3 questions for Kentucky football to answer as it returns to the field for spring practice

LEXINGTON — Kentucky football returns to the field this week for spring practice.

With the Wildcats installing a new synthetic surface at Kroger Field, the annual spring game will not be played this year. But Kentucky's April 1 practice will be open to the public, giving fans a chance to still watch their team.

With the Wildcats taking the field Monday for their first of 15 springs practices, here are three storylines to watch:

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Devin Leary will start. Which Kentucky QB will be his backup?

Devin Leary didn't transfer to UK to be the backup. In coach Mark Stoops' recruiting pitch, he told Leary as much.

But after suffering a season-ending pectoral injury in October while playing for N.C. State in a win over Florida State, Leary's availability for the spring is uncertain. However, last week Stoops told ESPN Leary is "close to full go." That will give Leary a chance to begin learning Kentucky's offense, under first-year — and former — coordinator Liam Coen.

What happens behind Leary is far more fascinating.

Juniors Deuce Hogan and Kaiya Sheron along with redshirt freshman Destin Wade will vie for the backup job.

Sheron played in four games in 2022, starting against South Carolina. Wade made his college debut in the Music City Bowl loss to Iowa. And though Hogan appeared in three games in 2022, all of his stats (6 of 7 passing, 19 yards) came against the Hawkeyes.

If nothing else, Coen has options at QB2.

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Will UK's offensive line show improvement?

The Wildcats' offensive line struggled last season.

Kentucky gave up 47 sacks in 2022, 129th in the 131-school Football Bowl Subdivision, ahead of only Akron (55) and Colorado State (59).

Four members of the starting five — Jager Burton, Eli Cox, Jeremy Flax and Kenneth Horsey — are back. And the Wildcats added Tanner Bowles (Alabama) and Marques Cox (Northern Illinois) from the transfer portal.

UK doesn't have to exit the spring having identified the starters at every spot; it just needs to get a feel for which group best fits Coen's scheme.

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Can Wildcats' special teams make progress under new coach?

Kentucky's kicking woes last season are well documented. The Wildcats had five kicks blocked; only two teams had more (Louisiana Tech and North Texas, with six) . And kicker Matt Ruffolo made just 60% (12 for 20) of his field goal attempts.

With Ruffolo gone, the Wildcats have two kickers on the roster looking to earn the starting job: sixth-year senior Chance Poore, who handled kickoffs last season and has made eight of his 14 field goal attempts at UK; and redshirt freshman Jackson Smith, who ProKicker.com ranked the top kicker/punter in the 2022 class.

Finding solutions in this phase of the game is one of the primary reasons Kentucky hired Jay Boulware, who has guided some of the best special teams units in the nation during stops at Oklahoma and Auburn. The next few weeks will give us some insight into what special teams will look like, and if it'll be better.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.