Kentucky Wildcats Football Recruiting: Recapping the offensive line commitments
By Kyle
On Thursday, Chris Snee over at Rivals broke the news that Kentucky has landed offensive tackle recruit Jordan Swindle into their 2012 recruiting class. Swindle becomes the sixth offensive line recruit in the class, and I’m following up Zach’s offensive line preview with a breakdown of these six guys.
Zach Myers – OG – 6’4 / 270 – Miamisburg, OH
Rivals: Not rated
Scout: 3-Star #82 OG
247: 2-Star
ESPN: Not rated
Myers was the first offensive lineman to cast his lot with the Cats in the 2012 class and is a Kentucky football legacy. He has the body type and tenacity to play anywhere along the offensive line and could be developed at center, guard, or possibly even tackle. Myers’ has made a name for himself as a devastating run blocker and has the athletic ability to pull, trap, or seal block. He could be used as a utility player until the staff settles him in at a position in the same way Jake Lanefski is utilized now.
Jordan Watson – OG – 6’4 / 285 – Fayetteville, GA
Rivals: Not rated
Scout: 3-Star #40 OG
247: 3-Star
ESPN: 3-Star #68 OG
For the 2010 football season, Watson was paving the way for current Kentucky RB Josh Clemons and in the near future, he’ll probably be experiencing déjà vu. Watson projects best at guard and has the type of size and strength to make an early impact on the offensive line. With Stuart Hines graduating this season and Larry Warford possibly moving on to the NFL, Watson could be in the mix for playing time as a true freshman next year. He reminds me a lot of Stuart Hines.
Jon Toth – OG/OT – 6’5 / 290 – Indianapolis, IN
Rivals: 2-Star
Scout: 3-Star #61 OT
247: 3-Star
ESPN: 2-Star #137 OT
Of all the commits in the 2012 class, Toth might be the one I’m most excited about. He’s a huge guy already and has a long frame to add weight to. He’s a blue-collar lineman and is capable of dominating at a couple of positions in college. He projects best as a guard or right tackle in the SEC. Toth might need a year or two to develop before he’s ready to contribute, but once he fills out his frame and gets strong enough, he could very easily be playing on Sundays when his time in Lexington is done.
Darone Bailey – OG – 6’6 / 315 – Cleveland, MS
Rivals: Not rated
Scout: 2-Star
247: Not rated
ESPN: Not Rated
Bailey will come to UK out of Junior College and will have two years of eligibility left. He’s on track to graduate this winter and should be enrolled in Lexington in time for spring practice. If he can pick up the Kentucky offensive system quickly, Bailey could be an immediate starter at the offensive guard spot that Stuart Hines will be vacating after the season. Don’t let his ranking worry you, as JUCO players never seem to be rated as highly as they should be.
T.J. Jones – OT – 6’5 / 275 – Myrtle Beach, SC
Rivals: 2-Star
Scout: Not rated
247: Not rated
ESPN: 2-Star #139 OT
Of all the players in the class, Jones’ commitment kind of came out of nowhere. He wasn’t one of the prospects that was a known top target for the Cats, and has really blown up over the last few months, and the staff has first hand knowledge of his abilities. Jones attended one of Kentucky’s camps this summer and Coach Summers was so impressed that he left with a scholarship offer. Jones is still flying under the radar at this time and will probably need to add some weight to block effectively in the SEC, but he has a very high ceiling. His size and body type projects best as an offensive tackle.
Jordan Swindle – OT – 6’8 / 310 – St. John’s, FL
Rivals: 3-Star #70 OT
Scout: 2-Star
247: Not rated
ESPN: 3-Star #99 OT
As mentioned at the top of this post, Swindle is Kentucky’s most recent commitment. He is also the biggest of the group, measuring in at 6’8. With that type of length, Swindle will most likely be developed as a tackle where he can use his size and athletic tools to slow down the faster blitzers from the outside. He also doesn’t look like he’s done growing and could fill out into a lean 350+ pound lineman at some point.
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