Zach Yenser is gone and Eric Wolford is back for Kentucky football.
According to Brice, “sources said the deal was close to being finalized late Thursday afternoon.” Zach Yenser, the current offensive line coach, is out, according to KSR’s Matt Jones.
It would be fascinating to watch how this plays out because the article does not specify what will happen to current offensive line coach Zach Yenser, who was firmly under fire heading into the summer before receiving a contract extension.
After transferring from South Carolina over the offseason, Wolford joined the Wildcats program for the first and only time in the 2021 season. John Schlarman, Kentucky’s offensive line coach since 2012, died during the 2020 season, and Wolford took over his position.
Luke Fortner, a center who was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round in 2022, and Darian Kinnard, a right tackle who was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, headed the experienced group that Wolford took over.
The 10-win Wildcats’ Big Blue Wall went on to have a fantastic season, making it to the finals of the Joe Moore Award, which is given to the nation’s top offensive line.
Wolford was brought on as Alabama’s offensive line coach after the season.Even though his exit was contentious, it’s understandable that he wanted to work under the great Nick Saban, who announced his retirement this summer, giving Kentucky the opportunity to reassign Wolford.
Kentucky gave up 46 sacks in 2022, which matched for the third-worst total in NCAA football history.Kentucky appeared to become better in 2023 as evidenced by their only 22 sack total, which tied for the 44th-lowest in the league. But in 2023, Kentucky ran a lot less plays, which meant there were less possibilities for sacks. Kentucky ran 802 offensive plays in 2022 as opposed to 714 in the previous campaign.
It should be mentioned that Wolford has seen far greater success in the recruitment process. In actuality, he served as one of Deone Walker’s main recruiters. Since then, Walker has developed into one of the program’s finest defenders in recent memory. Additionally, Wolford was a key player in Barion Brown’s recruitment.
Even when you exclude Wolford’s Alabama prospects, Yenser’s list of all-time commits is somewhat sparse in comparison to his. While Wolford has a reputation for being a successful recruiter, it is no secret that Yenser wasn’t doing anything in the recruitment field. Even if it comes as a surprise, all of this makes it simple to choose Wolford over Yenser.