Kentucky Injury Report: CJ Baxter Cleared, Nic Anderson Out vs. Vandy

Kentucky gets its leading rusher back tonight but will be without a starting receiver and a tight end against Vanderbilt. This is where both teams stand on Friday night's SEC availability report. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network, and the SEC's final game-day report comes out before kickoff.

KENTUCKY: GOOD TO GO
RB CJ Baxter, LB Tavion Wallace and DT Kalen Edwards are all cleared to play. Baxter leads the team with 484 rushing yards and eight touchdowns (ESPN). Getting him back gives the Cats a full backfield again with Jason Patterson and Jovantae Barnes.

KENTUCKY: OUT
WR Nic Anderson, TE Lincoln Watkins (added Friday), CB Grant Grayton, LB Antwan Smith, nickel Jaden Smith and EDGE Sam Greene.
What it means: losing Anderson and Watkins thins Kenny Minchey's group of targets. The secondary and pass rush stay short-handed too, with Grayton, Jaden Smith and Greene all still out.

KENTUCKY: QUESTIONABLE
LS Cole Marszalek and DL Tyler Thomas.

VANDERBILT: OUT
QB Blaze Berlowitz (collarbone), CB Jaylin Lackey, EDGE Brian Allen Jr. (ankle), LB Jamison Curtis, G Gunner Givens (hip, out for the season), DT Aaron Bryant (ACL, out for the season), WR Kahden Smith, DT Nikhil Jefferson and LB Josiah Broxton.
What it means: five-star freshman Jared Curtis makes another start at quarterback. Vanderbilt is also missing two defensive tackles and two linebackers, which matters against a Kentucky run game that averages 166 yards a game.

VANDERBILT: AVAILABLE
Dontae Carter and Davin Chandler are good to go.

Our Take: Kentucky comes out ahead on the injury report. The Cats get Baxter back, while Vanderbilt is missing a big part of its defensive front. Watch the final SEC report before kickoff for any late changes. We'll post them on Facebook, Instagram and X.

How the teams compare: How Kentucky stacks up with Vanderbilt

Sources: On3 SEC availability report, A Sea of Blue Vanderbilt injury report, Sports Illustrated Vanderbilt game central, ESPN on CJ Baxter and Nic Anderson, UK Athletics football roster