Kentucky Wildcats Football: Five old new guys
By Kyle
By nature, a change in coaching staffs will offer new opportunities to some of the players on the roster. The emphasis that’s gone to recruiting has allowed some of us to forget about some of the promising players that are already on the roster as well. Today, I’m highlighting five players that didn’t play at all last season (or that saw limited time) that could have huge years in 2013.
#18 – Glenn Faulkner – SO – DB – 6’2 / 185 – East St. Louis, IL
After enrollment issues held Faulkner from joining the team for camp as a freshman, he struggled to ever catch up and really only contributed on special teams in 2011. In 2012, an injury derailed his efforts to crack the lineup before they ever really got started and the staff was able to redshirt him and get an extra year of eligibility. Now, seniors Mikie Benton and Martavius Neloms have graduated and both of the starting safety jobs are up for grabs and Faulkner is in fantastic position to get one of them. His ability to cover receivers in zone or man make him ideal for the nickel package at the least, but his ability to support the run is what could propel Faulkner into the starting lineup.
#21 – Josh Clemons – SO – RB – 5’10 / 204 – Fayetteville, GA
As a true freshman in 2011, Clemons came in and made noise right away. He leapfrogged multiple upperclassmen to break the two-deep in his first year on campus and stole a good amount of carries from starter Ray Sanders. Clemons blend of size and speed made him equally effective running between the tackles and outside and he was surprisingly solid as a pass protector as well. A knee injury sidelined him for half of his freshman season though, and the same injury lingered into this past season forcing the staff to redshirt one of their most promising young players. Now, Clemons will battle with seniors Ray Sanders and Jonathan George, Sophomore Dy’Shawn Mobley and redshirt freshman Justin Taylor for the starting running back job. Clemons is probably the best natural runner of the bunch at this point, but the new offense will require the backs to catch the ball out of the backfield, split out wide at times, and pick up the blitz as well. If Clemons can successfully adapt to the new scheme, he should come out of the spring as the team’s number 1 back.
#29 – Austin Sheehan – FR -WR – 5’10 / 170 – Ft. Thomas, KY
Normally, a walk-on that redshirted and has never taken a college snap wouldn’t be on this list, but Sheehan isn’t exactly a normal walk-on. His size isn’t impressive and his speed really isn’t either, but Sheehan has still stumbled upon the perfect opportunity for himself at Kentucky. The switch to the air raid system will mean that the receiving corps will need to go about 8-10 players deep, and there really isn’t a proven guy on the roster. His top competition will come from a group of players that didn’t catch a touchdown pass last season, junior college transfers, and 18-19 year old true freshmen. Sheehan set just about every receiving record in the state of Kentucky as a high school player and should have built-in chemistry with quarterback Patrick Towles after playing together at Highlands. While he shouldn’t be expected to be the teams top option at receiver, Sheehan could very well be a 4-5 catch-a-game player. His ability to find the holes in the zone defenses and knack for picking up first downs could make him one of the biggest breakout players on the roster in 2013.
#55 – Jordan Watson – FR – OL – 6’4 / 324 – Fayetteville, GA
No graduating senior leaves a bigger hole to fill than guard Larry Warford. A standout Alice his freshman season, Warford was a stalwart on the offensive line and could always be counted on to create running lanes or protect the quarterback. Now, the new staff will have to find a replacement for him and Watson might be the front runner. In a move that surprised some, Watson was redshirted last season as a freshman and held out for the entire year. His sheer size alone makes him formidable enough, but his ability to pull and lead running backs at his size makes him devastating. Watson was a prized recruit in the 2012 signing class that was courted by several other BCS schools until very late in the process. Despite the struggles Kentucky endured and the attention he attracted from other schools, he stayed true to his commitment and followed his former high school teammate Josh Clemons to Lexington. Watson will head into the spring to battle several other players for the available staring job at guard and could emerge blocking for Clemons again.
#81 – Rashaad Cunningham – SO – WR – 6’4 / 210 – Mobile, AL
Perhaps no player on the team has been as easily forgotten as Cunningham. He played receiver at Davidson high school where the offense heavily favors the running game, and still caught the eye of the previous coaching staff. While he has the body of an NFL receiver, his lack of experience actually catching the ball scared off bigger names and Kentucky received his signature on national signing day with very little competition. He redshirted in 2011 as he refined his raw abilities and saw action in only six games in 2012 on offense and special teams but was unable to notch a catch or any other statistic. Now, Cunningham returns for his sophomore season as Kentucky’s tallest receiver and biggest red zone threat. He has good speed and leaping ability for a player his size, but what sets Cunningham apart is his blocking. With only only five other returning scholarship receivers on the roster and the scheme change to a pass-happy offense, Cunningham could really flourish if he can improve his ability to catch the ball and understand the opposing defenses.