Hope springs eternal in the college football preseason. That optimism is often met by a harsh reality in September, but throughout the Mark Stoops era there’s typically been a surprise playmaker that emerges during the course of Kentucky football fall camp.
The most infamous case occurred ahead of the Cats’ breakout 2016 season. Coaches don’t like to give true freshmen too much credit, but Benny Snell forced Eddie Gran’s hand. The rest is history. More recently the hype has come from Vince Marrow’s tight end room. Izayah Cummings switched positions from wide receiver and caught three touchdowns in a specialized role for Liam Coen.