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.
During this series of position breakdowns, a resounding theme has been “upperclassmen need to perform well during spring to keep from being passed up by freshmen this fall.” Absolutely no position is this more important to than at Kicker. Lones Seiber gave Kentucky fans happiness and headache from week to week, and actually managed to finish his career as the all-time leading scorer for Kentucky. Albeit while getting booed incessantly from fans. Well now Seiber’s experience is gone and a freshman or sophomore will be expected to connect on field goals and extra points for UK. The two players lined up to battle for the Kicking job this spring are redshirt sophomores Pat Simmons and Craig McIntosh. While most fans don’t make themselves overly familiar with the Kicker, McIntosh endeared himself to football junkies in Kentucky last season on the kickoff team. His ability to consistently place the ball inside of the twenty helped give opponents a long field to work with, but he’s unproven when kicking between the uprights. Simmons has yet to see the field and represents an unknown to UK fans. He could push McIntosh for the Kicker job this spring. The bad news for both is that heralded freshman Joseph Mansour will arrive this summer to throw his hat in the ring. Mansour was selected as the Kicker of the decade for the state of Georgia and has kicked a 60+ yard field goal, so the talent is there. Whenever a team uses a scholarship on a Kicker, you know that the player is talented. There is also a possibility junior Ryan Tydlacka is moved to Kicker, were he played some as a freshman.
While Punters don’t get the wrap that Kickers do, a lot of people don’t understand their importance. A good punter can flip the field and force the opposition to sustain a long drive if they hope to score. Kentucky was lucky enough to have Tim Masthay man the position, and then move seamlessly to Ryan Tydlacka as a sophomore. Tydlacka has stepped in nicely and seldom shanks his punts short or mishandles snaps, but his real value has been in his ability to not only get great distance on his kicks, but to also get great hang time and allow the coverage to surround the returner before he catches the ball. After his fantastic performance in his sophomore year, expect Tyldacka to remain as the starting punter unless Mansour is placed here, in which case he may be moved to Kicker.
After serving as the primary punt returner last season, junior Randall Cobb should see the field as the primary punt returner this spring. His knack for finding seams in the coverage and making the big play makes him a dangerous threat to score every time he touches the ball. Fellow junior receiver Gene McCaskill should see some time on the punt return team as well to spell Cobb.
Kentucky has primarily featured Running backs and Wide Receivers as kick returners in recent years, and there has been no indication of plans to change that this year. Explosive senior Derrick Locke saw extensive action on the unit this past season, but the staff may be wary of using him as a full-time return man due to the pounding his small frame will take as the primary ball carrier again this year. While he and Cobb are the most likely candidates to return kickoffs this spring, other players may be tried out as well. The most probable players to get a shot would be Running backs Donald Russell, Jonathan George, and CoShik Williams or Receivers E.J. Fields, LaRod King, and Gene McCaskill. Spring is also a great time for experimentation, so don’t be surprised to see linebacker Danny Trevathan tried out on kickoff returns again this year, or anther non-traditional position player given a shot.
Unless there’s an absolute blow out, he’ll never be on the field for more than 5 or six plays, but senior J.J. Helton is still an important for Kentucky to be successful. As the always forgotten Long Snapper, Helton is responsible for making sure the holder receives the ball in the right place with little or no movement. A snapper can literally lose a game for their team, and Kentucky has been lucky enough to have someone as talented at their trade as Helton. He should have a capable holder in “Mr. I-can-do-everything” Randall Cobb. If he is utilized as a Holder again, Cobb gives Kentucky an experienced player that presents a unique threat to run or pass on a fake at any time.
Special Teams rarely gets their due credit among fans. Kentucky has benefitted from elite special teams play at times, and suffered from poor play at others. Keep in mind that the special Teams units typically do not receive as much focus during the spring and this is the easiest area for the incoming freshman class to contribute early. Expect to see Kentucky freshman Joseph Mansour included in the battle for Kicker and Punter this fall. Athletic freshmen Jerrell Priester, Raymond Sanders, Brandon Gainer, Eric Simmons, Dale Trimble and Miles Simpson may also get some consideration as return men as well. This unit can have a bigger impact on a game than the Offense or Defense, and Kentucky will need them to succeed if they hope to pull off any upsets, and avoid getting upset by other teams.
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