Kentucky Wildcat Football 2012 Positon Preview: Special Teams

Returning Players: Craig McIntosh (SR) Joe Mansour (JR) Jay Wilmott (FR)

Newcomers: Landon Foster (FR, TN)

Projected starters:

Kicker: McIntosh

Punter: Foster

Kickoff: Mansour

2012 Outlook:  Field goals continue consistency, punting solidifies with Foster, return games improves drastically.

Starters: Craig McIntosh is about as solid as it gets and will keep his starting gig and backup Mansour on kickoffs. Mansour, Foster and Wilmott competed for the punting spot during camp and it sounds like Foster won as expected. Last Kentucky was dismal in the return game, this year looks to be much improved. Randall Burden was solid catching punts but offered very little return value. Demarco Robinson, among others, will step in and offer more in that department. UK lost special teams standouts Matt Roark and Mychal Bailey to graduation, expect several young players to contribute on kickoffs and punts.

Craig McIntosh: A former walk-on who made the team during an open tryout, McIntosh is now a seasoned veteran on scholarship. He is a lock to start , and boasts range between  40 and 50 yards on a good day. He also offers decent kickoff abilities and will back up Mansour there.

Joe Mansour: Mansour came to Lexington as a heralded 4-star punter/kicker and was supposed to be drilling 60-yarders by now. He boasts a big leg but has struggled with accuracy, preventing him from taking either starting position. Mansour has  however, developed into a dangerous kickoff specialist, recording 14 touchbacks and helping UK rank 4^th in the SEC in net kickoff yardage. He may be called upon as a situational punter when the team needs to boot a long one this season.

Landon Foster: Foster is a true freshman from Tennessee who is accurate and has decent power. His consistency has led most to assume he has won the starting job and will be on the field against Louisville. He looks poised to join the recent run of great punters at Kentucky and , like Masthay and Tydlacka before him, is a great athlete. So the potential for the fake is there.

Jay Wilmott: A walk-on freshman from nearby Scott County High, Wilmott had a chance to gain ground in the Spring and failed to move ahead. Unlikely to play this season, his best chance to see the field without an injury is to work on kickoffs in order to take over for Mansour in two years.