center Luke Fortner and NFL draft early entrant left tackle Dare Rosenthal. Right guard Eli Cox, a midseason All-American, is working his way back from a season-ending hand injury that cost him the final four games of the 2021 season.
Kenneth Horsey, Kentucky's normal starter at left guard, is expected to get an extended look at tackle during spring practice after starting the bowl game at left tackle in place of Rosenthal. UK returns reserve tackle Jeremy Flax, who played in 11 games last season.
Kentucky football roster: Who UK is losing and adding through the transfer portal during offseason
Depth is stronger at the interior line positions, especially after the addition of Auburn offensive guard transfer Tashawn Manning, who recently told reporters he would spend some time at center in spring practice. Quintin Wilson, Fortner's primary backup, could start at center or guard. Former four-star recruit Jager Burton is expected to compete for one of the guard spots after playing in three games as a freshman.
Kentucky welcomed five-star offensive tackle signee Kiyaunta Goodwin, a Louisville native who graduated from Charlestown High School in Southern Indiana, to campus earlier this month. He could earn a spot in the tackle rotation as a freshman, depending on the progress of the other young tackles on the roster, including redshirt freshman Deondre Buford and freshman David Wohlabaugh.
UK will almost certainly look to the transfer portal to add at least one veteran tackle to the group later this spring.
Eric Wolford's impact on Kentucky football recruiting
Following the departure of former defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale, UK was not expected to continue recruiting Michigan heavily, but Wolford was able to help the staff land four-star defensive lineman Deone Walker from the Wolverine State in the 2022 class.
He also deserves a share of the credit for landing four-star Nashville prep wide receiver Barion Brown, one of the top-ranked signees in UK's 2022 class. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen and wide receivers coach Scott Woodward played a major part in Kentucky's recruiting of offensive skill position players, but Wolford was UK's primary Nashville-area recruiter. Kentucky signed three four-star prospects from Nashville in December and landed a commitment from four-star class of 2023 Nashville wide receiver Shamar Porter over the weekend.
Kentucky football roster: These players will use the extra year of eligibility to return to school
After losing Clinkscale and linebackers coach Jon Sumrall, two of the staff's best recruiters, in the last two offseasons, recruiting prowess will likely be a key factor in Stoops' next hire. Finding an offensive line coach who can teach Coen's system will be important too.
Email Jon Hale at jahale@courier-journal.com; Follow him on Twitter at @JonHale_CJ.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football: New Alabama coach Eric Wolford leaves big hole
