Why Kentucky is SEC's most underrated team in 2021

Mar 07, 2024

With as much attention as Alabama, Georgia, Florida and LSU receive on an annual basis, it can be easy to forget some of the other football programs in the SEC. But there are a number of quality programs that make the conference the nation’s deepest and strongest league.

Alabama, which claimed its sixth national title under Nick Saban last season, will once again be heavily favored to reign over the SEC this fall. But that is not to say the Crimson Tide will not be challenged.

Late Kick host Josh Pate identified which SEC team he believes is the most underrated heading into the 2021 campaign.

“The Kentucky Wildcats are the most underrated team in the SEC to me this year,” Pate said. “It heavily depends on how quarterback shakes out as will be the case with a lot of these teams. Joey Gatewood, they had some good things to say about him coming out of spring. But I want you to remember: Liam Coen is the new offensive coordinator here. He comes in from the L.A. (Rams). Mark Stoops never does this. Mark Stoops felt comfortable enough with where his program is now to hit, not a reset button, but kinda hit a fast forward button. Wants to do things different offensively.

“And the reason I’m talking about quarterback is ‘cause a lot of folks around Kentucky think the guy that is ultimately gonna start for them, Will Levis, is not on campus yet. He’s a transfer from Penn State. So I’ll grant you this is a shot in the dark a little bit. I’m counting on quarterback to work out here.

“And if it does I get to blend a lot of things I like in football. No. 1: The overall M.O. of Kentucky, physical, you can count on them to rough people up when you need them to. But also they don’t need to be basketball on grass, they don’t need to be Bama circa 2020, LSU circa 2019. But the ability to push the ball vertically down the field a little bit better, that’s what they’ve lacked and really lacked.

“But I also want to bring in the old schedule dynamic here. I had to give it its own post-it. So it’s not just who you play sometimes, especially in the SEC. It’s when you play them. They go to South Carolina in Week 4; Carolina plays Georgia the week before that, it’s a really good time to draw the Gamecocks. They’ve got Florida in Week 5; Florida has got Bama and Tennessee back to back right before they play Kentucky. Kentucky plays LSU in Week 6. You know LSU plays the week before? The Auburn Tigers and they’ve got Florida the week after. And Kentucky plays Georgia in Week 7; Georgia will be fresh off a trip to the Plains to play Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium the week before.

“And so if the schedule dynamics line up and this offense gels earlier than expected, Kentucky could all of a sudden be a team doing a lot of what you don’t think they’re supposed to be doing. Kentucky is supposed to settle into their 7-6, mid- to low-tier bowl for an SEC team and they’re supposed to serve as sort of a bump and set and the big boys can spike them. Maybe that’s the case this year, maybe it’s not. I think Kentucky’s very underrated.”

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Kentucky, which finished 5-6 a year ago, begins the season Sept. 4 at home against Louisiana-Monroe.