By Kyle
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.
Kentucky has benefited from above average play from their Cornerbacks over the past few years, but will have to move on without All-American Trevard Lindley in the defensive backfield. The many injuries UK corners sustained this past season may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as they allowed some of the younger players to gain valuable playing time. There should be some solid options for the top four corners, but depth is thin.
Before he became an academic casualty of the 2008 season, senior Paul Warford was seeing extensive playing time as a sophomore. He was forced to sit out and redshirt for 2008, but jumped back in the mix as a redshirt junior this past season. Warford should provide the most experience of the young corners on the roster and should also head into the spring practices as a starter at one of the two spots available. With the talent of the younger players on the roster, he’ll have to work hard to maintain his job this spring. Expect Warford to replace Trevard Lindley as a starting cornerback by the end of spring.
Randall Burden had an up-and-down year as he struggled to play through injuries and get comfortable in his first year as a starter. There were flashes of brilliance as he broke up passes, but he was also burnt deep too frequently. He’ll need to play well this spring to hold of the next two corners on the depth chart, but his size and experience will be hard for the younger players to overcome. If he can stay healthy and get on top of his defensive assignments, there’s no question that Burden can be an all-SEC performer, but he’s not there yet. This will be an extremely important spring for Burden.
At 5’9, sophomore Cartier Rice is smaller than most of Kentucky’s recent corners. What he lacks in natural height, he makes up for in speed and athleticism, but he’ll have a tall task ahead of him to unseat on of the upperclassmen slated to start for the 2010 season. Injuries to Lindley, Burden, and Warford allowed Rice to see the field as a freshman and helped him gain some valuable experience. He’ll need that experience as he heads into the spring practice sessions attempting to unseat Burden or Warford as a starter in the defensive backfield. He is most likely to continue seeing the field when the offense is in pass-heavy sets and on special teams where UK will need a “gunner” to replace Alfonso Smith.
Most UK fans where taken by surprise when Martavius Neloms committed to the Cats last year. He was a raw defensive back prospect from Memphis that had only played organized football for two years, so everyone was even more surprised when he was not redshirted. The staff’s decision to not redshirt Neloms ended up paying dividends as the top three cornerbacks on the roster all suffered injuries at one point in time or another last season, and Neloms was able to step in and contribute right away. He will enter spring practice in the midst of a battle for playing time with the other upperclassmen on the roster. Neloms’ ceiling is as high as any player on the roster and there really is no telling how good he can be after his first offseason of weight training and spring practices.
Converted Wide Receiver Anthony Mosley is the only other scholarship Cornerback on the roster for spring. He will have to prove his worth in pass coverage and in run support, which are two assignments foreign to most receivers. Mosley will need to show the staff he has made some progress this spring, which will be necessary to see the field this fall.
Kentucky will bring in several recruits at Cornerback with potential to see the field early. Dale Trimble and Eric Simmons chose UK over several other highly touted programs and were both ranked in the top 25 Cornerback’s nationally by ESPN’s recruiting services. Jerrell Priester is an ATH prospect that could play about six different positions, but Coach Phillips has stated that he will start out as a defensive back. All three look like likely candidates to see the field early at this point.
While the current roster lacks ideal depth at the Cornerback position, there is some talent there. It will be important for the current players to cement their spot on the depth chart this spring to ensure they’re not overtaken this fall by some of the talented freshmen. Regardless of who starts, there should be lots of playing time to go around with the heavy emphasis on multiple receiver sets by many of UK’s opponents.
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