How Kentucky football is still using John Schlarman’s legacy to rebuild offensive line

Tuesday’s Schlarman Strong Alumni Golf Scramble at Keene Trace Golf Club represented an annual opportunity for Kentucky football coaches, former players and fans to gather to honor the legacy of beloved former offensive line coach John Schlarman.

But Schlarman’s legacy had already been a frequent topic of conversation during spring practice as Kentucky works to rebuild an offensive line that ranked 126th of 131 teams nationally in sacks allowed last season.

“We don’t want to be who we were last year,” offensive line coach Zach Yenser said last week. “There were some bright spots. We grew as a group and we did some good things, but it wasn’t consistent enough, it wasn’t up to standard.

“Ultimately, you want to continue with the standard that was here when you get brought in, do a great job for what Schlarman built. I know that. That’s my fuel. That’s why I want to do a good job.”

Yenser was not in Lexington when Schlarman molded Kentucky’s offensive line into the group that eventually earned the “Big Blue Wall” moniker, but he has a close tie to Schlarman, who died after a two-year battle with cancer during the 2020 season. Yenser’s first coaching job came as Schlarman’s graduate assistant at Troy in 2007.

Kentucky’s current offensive line graduate assistant is Drake Jackson, a former All-America center who played for Schlarman at UK from 2016 to 2020. Five of the 16 offensive linemen on the spring roster were on campus for at least one season while Schlarman was still coaching.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise then that when the linemen met at the beginning of the offseason and vowed to rebuild the Big Blue Wall “brick by brick” that communicating Schlarman’s legacy to the newcomers in the program was a point of emphasis.

“Obviously, everyone loves Coach Yenser. He’s a great coach,” senior guard Eli Cox said. “But a lot of people forget how that room was started and what brought that room success in the beginning. It was just reminding those guys how the room was built and what we can do to rebuild the Big Blue Wall because last year, no one was happy with that. It’s not how we play. It’s not the standard that has been set for this program.”

It is important to note Kentucky’s offensive line success with Schlarman as coach was not immediate.

Kentucky ranked outside the top 100 nationally in sacks allowed in each of his first two seasons as offensive line coach in 2013 and 2014. From 2013 to 2015, Kentucky ranked no better than 79th nationally in rushing yards per game. Criticism about offensive line play and Schlarman’s coaching was a popular topic on message boards and social media at the time.

The 2016 season represented the turning point for Mark Stoops’ rebuilding project and Kentucky’s offensive line play. After an early season injury to quarterback Drew Barker and the emergence of Benny Snell at running back forced offensive coordinator Eddie Gran to transition to a run-heavy offensive attack, the offensive line shined in its ability to block for an offense that ranked 20th nationally in rushing yards per game.

“Not only did (Schlarman) do a phenomenal job, but the way we did it was a little more complex than people understand,” Stoops said. “We went from not really being able to handle any (defensive) movement at all to being able to pick up everything. John and Eddie and that whole crew deserve a lot of credit for what we went through there.

“We saw the other side of that last year, movement, things that always bothered me early. We got it fixed (in 2016), and we have to do the same thing right now.”

Adding depth to the offensive line room was goal No. 1 in rebuilding the Big Blue Wall this offseason.

Northern Illinois tackle Marques Cox and Alabama guard Tanner Bowles were added from the transfer portal. Cox is expected to start at left tackle while Bowles should play extensively as a rotation piece at multiple positions. High school signees Malachi Wood and Koby Keenum also enrolled in January, further boosting depth for spring practice.

The addition of Cox to the starting lineup led to further shuffling of positions this spring with super senior Kenneth Horsey, who was forced to play left tackle last season, moving back to his natural left guard position. Sophomore Jager Burton and Eli Cox each moved one spot to the right to center and right guard respectively. The right tackle starting spot remains open for competition with another transfer portal addition possible.

Yenser’s hope is that increased depth and competition will get the best out of each individual lineman. He also acknowledged learning valuable lessons in his first year in the Southeastern Conference after coming to UK from the San Francisco 49ers that he hopes will make him a better coach in year two in Lexington.

“That’s the cool thing about our room: They know it wasn’t up to standard,” Yenser said. “They know it. It’s just we were dealt that hand. It just is what it is. We’re going to continue to try to build the depth, and with the competition in, I think it’s only going to get better.”

If the example of Yenser, Jackson and the veteran Kentucky linemen were not enough to teach younger players about the physical workmanlike attitude Schlarman prided himself on, several former Wildcats linemen currently in the NFL have been back in Lexington this spring.

Many of those players were on hand for Tuesday’s golf scramble, where rebuilding the Big Blue Wall was unsurprisingly a topic of conversation.

“We got to live it, we got to see it, we got to be with him, so it’s easy for us to be able to tell it, but what about the people that are put into the program in the steps and strides that it is now that don’t know how it got there, what the pieces are behind it to get it there?” New Orleans Saints tackle Landon Young said. “I think us being around, being able to workout in the offseason … it lets these other guys see what they need to be to continue to build on that Big Blue Wall mentality but also continue to see the legacy of Coach Schlarman, what he built.”

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