Hey Kentucky football fans, Mark Stoops is happy to see you

Working overtime to get everything nailed down before the start of fall practice, not every coach would be thrilled to take time out of his busy day to attend a preseason luncheon with the donor class.

Not Mark Stoops. Not after what he went through last year when the global pandemic rendered such gatherings out-of-bounds. So the Kentucky football coach appeared more than happy to break bread and talk ball with his Big Blue Nation brethren for the UK Football Kickoff Luncheon in the Longship Club room at Kroger Field on Wednesday.

“It’s so good to see you,” said Stoops when addressing the crowd. “I can’t say that enough.”

A question-and-answer session with Stoops, offensive coordinator Liam Coen and defensive coordinator Brad White didn’t break any banner headlines, but there was an interesting tidbit or two.

Moderator Tom Leach joked that Stoops was ready to name the starting quarterback right there in front of everyone. Not quite, said the head coach about the expected training camp battle between Beau Allen, Joey Gatewood and Will Levis.

But when asked for what he was searching for in a QB1, Coen, the team’s new OC, said he wanted someone “who is capable of running the whole operation, who can run the whole show.”

Coen did praise Wan’Dale Robinson, the former Western Hills High School star who transferred to UK after two years at Nebraska. “He’s an amazing pickup for us,” said the former Los Angeles Rams’ assistant quarterbacks coach. “We want to get Wan’ the ball.”

Kentucky won’t be able to get the ball to Keaton Upshaw, the returning starter at tight end who was second on the team in receptions a year ago. Upshaw will miss at least a part of if not the entire season with an undisclosed injury. So, it’s next man up.

“Brenden Bates did a phenomenal job this spring,” said Coen of the junior from Cincinnati expected to team up with super senior Justin Rigg.

And when talking about the offensive line, Stoops tabbed preseason All-SEC tackle Darian Kinnard and veteran Luke Fortner as anchors, but also mentioned Jeremy Flax as a relative newcomer to watch. Flax is a 6-foot-6, 356-pound redshirt freshman from Detroit who figures to be in the mix once practice snaps start.

On the defensive front, White was asked to name a player who might be ready to blossom in 2021 as now Washington Football Team first-round draft pick Jamin Davis did last season. Tall task, no doubt. But White went right to Carrington Valentine, the sophomore defensive back who was teammates with Bates at Moeller High School.

“He has the right makeup,” White said of Valentine. “I think he’s definitely going to make a push and challenge for that cornerback spot.”

Early in the proceedings, Stoops dodged the current SEC hot topic of league expansion what with Big 12 powers Oklahoma and Texas applying for membership. “I can’t comment on that at all,” said the coach. “I trust our leadership.”

There is also the Delta variant, the highly contagious COVID-19 mutation that poses a growing threat to a complete return to normalcy for the 2021 season. No one wants to go back.

“Ten league games (last year),” said Stoops, while looking in the direction of Dr. Eli Capilouto, UK’s president and president of the SEC. “Dr. Capilouto, I didn’t like that. It was brutal.”

Thanks to the vaccine, matters are much better than a year ago, when there were no preseason luncheons and just a smattering of fans allowed in the stands.

“We need you,” Stoops told the crowd Wednesday. “Now more than ever.”

Why adding Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC is a positive for Kentucky football

With the SEC expanding to 16 teams, here’s what realignment should look like

Making the case: Why Joey Gatewood could be UK’s starting quarterback this year

Making the case: Why Beau Allen could be UK’s starting quarterback this year