Mark Stoops Looking for Consistency, Growth Ahead of Season Opener

It's that time in preseason camp, where the dominoes begin to fall and teams start to find out more and more about themselves as the regular season rapidly approaches.

For Kentucky Football, some of those dominoes have fell, but not as many as head coach Mark Stoops would like to see with just 14 days before his Wildcats begin the 2022 campaign against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 3.

UK had its second scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, and Stoops spoke with the media afterward to discuss where his team is at with August beginning to come to a close. Here's what we learned:

The Depth Chart Will Tell All

With multiple starting and backup positions still up for grabs, Stoops was unable to provide any clarity on battles, including starting offensive tackle spots, a "backup" running back spot and who will be the first name behind Will Levis at the quarterback position.

"We'll continue to work that, we're working three guys over there and we'll see what happens," Stoops said of the left tackle starting position. He was also complimentary of all three top running backs behind Chris Rodriguez Jr, saying that it will likely be by committee when it comes to who is taking those snaps behind the senior starter, if Rodriguez is on the field.

As for the backup QB competition, Stoops acknowledged that both Kaiya Sheron and Iowa transfer Deuce Hogan have "had their moments" but like offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said earlier in the week, there is no rush in naming a true backup to Levis at the moment. Once the depth chart is released ahead of the regular season beginning, that's when we'll know more about where playing time is going to fall.

The Consistency Isn't Where it Needs to Be

Stoops' opening statement after the scrimmage on Saturday harped on the lack of consistency he's seen from his squad throughout fall camp.

"We need to be more consistent, I think we have a good nucleus, a good team," Stoops said. "Too many ups and downs...Be a little more physical up front on the offensive side of the ball...Still not where we need to be. Fortunately we still have two weeks to go, so continue to grind, continue to work and good things will happen."

There are many newcomers, whether it be transfers or freshmen on the team that are jumping into a starting or backup role, so this is to be expected throughout camp. One may like to see a bit more clarity with just two weeks to go before kickoff, though.

Jordan Dingle Has Emerged Amongst the Tight End Group

We've heard all camp about how excited Scangarello and Stoops are about the tight end room. Between the return of Keaton Upshaw, Izayah Cummings completely transitioning into his new role and the hype train surrounding freshman Josh Kattus, there seems to be a lot to love about the group.

It was redshirt freshman Jordan Dingle who earned the praise of Stoops after Saturday's scrimmage:

"He had a couple nice grabs out there, he's just a complete tight end. He's got good feel for it, he's got a big catch radius and makes competitive catches, he's done a lot of good things."

There may not be enough snaps to go around for potentially the deepest offensive room on the team.

Chris Rodriguez Update Set to Come Next Week

On Friday evening, KSR's Matt Jones reported that Rodriguez was facing a three or four game suspension to begin the season. This the first bit of news that's been rumored surrounding the star running back since he plead guilty to a DUI in July.

Stoops didn't speak on any suspension length on Saturday, but said that there would finally be an update on the senior's status next week.

No, Mark Stoops Didn't Take Shots at Shane Beamer

After an appearance on the SEC Network, Stoops' was alleged to be taking shots at South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, in reference to a quote about building a culture at Kentucky:

"I’ve talked years ago about climate versus culture. It’s easy to change a climate. You just change a uniform, talk a little game, dance around, put on some stupid sunglasses. You can change a climate. But to change a culture is at the core, and I’m quite certain we’ve changed our culture.”

Stoops put an end to the rumor on Saturday:

"I like Shane, I have no business talking about anybody else, you know that. That's not my style."

Maybe that's the end of Stoops' social media drama for now.