Will Stein makes a splash, landing the 2nd best tackle in the portal Lance Heard

Kentucky was looking for a tackle, and they found the second-best one available. Not bad. Now that is something to be happy about. Former LSU and Tennessee tackle Lance Heard has decided to turn that ugly orange in for the far superior blue. He will be the starting tackle next season, protecting Kenny Minchey, and he is an elite lineman.

The Big Blue Wall Rebuild is almost complete

It started with Coleton Price, the best center in the Transfer Portal. That is building block number one; it is a huge deal to have the quarterback of the line locked up. Then you had nice pickups with Olaus Alinen and Max Anderson. Both will be great options inside for Kentucky, but the tackle position is the last real hurdle. Darrin Strey hit the portal yesterday, leaving Malachi Wood as the one guy on the roster with playing experience at the tackle position. That is both right and left tackle.

That is a dangerous position to be in, especially with a first-year head coach, a new system, and a brand new QB. And now that is rectified in the best way possible.

Heard, ranked only behind Jacarrius Peak in our Transfer Portal rankings, allowed just 2 sacks and 12 total pressures on 479 passing attempts. We all know the Vols like to air it out and play fast, so that is an insane efficiency rate. Now he will be holding down the left tackle spot for the Cats.

Will Stein has clearly prioritized the offensive line, and rightfully so. When Kentucky has been at its best, it is because the line was able to do what it wanted. Being able to run or throw is important, it keeps the defense guessing and doesn't allow them to load up to stop one or the other. That is a problem the previous staff found itself in.

The new staff is trying to get back to that physical style up front, and landing the second-best tackle in the country is a great start.