Kentucky may have missed out on a few wide receivers in the portal, but they scored a familiar name this week with the commitment of tight end Elijah Brown — a player Mark Stoops and staff had once pursued out of high school. This time, they didn’t miss.
Brown’s commitment comes on the heels of a rough stretch for Kentucky’s portal pursuits. Jackson State wideout Isaiah Spencer chose Virginia Tech, and Cincinnati receiver Tony Johnson opted for Miami (OH). Add in the departure of veteran wideout Tru Edwards — who ended his bid for a final year of eligibility and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams — and suddenly, Kentucky’s WR room is looking thin.
So what’s the response? Not a speedster or vertical threat, but a tight end.
Elijah Brown brings size, toughness, and blocking ability to a TE room that’s about to become a much bigger part of Kentucky’s offensive identity. Standing at 6-foot-5 with reliable hands and the physical frame to block SEC defenders, Brown represents more than just depth — he represents a philosophical pivot.
Mark Stoops is going back to his roots.
Under second-year offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and second-year offensive line coach Eric Wolford, Kentucky appears to be doubling down on physicality. With Brown now in the mix, the Wildcats are expected to feature more 2- and even 3-tight end sets, a throwback approach in a conference that’s become the epicenter of spread offenses and tempo attacks.
It's a bold — or maybe stubborn — shift. Stoops tried to modernize. It didn’t stick. The offense sputtered. And so, he's returning to the brand of football that once brought Kentucky nine and ten-win seasons: control the clock, win the trenches, and run the ball downhill.
But here's the million-dollar question: will that work in today’s SEC?
The offensive line — completely rebuilt this offseason — is the hinge point. Without clear answers in the WR room and with a new-look front five, everything hinges on whether Wolford’s group can open lanes and hold blocks. If not, even the best-laid throwback game plans crumble quickly.
Kentucky is still expected to pursue wide receiver help in the portal. But the addition of Brown confirms what Stoops wants the backbone of his offense to be. In an era where teams are chucking the ball 40 times a game, Stoops is dusting off the old playbook and betting on toughness.
Time will tell if it’s a winning formula — or a desperate return to the past.