Kentucky football had a plan. A clear, smashmouth, old-school blueprint built around the run game — and it was coming together. They were looking to secure a commitment from transfer running back Ahmad Hardy, plus they had a future star in Marquise Davis signed, a former Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year. It was supposed to be the backfield of dreams for Mark Stoops’ power-first system.
Then Eli Drinkwitz happened, again.
You see Kentucky was ahead 14-0, they were rolling to a win over Missouri. And then a fake punt pass TD gave all the momentum to Missouri and they rolled Kentucky 38-21. That is a moment a lot of fans look to as a program changer, as it happened in 2023 with Kentucky at 5-1. But this next move hurt just as much, if not more.
The backfield that never was
It started quietly. Hardy, a workhorse at ULM, had been on campus and Kentucky was looking good. He was coming off a great year rushing for over 1,300 yards. The Wildcats were ready to plug him into their physical SEC scheme. But Missouri came calling, and within weeks, Hardy was a Tiger. Fast forward to now, and he’s one of the leading rushers in the entire country, number 2 to be exact.
If that wasn’t enough, Marquise Davis, Kentucky’s highest-rated commit at the time, also flipped to Missouri. Davis was supposed to be the future, a dynamic four-star who could change games with one cut. Instead, he’s now wearing black and gold, averaging nearly 6 yards per carry through the first month plus of the season.
Imagine Kentucky with those two and Seth McGowan, a true trio of backfield monsters that Stoops could lean on like he did with Benny Snell.
A rival's rise, a program's pain
Meanwhile, Kentucky sits at 2–3, with the SEC schedule about to turn brutal. The Cats are struggling to move the ball and searching for any spark. And while Stoops and his staff continue to preach patience, Drinkwitz is quietly building something special in Columbia.
This is the part that stings the most for BBN, not just losing players, but losing them to a rival that seems to have Kentucky’s number in every way right now. Missouri has become what Stoops always wanted Kentucky to be: balanced, creative, and confident.
A cultural defeat
Imagine a backfield of Hardy, Davis, and Seth McGowan all wearing Kentucky blue, a three-headed monster built to chew clock, wear down defenses, and control games. It could have happened but Eli Drinkwitz made sure it never did.
Instead, the Wildcats’ offense is flat, predictable, and desperate for an identity.
It’s not just a recruiting loss, it’s a cultural one too. Drinkwitz beat Stoops not just on the field, but off it, and it may have ended the Stoops era at Kentucky.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion