by Kyle
Now that we’ve finished looking at each position group’s players, it’s time to consider who should play where. There will be several starters from 2009 returning and several new jobs opening up this spring. No job is ever “locked up” completely. One bad performance can be the difference between a player being a starter or being benched, so there is some speculation involved here. I’ve got jobs broken down to returning starter, probable starters, and wide open. The Returning Starters group is players who were full time starters last year and are likely to retain their job. The Probable Starters group is made up of players who either rotated in last season or are slight favorites to win the starting job. The Wide Open group is for positions that are literally wide open. This is how I see UK’s football roster and depth chart breaking down at this point.
(Note: all positions are assuming UK is in a Pro-I offense, and a base 4-3 defense)
Returning Starters
OFFENSE
Right Guard – Stuart Hines – JR
Coming off of a good redshirt sophomore season, he looks to retain his job
Wide Receiver – Randall Cobb – JR
The man that can do it all returns and is considered a WR, although ATH might be a better description of his talent
Wide Receiver – Chris Matthews – SR
JUCO transfer returns for his senior year hoping to see the kind of production former UK WR Stevie Johnson brought
Running Back – Derrick Locke – SR
Returning starter should expand his game and show off his abilities to NFL scouts
DEFENSE
Defensive Tackle – Ricky Lumpkin – SR
Hoping to step in and fill the role Corey Peters held last year.
Weak-side Defensive End – DeQuin Evans – SR
Athletic DE should have a better grasp on the defense during his final year
Weak-side Linebacker – Danny Trevathan – JR
Extremely fast Linebacker should have a better year after his arm is healed
Free Safety – Winston Guy – JR
Needs to wrap up better, but his talent is immense. Sure-fire NFL talent if he can put it all together
Cornerback – Randall Burden – JR
Got burnt a little more often than most would like, but should improve for his junior year
Probable Starters
OFFENSE
Right Tackle Brad – Durham – SR
Shared time with starter Justin Jeffries. Should step in and win job quickly
Left Guard – Larry Warford – SO
Shared time with starter Christian Johnson. Should hold off challengers
Fullback – Moncell Allen – SR
Coaches would not have taken him out of the RB rotation if they didn’t think he’d be the guy.
DEFENSE
Strong-side Defensive End – Taylor Wyndham – SO
Added weight and strength this offseason should help him lock down the job, but there’s a lot of competition
Cornerback – Paul Warford – SR
He’ll need to be good this spring, but he has a ton of experience to draw from.
Wide Open
OFFENSE
Quarterback – M. Netwon(SO)/ R. Mossakowski(FR)/ M. Hartline(SR)
Lots of options here, and the most interesting competition to watch. Newton has to be considered the favorite to win, but by a razor thin margin
Tight End – R. Wallace (SO)/ N. Melillo(JR)/ A. Kendrick(FR)/ B. Adams(FR)
The most wide open of all the positions, there are different guys that do different things well here. The favorite to win the job will be Ryan Wallace, but not by much
Center – M. Smith(SO)/ S. Simpson(FR)
Probably a two horse race here. Smith has a year of experience, but Simpson was the higher rated talent as a prep player. Smith gets a tiny advantage
DEFENSE
Defensive Tackle – S.McCord(SR)/ M. Crawford(JR)/ M. Cobble(FR)I would say Crawford is a very slight favorite here. McCord has the experience, and Cobble has the raw talent
Middle Linebacker – R. Sneed(JR)/ Q. Huzzie(FR)
Sneed saw the field backing up Micah Johnson in 2009, and Huzzie is recovering from surgery. Still, reports from all camp were glowing about Huzzie before his injury
Strong-side Linebacker – J. Dufrene(SR)/ R. Wilson(SO)/ M. Lentz(JR)/ W. Johnson (SO)
Dufrene is undersized but experienced, Wilson and Johnson are young but supremely athletic. Lentz is the wildcard, a big hitter who’s actually the biggest of the group.
Strong Safety – Josh Gibbs(JR)/ Greg Wilson(JR)/ T. Smith(JR)/ J. Walker(FR)Wilson is the big hitter, Smith has the superior cover skills, Gibbs is the balanced player, and Walker is the budding star who might not be ready just yet. Someone needs to step up, and the safest bet is it will be Gibbs. Don’t count out Walker to surprise everyone though.
Other positions
Wide Receiver #3 – LaRod King SO
King worked his way up the depth chart and should be just ahead of junior Gene McCaskill for the position
Running Back #2 – Donald Russell SO
Russell should be a better complimentary back to Locke because of his size. He will be in a neck and neck race with freshman Jonathan George
Nickel Back – Taiedo Smith JR
Smith is a Free Safety/Cornerback “tweener” that fits the role nicely. He is athletic enough to cover opponents’ slot receivers, but big enough to effectively provide run support.
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