College football is back in the bluegrass, and it’s a new season for the Kentucky Wildcats. After a disappointing 2024 season, with a 1-7 finish in the SEC, a motivated Mark Stoops looks to right the ship and his tenure amid fan frustration.
However, with 50 newcomers on the roster, it’s hard to gauge what this year’s Wildcats will be until they hit the field.
Kentucky doesn’t start the season with the traditional slouch like seasons past, as they take on the Toledo Rockets in Kroger Field. Led by
10-year head coach Jason Candle, the Rockets are picked to win the MAC and have been tabbed as a Group of Five playoff threat as they return a lot of production from last season, featuring four All-MAC players, including senior quarterback Tucker Gleason.
The Wildcats are favored to win, but the line has dwindled from -12.5 points all the way down to -7.5 points, though it’s now back up to 10.5 points. For the sake of the season and fan engagement, this opening game is a must-win. If not, Stoops’ seat will grow hotter, and it will become much more difficult to find success with a schedule that is among the hardest in the nation.
First Look at the Offensive Line
For this season to be successful, the Wildcats must have better offensive line play. For three straight seasons, inefficient or just inept play has plagued the line and has been a major handicap to the team’s success.
Attempting to overhaul the unit, the staff brought in five o-lineman from the transfer portal, including three with All-Conference honors: Joshua Braun (Arkansas), Shiyazh Pete (New Mexico State), and Alex Wollschlaeger (Bowling Green). Those three have elite size as well, between 6-6 and 6-8, at 310+ pounds.
Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan has already gone on record saying, “This offensive line is going to remind us of the great offensive lines we’ve had here.” Mark Stoops believes the group is in a much better position in terms of depth as well, citing there are eight guys that can play at an SEC level.
While the talent and size are much better, it takes time to build the continuity that an 0-line needs. Toledo will be the first test of that.
Zach Calzada
Last season, Kentucky went after potential when they recruited former 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff from Georgia in the transfer portal. Arriving in Lexington without a single start, there were some big learning curves that he struggled to overcome. While his lack of experience wasn’t the sole reason for his failures,
This season, they made a 180 and sought after experience. Cue Zach Calzada, the oldest starting quarterback in college football. A seven-year college football quarterback with 32 career starts, playing at Texas A&M, Auburn, and Incarnate Word.
Calzada has a good arm and will use it especially in the play-action game, but his biggest strength is his ability to scramble and extend plays. Last season alone, he ran for 471 non-sack rushing yards. That high-risk, high-reward approach, however, has come with a history of turnovers and injuries.
Behind Calzada is former 4-star, in-state product Cutter Boley, who is looked at as Kentucky’s future at quarterback. Boley has impressed this summer and fall camp following an inconsistent end to his freshman campaign. With a perceived higher ceiling, the Wildcats could quickly turn to Boley if Calzada struggles to produce or suffers an injury.
RB Room
The deepest position for Kentucky is arguably the running back room, as Mark Stoops looks to get back to his strengths as a coach with a run-first approach. Unlike seasons past, the Wildcats do not have a feature back like they had with Benny Snell, Chris Rodriguez, and Ray Davis, but they do have talent and depth.
Transfers Seth McGowan and Dante Dowdell are expected to take a majority of the snaps, but returnees Jamarion Wilcox and Jason Patterson were two of the few bright spots from last season as well.
Stoops sees McGowan as an all-around “NFL level” back. Dowdell is a very good short-yardage back who will be important in the red zone. Wilcox ran for over 100 yards against Tennessee last season, and forced 30 missed tackles on 92 carries on the year.
In a physical SEC, depth is always a commodity, and it’s feasible that Kentucky could have three players run for 400-500 yards each. Against Toledo, we will get our first look at just what the rotation looks like.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Toledo Rockets
- Game Time: 12:45 PM ET on August 30, 2025
- Location: Kroger Field
- TV Channel: SEC Network will have the coverage for this game.
- Announcers: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Alyssa Lang
- Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
- Radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Network.
- Satellite Radio: XM Channel 203, Sirius Channel 98, Internet Channel 966
- Replay: ESPN+ and SEC Network (check local listings).
- Rosters: UK | UT
- Stats To Know: UK | UT
- Advanced Stats
- Weather.com Forecast
- Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky as a 10.5-point favorite with an over/under of 47.5. ESPN gives the Wildcats an 81.9% chance of victory.
- Predictions: TeamRankings has Kentucky winning 28-20. Sportsbook Wire has the home team winning 27-20. DRatings.com picks the Cats to win by a field goal in a close one, 24-21. I’m going with a 27-17 victory, Kentucky!
