Buzz for Washington State DL David Gusta is building at Kentucky – On3

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Kentucky’s offensive line rebuild got a ton of attention in the offseason but this is a program that made a concerted effort to find reinforcements via the transfer portal at defensive line. The Cats added three defensive line transfers and two outside linebacker transfers to the roster during the winter window to replace the starting production lost from last year’s team.
One of the biggest recruiting wins from free agency has made a big splash. The hype is building for Washington State defensive tackle transfer David Gusta.
“You look at David Gusta. He’s a guy that’s 316-320 type guy but man he can move. He’s a guy that this offseason he did 225 (bench press) 38 times. He is physically what you want,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops told the media on Monday. “And very twitchy. Very disruptive inside.”
Kentucky operates out of a 3-4 base but has not been afraid to utilize some even fronts in the past. Those four-down fronts could become more prevalent this year due to personnel. South Dakota transfer Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace was another big add for the program but the Cincinnati native looks more like a 4-3 defensive end than a 3-4 jumbo defensive end. David Gusta was playing nose tackle for Kentucky during spring practice but the transfer looks more like a shade or a traditional three-tech defensive tackle.
The coaching staff in the Joe Craft Football Training Facility is addressing all options how the front is used this season.
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“We’re going to look at all options. Even last year, when you look at the scheme, if you look at the system, we gotta just make sure we’re changing that,” Stoops explained. “We’re not going to drastically change anything, but with these type of body types like you’re talking about, yeah, it gives us the ability to do some other things.”
Some changes on the defensive front are highly likely. David Gusta is a major reason why. Returnees Tavion Gadson, Josiah Hayes, Kahlil Saunders, and Jerod Smith II are all expected to play big roles for the Kentucky defense, but the big-ticket transfer addition appears to be one of the best players on the defense. It sounds like UK is making some scheme tweaks to enhance Gusta’s talent.
Expectations are high for the defensive tackle transfer.
Over at KSR+, I put together scouting write-ups on each of Kentucky’s transfer additions from the offseason after watching film and collecting data. This is my breakdown of David Gusta. The interior defensive lineman brings a playmaking skill set to the defensive front.
Many SEC schools attempted to get involved with this Washington State transfer. Kentucky got the defensive tackle on campus and quickly locked in a commitment. Has played 1,256 career snaps and was one of the top available free agent defensive tackles this cycle.
Gusta gives the Wildcats some more beef inside along with some pass rush juice. The interior player played an assortment of alignments including a shaded nose. Could fill snaps at nose tackle in an odd front. Squatty defensive tackle with a thick lower base. Plays with good pad level. Can torque body to split double teams in run game and pass rush. Shows explosion out of stance and can shoot gaps. Has knockback power when lined up one-on-one with a guard or center.
Holding the point against double teams in the run game will be a question mark but Gusta is a good mover with power who should make a good one-two punch with Josaih Hayes inside.
Luckett’s Scouting Notebook: What Kentucky added to roster via the transfer portal
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2025-07-28
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