Kentucky’s offensive line needs to be rebuilt — The key will be the transfer portal

As the season comes to a close with Kentucky's final game on Saturday against the Louisville Cardinals, many have turned their attention to next season. While much of Big Blue Nation is still hoping for a change at the very top with Mark Stoops going to the coaching transfer portal, there needs to be a change in various places throughout the roster. One of the biggest known needs is along the offensive line.

While the offensive line is not the biggest issue for the Wildcats, it's still a very serious problem. Three of the five starting offensive linemen to begin the year are seniors. There are also five total offensive linemen who are seniors on the roster.

While it needs to be upgraded seriously, there was already a need for a big upgrade. There's a chance some of the players in the depth chart earn the new starting roles (as plenty of underclassmen are listed as offensive linemen). The Wildcats will still need to do what they can to upgrade the line in the transfer portal.

Mark Stoops said during his last press conference that they plan to be aggressive in the portal and have the money to do it. "We have an opportunity to get this roster fixed. That's my plan...we have to get it done."

Kentucky ranks among the worst in the nation in offensive line stats: sacks and tackles for loss. They have not provided protection all year for their quarterbacks, and while the Kentucky coaching staff hasn't done much to adapt to this issue, it's still an issue. You could even argue that Brock Vandagriff has struggled because he is always being rushed, and his decision-making took a toll throughout the year because of the poor play of the offensive line.

At the end of the day, if Stoops plans to fix this thing, he must do it through the portal and with proven offensive linemen.