After previewing each position on the offensive side of the football for the Kentucky Wildcats, we now shift our focus to the defensive side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman brings the total opposite philosophy to the previous regime, it is shifting from a conservative bend-but-don’t-break scheme to an aggressive blitzing scheme that will see multiple pressure looks and some man coverage.
The base front is an even front, which is a big difference stylistically than the odd front we have gotten used to seeing from the Mark Stoops era. The even front allows more freedom to the edge defenders, allowing them better opportunities to get after the opposing quarterback and Kentucky has a deep rotation on the edge for 2026.
Starters
- Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace
- Antonio O’Berry
Humphrey-Grace returns to the Wildcats coming off a productive season. The change in front directly affects him as last season in the odd front he played mostly from a 4i defensive technique, which is the inside shoulder of the offensive tackle. The even front will allow him to be a true edge defender and line up outside of the offensive tackle. It is easier to get pressure on the quarterback from this alignment because defenders have a better chance of going one-on-one with an offensive tackle instead of getting the interior offensive linemen to help block.
Humphrey-Grace a true power edge player at 6’4, 271-pounds. He will win with power on the edge as opposed to quick twitch and the ability to bend the edge. Despite a team-leading 3.5 sack season last year, that was actually his career-low in terms of sack production. Now that he returns to a true edge alignment, I would expect an increase in production this season.
Humphrey-Grace is a true power edge, which will coincide well with Gardner Webb transfer Antonio O’Berry. O’Berry has ideal length and impressive quickness to get off the line of scrimmage at his 6’6, 244-pound frame. There is a reason Ohio State was in the mix for him in the transfer portal. O’Berry has the ability to use his long arms to set the edge in the run game and get to the quarterback in pass rush situations.
Backups
- CJ Works
- Lorenzo Cowan
CJ Works and Lorenzo Cowan provide incredible depth to this edge room. Both got some much needed experience last season and are two players that can provide legitimate juice in the edge rotation. Works is 6’5, 247-pounds and has great length on the edge, similar to O’Berry. Works was a four-star recruit out of high school and is looking to take another step in his development as a true sophomore.
Cowan is similar to Works as he was a highly rated out of high school as well. Cowan made an impact last season as a redshirt freshman, posting 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. We have seen flashes from the 6’3, 250-pound edge and along with Works, seeing those flashes early on is always a positive. Works and Cowan can form a great rotation behind Humphrey-Grace and O’Berry; the ability to have four edge rushers that can make an impact is a massive plus for defensive coordinator Jay Bateman.
Sam Greene
Greene was on a similar trajectory last season to Works and Cowan, he played at USC as a redshirt freshman and then you saw flashes last season at Kentucky. Unfortunately, Greene had a season-ending injury late in the year against Florida. His timetable to return is unknown at the moment, but adding him to this four man edge rotation sometime midseason could be extremely beneficial. This edge room could be the strongest position group on the defense in terms of depth.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky football: Previewing the 2026 edge rusher position