“A Freak of Nature,” Jalen Farmer is Prepared to Put it Together on the Big Blue Wall

The Kentucky offensive line has fallen well short of expectations in recent years. To rebuild the Big Blue Wall, Eric Wolford sought out reinforcements in the transfer portal. When you ask people around the program about the Kentucky offensive line, it’s not typically a newcomer that is first mentioned; it’s Jalen Farmer.

Mark Stoops described Farmer as “ripped” and “super athletic.” When KSR asked David Gusta about Jager Burton, he briefly redirected to talk about the offensive guard.

“Farmer’s a freak of nature,” said Gusta. “Nineteen percent body fat at 6-6, 330 (pounds)? That dude’s a freak.”

Farmer was quick to correct his practice foe on Tuesday. He’s actually 320 pounds and has only 18.5% body fat. That is a solid, massive human being who made it his mission to be at his best once the 2025 season arrived.

“(The strength staff) had a really good plan for us this summer. I feel like we hit it hard, we took all of the proper supplements and everything to be in the right position,” Farmer told KSR.

“I feel like I just came back ready to work. All of my guys, the new ones and the ones that have already been here, I was very big on being a good team guy this year.”

Farmer was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise disappointing 2024 Kentucky offensive line. He started in all 12 games for the Wildcats and allowed only one sack, while receiving a 99% grade on his blocking assignments. Farmer learned what it took to be successful in his first year as a starter, and that meant working harder than he’s ever worked before.

“He’s a player that when he first got here, potentially didn’t value what it took off the field to put himself in the best position on the field, from a nutrition standpoint, from a weight room standpoint, from a recovery standpoint,” said offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan.

“He’s not extremely loud. He gets a lot of respect for how he works. His maturity over the last year has been about him realizing the things off the field matter as much as things on the field.”

His voice isn’t loud. Jalen Farmer let’s his play do the talking and everyone on the offense can hear it.

“He’s strong, strong as hell, and I think he grew a lot this offseason,” said tight end Willie Rodriguez. “He’s just super strong. A lot of energy; I love that. I’m a big energy guy and he has a lot of it on the field. He’s a big, physical dude. When he finishes, he brings a lot of energy to the offense.”

Mark Stoops’ best Kentucky football teams feature a consistent, powerful rushing attack. They brought in the running backs to make it happen. It can only work if guys like Jalen Farmer are moving bodies in the trenches. The former Florida Gator understands the assignment.

“If you want to be good in this league, work hard,” he said.