Photo Caleb Bowlin UK Athletics

For all the growth the Kentucky football program has experienced under Mark Stoops, one area remains a persistent Achilles’ heel, the passing game. With years of turnover at both quarterback and offensive coordinator, along with numerous schematic tweaks and a steady stream of transfer portal additions, the Wildcats still haven’t found a formula that works through the air.

That trend has carried into the 2025 season. It’s still early, but through two games, Kentucky’s passing offense ranks near the bottom nationally across nearly every major statistical category. In Completion Percentage they rank 134th out of 136, they are gaining a mere 4.9 yards per attempt good for 123^rd in the country.  The QB room has earned an 83.7 QB rating good for 132^nd.  And to add insult to injury (literally Calzadas’ shoulder), their passing success rate is 27.6% also good for 132^nd in the country…out of yes 136 FBS teams.

Out of 136 FBS teams, very few if any have gotten less production out of their passing attack so far this season.

What’s more concerning is that these issues come just a year after offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan oversaw an offense that already struggled to move the ball. In 2024, Kentucky finished outside the top 100 in multiple key categories, including success rate, red zone efficiency, and points per drive. The only mildly respectable area was yards per attempt (79th), thanks largely to the occasional explosive play something this year’s offense hasn’t been able to replicate.

The 2025 offseason brought renewed hope. Hamdan was heavily involved in revamping the offensive personnel, selecting a new quarterback from the portal and overseeing a major overhaul of the receiver room with five scholarship additions. But despite that infusion of talent, the results haven’t improved.

The running game has been solid ranking 32nd in EPA per rush and showing consistency in both success rate and yards per carry when excluding sacks. But with the passing attack dragging the unit down, Kentucky’s offense continues to sputter. The Wildcats have now failed to score more than two offensive touchdowns in 10 straight games against Power Five opponents a streak that reflects the bigger issue at hand.

Unless significant improvements are made in the passing game, the road ahead for Kentucky’s offense looks just as rocky as it did a year ago.