⚡ CFB Dashboard

As Kentucky football prepares to take on No. 9 Texas A&M in College Station, it does so with a fair bit of familiarity. Kentucky as a program hasn't played in Aggieland in football since 2018 (1952 before that) and has only faced A&M in football thrice, but this is a new team with new people. Of course, Jay Bateman's return to his former program has been well-documented, but there is also a twinge of comfortability in starting defensive back Jordan Castell, a transfer from Florida. Speaking to the media earlier in the week, Castell was quick to remind everyone that he's not venturing into unfamiliar land. His Gators played in College Station last season. "Last time I played there, it was last year," Castell said. "It was a tough game. It's most definitely going to be a four-quarter game." But that's not all. He also wanted to remind people of one other fact about that contest. "Of course, (I had an) interception," Castell said. Yes, Texas A&M defeated the Gators 34-17 to further what was a tough start that ultimately got Billy Napier axed in Gainesville, but that wasn't on Castell. He logged the lone Florida interception in the contest and had three tackles, two of which were solo, in a smaller role than the one he has at Kentucky. So far, in his Kentucky tenure, Castell has played a major role, leading the Cats in tackles against Youngstown State and picking off Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell in UK's loss in its SEC opener. He's played 105 snaps for the Cats, the most of any safety (three more than superstar Ty Bryant) and, last week, Pro Football Focus graded him a 73.3, also the highest of any DB. "It's been great," Castell said of his larger role. "Just being me, I want to make every play. I'm trying to do whatever it takes for my team to win the game. Playing beside Ty Bryant, me and him, two guys that have experience, I'm just trying to play my role, make plays and play winning football." During his weekly radio show, Kentucky head coach Will Stein also took the time to praise Castell and acknowledged his history in Aggieland with the interception. "He's a good player," Stein said. "Him and Ty in the back end of our defense allows me to sleep well at night." Ultimately, there's no telling if history will repeat itself in College Station, but the fact remains that this isn't the Kentucky team of old, and it's certainly not a UK squad that is wholly unprepared for what it's set to face at A&M. Kentucky football will kick off against Texas A&M at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. local time) from Kyle Field. The contest will air live on ESPN with A&M favored by 16.5 points ahead of kickoff.