Kentucky added more than two dozen players from the transfer portal this offseason. While most of the attention is on the offensive line, nobody has received more universal praise than a newcomer to the defensive line, David Gusta.

Why is the defensive lineman from San Bernardino, CA so special? The origin story of nickname, Bone, should say enough.

“That happened at Washington State. I ended up getting a few teammates hurt,” Gusta admitted at Kentucky Football Media Day.

That paints a very black and white picture of a player who is an absolute wrecking ball. Offensive guard Josh Braun added more nuance to the discussion around David Gusta.

“He’s really twitchy. He’s got a great get-off,” said Braun. “Me and Jager (Burton) talk about this all the time. He’s one of the few defensive linemen that we’ve gone up against that not only do you have to worry about his speed, but you have to worry about his power. Usually, you have one or the other, especially with interior defensive linemen. He walks the line between the two finely. I think he does a great job of using his God-given leverage to his advantage.”

Gusta has accepted the mighty task of replacing Deone Walker, but all early reports indicate that he’s up for it. A two-year starter in Pullman, the talented defensive tackle has 62 career tackles, 6.0 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks. There is plenty of character behind those raw numbers.

A Kentucky Culture Shock for David Gusta

The character of this Kentucky football team is defined by its maturity. This is a group of older Wildcats who have a ton of college football experience. Even though Gusta is among them, he isn’t too mature to have some fun and share a few animated opinions.

Gusta is one of a handful of married Wildcats. He first began courting his bride, Angie, in the parking lot of a Domino’s in Pullman, which is now their meal of choice for every anniversary. She made the move to Lexington with David, who is also accompanied by his brother, Devon, a defensive back and special teamer. Their support has taken some of the bite out of the drastic change from the West Coast to Kentucky.

“I’m not sure if I would be able to do it without them. I grew up a West Coast kid, east of L.A., so coming out here, it’s completely different. I don’t know anybody. The weather is different. I heard cicadas for the first time. I did not know what those were,” said Gusta.

He’s clearly not a fan of cicadas. “I freaked out when I walked outside this summer. It was the weirdest thing. A big bug hit me in the mouth, and I was freaking out.

“The only thing we got is ants. I came out and saw some big bugs in trees, excuse my language, I freaked the f*** out. I drove out to Georgia. Saw an alligator for the first time. That freaked me the f*** out too, excuse my language. I haven’t even swam in a single body of water at Kentucky after I saw that thing. I ain’t doing it.”

Even if you tell him there aren’t any gators in Kentucky, he’s not chancing it.

Despite his run-ins with wildlife on this side of the country, he’s learned to love Lexington. In large part thanks to the food.

“It’s hard because I’m a huge California advocate. California has everything. Kentucky has better chicken though,” he smirked.

The chicken was so good, he gained 15 pounds between his arrival in January to spring practice. Fried food must be enjoyed in moderation this fall.

Despite all of the changes, the change to SEC competition does not appear to be one of the hard ones for David Gusta. The guy simply known as Bone seems to be poised to shatter his opponents this fall at Kentucky.

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