One of Kentucky football's top offensive weapons has announced his return

Will Stein and the new Kentucky football staff have been laser-focused on bringing in players from the transfer portal, and in return, many players have left the program. On Thursday, Kentucky got massive news when tight end Willie Rodriguez announced he will be returning for another season. "Run it back," Rodgriguez wrote on Instagram.

A four-star recruit out of high school, Kentucky won a big recruiting battle with Tennessee for his services, and it really paid off last season as a sophomore. Rodriguez totaled 23 catches for 310 yards on the year, including a touchdown. It's worth noting that Kentucky's offense was not that good last season, but Kentucky fans know that by now. That's why the 6-4, 232 pound tight end was such a big part of their success in the passing game. Rodriguez had the third-most receptions and yards for the Wildcats last season.

Under head coach Will Stein, who is known for his electric offenses, Rodriguez is a major returning piece for Kentucky next season, as he will be looking to really build on a productive sophomore year as he emerged as a quality pass-catcher. Here is what Kentucky offensive coordinator had to say about Rodriguez at his introductory press conference last month when asked about him:

"Willie is a really good talent. He’s a really good talent. I think when you look at both Coach Stein’s offense at Oregon and what we did at LSU, the tight end has been a focal point of the offense in the passing game. I think you can create really good matchups with tight ends."

Kentucky fans heard for years that the staff was going to impliment the tight end's more into the passing game. It finally started happening last year, but now, the new staff is looking to take that to the next level. After the departures of Kendrick Law, Hardley Gilmore, Josh Kattus, Ja'Mori Maclin, and Cam Miller, Kentucky had a glaring hole in the passing game for next season. They'll get a big help from last season back in Kattus, who is looking to produce at a much higher level next season in an offense that looks to also be at a higher level, because everyone knows it wasn't a pretty product last season.

New Kentucky QB Kenny Minchey is going to have an experienced and proven weapon in the passing game, and according to Sloan, they're going to try and go to him a lot.