Interesting Intel from Kentucky Spring Practice

It’s been a few weeks since the Kentucky Wildcats hung up their pads at the conclusion of spring practice. However, we’re still learning more about the team from the five-week spring session at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility.

The first full week of May has forced the college football world to transition from spring practice to offseason discussion, with most of the focus centered on College Football Playoff expansion. Before completely diving into all of those talking points, pundits are unleashing plenty of post-spring content, ranging from rankings to bowl projections, and now, intel from those spring practices.

Three insiders from The Athletic put their heads together to share scuttlebutt from spring practices across the country. It includes brand names like Texas and Miami, but also some interesting insight about Will Stein‘s program.

There is one big question Kentucky football fans will be asking ahead of the 2026 season: Are there enough playmakers who can consistently make an impact in SEC football games? According to one source for The Athletic, the answer is yes.

“I think the offensive line is going to be really, really good,” a Kentucky staffer said. “I really liked the two freshman receivers (Kenny Darby and Denairius Gray). (Southern Utah transfer) Shane Carr had a really good spring. Sophomore DJ Miller is probably the No. 1 receiver right now.”

Miller was arguably the most talked-about player through the first month of spring practice. If Kentucky shared an offensive highlight, there’s a good chance it involved Miller. He clearly took a step forward from year one to year two.

As for Shane Carr, many wondered how he would make the jump from the FCS level to the SEC. If you ask the Kentucky secondary, they’ll tell you that he’s a problem. It’s also encouraging to hear that the freshman wide receivers flashed enough to potentially be a part of the rotation.

It is worth noting that this intel piece wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. We all knew that CJ Baxter was among a handful of players with an injury history who were held out of various aspects of spring practice. The Athletic shared that he re-injured his hamstring in spring practice. The talented running back dealt with hamstring issues last season, a problem that popped up during his prep career. It’s something we’ll be keeping a close eye on all season long.

There’s more where that came from. Check out the full piece over at The Athletic. Don’t have a subscription? When you sign up for KSR+, you get a complimentary year of The Athletic included in your membership.