With signing day in the rearview mirror, The University of Kentucky football team will shift its focus to spring practice and trying to fill out the depth chart. I’ll be breaking down each position group to see who’s in consideration for playing time and what each player brings to the table.
One of the supposed positions of strength for Kentucky’s 2009 season should have been Tight End. Returning three seniors at the position ended up irrelevant as UK suffered through the year without a major contributor in the group. The addition of several key players may make the Tight Ends a more important part of what Kentucky plans to do offensively this upcoming season, but all of the main contenders to claim the starting role have never taken a snap in the SEC.
The early favorite to land the starting role is Colorado Transfer and Bowling Green Native Ryan Wallace. After sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules, he’ll go into this spring having a leg up on his competition because of his time spent with the team last summer. While his natural skill set lends him to receiving a little more, he does have the frame and size to be an effective blocker. The offseason workouts provided by Rock Johnson should have the biggest effect in the Tight End group, and a solid spring practice could very well cement Wallace as the starter going into the fall.
Many fans held their breath until the very last moment when Anthony Kendrick finally made the grades to enroll at UK. He was one of the more intriguing prospects Kentucky has brought in over recent years and offers a different skill set than other Tight Ends UK pursued. He performed as a standout basketball player in high school and even garnered some attention (and scholarship offers) on the hardwood as a prep player. Ultimately he decided to cast his lot with Kentucky and has the potential to fill the role of an athletic receiver from the position Kentucky fans haven’t seen, ever. He is more naturally athletic than Tamme or Whalen was, but the biggest hurdle he will face is attempting to grasp the responsibilities of his position at the college level. Expect him to contribute heavily in the passing game early.
After dealing with some serious health issues, Brian Adams has been officially cleared to participate in football activities. This super athlete from Georgia has the size and speed to line up at about ten different positions, but the staff obviously felt that moving him to Tight End would pay the biggest dividends. The transition from high school Quarterback to college Tight End will be a steep hill to climb, but his experience breaking down playbooks and his understanding of routes should help the switch. Spring practice will allow Adams to get his first on-field game experience at his new position and give him a leg up on all the freshmen arriving this fall. If Alex Smith lives up to billing, there’s also a chance Adams could be moved back to Wide Receiver, where he was originally slated to play. Expect Adams to contribute more in the passing game as a slot receiver and stretching middle of the field early, but with the amount of upside he offers, don’t be surprised if he logs meaningful minutes early in the 2010 season.
Nick Melillo had a surprising impact after moving over from receiver during the fall camp. Despite his status as a walk-on and being somewhat undersized for the position, most fans would identify him as the best receiver of the group last season. The competition to log minutes at the Tight End position will be a little more difficult for him with the addition of the other athletes, but he obviously has something the coaches like or he wouldn’t have played so much with three seniors ahead of him on the depth chart in 2009.
Kentucky will add several freshmen into the Tight End mix during the fall. It appears that the only player in that group that is destined to remain at TE is Alex Smith. Nermin Delic could see some time on offense, but he will be started out on the defensive side of the ball. Teven Eatmon is listed as a TE but is probably destined for the offensive line. Tyler Robinson is listed as a TE, but is probably destined for the defensive line or interior offensive line. Ronnie Shields and Tyler Brause are listed as ATHs by UK, but there is a good possibility both could end up at Tight End by the time the dust from next years spring practice settles.
Although the Tight End position clearly under-produced last season, Kentucky has stocked up with talented young players that should put the Wildcats in a great position moving forward. Add the commitment of ESPN 150 player Jon Davis, and UK appears to be in good shape for the foreseeable future.
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