Kentucky Wildcats Football: a Closer look at the running back position

Most of you are probably going to watch the NFL draft tonight, and with the outside chance of Randall Cobb sneaking into the first round, it’s probably a good idea to do so. Zach has done a great job of covering the draft for us here at the WBN and his coverage will continue through the entire process.

Until then, I’ve got some UK material for you to help you get through the second half of the workday!

The Offensive line might be a little shallow on the depth chart, but the unit is almost certain to be a team strength this season as the offense learns how to function without Cobb, Locke, and Hartline.
While a lot of folks seem to be worried about the quarterback play, I’m confident Newton will get the job done. I mean, hell, the guy beat Auburn, Vandy, and Georgia on the road as a freshman and took Tennessee into overtime. He didn’t look like Tom Brady in doing so, but I feel like he’ll be fine. The receivers have had a severe case of the dropsies this spring, but I’m confident they’ll come around as well and if they don’t, there are six incoming freshmen that could bump them down the depth chart this summer.
So today’s post is going to focus on the running backs and what each guy brings to the table. To recap the guys expected to play the position, you’ve got Raymond Sanders, who came out of the spring as the projected starter at running back with Jonathan George as the number two guy and Brandon Gainer and CoShik Williams behind him. By all indications, freshmen Marcus Caffey and Josh Clemons are on track to be here in June.
Keep in mind that Kentucky not only lost senior Derrick Locke, but sophomore Donald Russell also opted to transfer and left the team before the spring.

Raymond Sanders – Sophomore – 5’8 / 200 – Stone Mountain, GA
If there’s one thing that everyone knew about Sanders before he ever even arrived on campus, it was that he was a winner. He comes from as prestigious of a program as there is in the country and he was a leader from the time he first pulled into Lexington. Now it appears that the weight of carrying the ground game and taking over for Locke will be placed squarely on his shoulders. He has a leg up on the competition partially due to his ability to claim the second string job away from Donald Russell last year in his true-freshman season, and partially due to his versatility as a player. He’ll need to step up and provide a more consistent rushing option this year though, as he will have the most on-field experience of any back on the team this year, which is not typical for a true sophomore.

Jonathan George – Sophomore(RS) – 5’10 / 205 – Lincoln, AL
George is an intriguing guy. When he first got to campus, reports out of camp were that he was the steal of the class and that he would probably play as a true freshman. Then he was injured and Donald Russell was thrust into the depth chart whilst George sat the year out with a redshirt. Then this past year, he found himself hovering around the fifth spot on the depth chart behind Locke, Sanders, Russell, and Williams and a lot of folks started to wonder if he would even be on the team this spring. Well, he is and he used the spring practices to vault himself back up the depth chart to his current spot which is kind of like a 1A behind Sanders. He’s a different type of runner than Kentucky is used to and has much more of a ‘blue-collar’ running style than several of the previous backs have had. He should push Sanders for carries all season if he stays healthy.

CoShik Williams – Junior(RS) – 5’9 / 182 – Hiram , GA
It seems like there’s always a really tough walk-on on Kentucky’s roster and Williams might be the toughest of the group this year. He’s undersized and a little lighter than your typical pro-style running back, but he runs hard and always seems to make plays when he gets in. Staying on the depth chart is going to be tough this season, but Williams has beaten the odds throughout his time here, so who’s to say he can’t steal some carries this year?

Brandon Gainer – Freshman(RS) – 5’11 / 205 – Miami, FL
While the now departed Alex Smith stole most of the headlines for the 2010 class, Gainer was the guy most of us were the most excited about. He comes from a fantastic program in Florida’s Miami Central High School and was tutored there by one of Kentucky’s all-time great players in Mark Higgs. Unfortunately, it took longer than expected for him to be cleared by the NCAA and after arriving to campus late, he was injured and forced to sit out the year while redshirting. A case of fumblitis kept him from shining during the spring and another injury prevented his participation in the blue/white game, but it’s important to remember that Gainer is ONLY a freshman at this point and he probably has the highest ceiling of all the backs on the roster. I expect big things from him by the time he leaves Lexington.

Marcus Caffey – Freshman – 6’0 / 190 – Atlanta, GA
While Kentucky had a known need for running backs this year, Caffey is more of an ‘Athlete’ than some of the other guys Kentucky has brought in. He has the type of size/speed combination that could allow him to play in the backfield, at receiver, or even as a safety or corner. It looks like he’ll start out as a running back, but with his versatility, there’s no telling where he ends up. He will be a different type of weapon than Randall Cobb was, but I can see scenarios where he is lined up all over the field.

Josh Clemons – Freshman – 5’10 / 200 – Fayetteville, GA
I love what Clemons brings to Kentucky’s roster and he’s a real ‘throw-back’ compared to some of the other backs UK has brought in of late. He has a toughness about him that will allow him to compete very early in his career and he’s more of a pro-style running back than many of his teammates. Now that it’s looking like the Wildcats will be using more of the two tight end sets and using the fullback less, a guy like Clemons has the type of attributes that will allow him to excel.

So as of now, the depth chart looks like this:

1. Raymond Sanders
2. Jonathan George
3. Marcus Caffey/Josh Clemons
4. CoShik Williams/Brandon Gainer

Keep in mind that there is almost no chance that the depth chart will be the same exiting the summer as it is now that spring is over. There could be some major changes and one injury could alter the entire position.

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