Kentucky Wildcat Football – Filling the Holes: Defensive Backs

In a recent interview Winston Guy revealed why he even considered going into the draft and what the scouts told him.

I’ll say it right now: I’m sippin’ on the Winston Guy Haterade. As a highly touted recruit coming out of high school, I thought we had snagged a game changing safety that was lighting quick and hit like a ton of bricks. In reality we snagged a safety that was lightning quick and hit like a ton a bricks…when he got there and lined you up perfectly. I can’t say how many tackles he would have gotten if he had just wrapped up and brought the guy down, instead of trying to make every tackle a haymaker. I understand it makes you look good and you can stand there and flex all you want, but sometimes I would be more happy with a tackle for a 25 yard gain than watching you pick yourself up and jogging after the play because the guy rolled off and kept running. Power doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t control it and we had a serious problem with control last year.

While the defensive line might have been porous, the secondary did everything they could, earning the 18th ranked defense in YPG nationally and being a tackling lifeline; and that lifeline was used frequently. Five out of the top seven tacklers were in the secondary; there isn’t a single D-lineman in the t0p-10 until you get to #8, with Taylor Wyndham’s 24. When both starting corners and your nickel back have more tackles than most of your linemen combined, either your secondary is being overworked or full of Randall Cobbs; I’m going with the latter. The good news is that the Nuclear Minter (still love that nickname) has set in and hopefully it will bring a summer that we see Winston Guy’s arms grow out beyond his shoulder pads; having a eagle-eye tackler that doesn’t let people get by will be much better than a heavy hitter. If coach Minter can get them to make sure tackles and improve the coverage I think the defense could be in the top third of the entire SEC with Tacklebot 5000 chewing up the middle and searching for Sarah Conner.

The corner position is one of the places I am least worried about next year, starters Randall “Still Crankin’ that Spider Man (check it out, seriously)” Burden and “Notorious” Martavius Neloms both return and both are capable of holding down their respective sides of the field. Neloms has been getting game experience since his freshman year and with last year being his third year playing organized football, his ceiling is still rising and he could be set for a Lindley-like breakout year. Back-up Cartier Rice was garnering praise during summer camp and scrimmages last year but never got took of during the year, with only nine tackles and one pass breakup in nine games. Scout team sensation Jerell Priester looks to make waves next year, and Dale Trimble is rumored to have the ability to play either the safety or corner positions.

Recruiting for the secondary went well this off-season as the staff was able to hold onto Glen Faulkner, a four star recruit out of St. Louis. Tee Martin (props to the coaching staff and front office for holding onto him) recruit Eric Dixon is also signing this week.

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