There is a lot of new around Kentucky football this season.

From a new head coach, new coordinators, and a plethora of transfers in, it has taken time for guys to gel together. Out of all of the position groups, there is one that has a lot of question marks surrounding them — wide receiver.

With those question marks, there are some promising pieces, but it’s a mostly young group of guys. Kentucky returns DJ Miller, who had a breakout mid-season as a true freshman, even starting three games against Auburn, Florida and Vandy last season. As for the newcomers, a couple have stood out to head coach Will Stein, including Nic Anderson, who has a tricky past with injuries and is looking to put that behind him, and Kenny Darby, an incoming freshman with a ton of upside.

What does Will Stein think of his very young receiving core? He calls it ‘unproven production’, citing DJ Miller as the only returning one of the group. However, Stein likes what he sees out of those ‘unproven’ guys at receiver.

“I think there’s some really good talented players in that room,” Stein said after Saturday’s scrimmage. “A lot of unproven production. I mean the most returning production from last year’s squad, I believe, is DJ Miller. He had 13 catches for 175 yards. So Shane Carr coming in with a lot of production, Nic Anderson, over the course of his career, has been productive, but it hasn’t been as of late because of injury. I like guys like Ja’Kayden Ferguson with big upside. I like Kenny Darby — I mean that guy is super talented. Prince Jean had a really great camp. Brock Coffman is super reliable. So there’s some guys, and I would say kind of the no-namers that people don’t really know yet that I’m really excited about. So again, they’re young and they’re talented, but but unproven.”

They’ll have a chance to prove themselves once they take the field for the first game in Kroger Field on Sept. 5. In an offense like Will Stein’s that prioritizes having playmakers, you need consistent production out of the receivers and it will be interesting to see who joins Miller as a top producer of the group. There is a lot of young and promising talent who have what it takes to do it.

Will Kentucky’s youth at receiver hurt them or do they have what it takes to step up with a gruesome SEC schedule coming? There will be a lot to unfold in Stein’s first season at the helm.

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