John Calipari’s 2013 Kentucky Wildcat Basketball class could approach GOAT territory

Oct 6, 2012; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Joker Phillips during the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Commonwealth Stadium. Mississippi State won 27-14. Credit: Mark Zerof-US PRESSWIRE

The Kentucky football team heads into Arkansas this weekend with an unprecedented wave of young players having to prove themselves this weekend. Joker Phillips had these comments at yesterday’s press availability:

"Phillips updated the injury report after practice, saying that senior defensive backs Martavius Neloms and Mikie Benton, along with sophomore safety Ashely Lowery will not play Saturday against Arkansas. Taking their place will be true freshman safeties Daron and Zack Blaylock. Backing up the Blaylock twins at safety will be sophomore Eric Dixon and true freshman walk-on Cody Lewis. “It is time to go play,” Phillips said. “We will go play without (Martavius) Neloms, Mikie Benton, Ashely Lowery. We will start two true freshmen in the back end at safety in the Blaylock twins (Daron and Zack) and then we will start Cody Quinn at one of the corners and a veteran guy out there at the other corner in Cartier Rice. Line up and go play. This is the No. 2 throwing team in this league and we are excited about playing.” Phillips, who said after practice that 23 of the 30 defensive players on the trip to Arkansas are freshmen and sophomores, is excited for the young guys and ready to see how they perform on the big stage. Phillips said UK has been in this situation before and won games. “I have always taken the attitude of ‘next guy up,’” Phillips said. “We went into some big games with some guys that haven’t gotten snaps at a lot of different positions and won some of them. We are going to go into this one the same way with the same attitude. We will line up with the next guy. I am excited for them and for the team, because those guys get behind those young guys. They know how hard those young guys have worked and how excited they are. Our guys rally together.”"

Oct 6, 2012; Lexington, KY, USA; at Commonwealth Stadium. Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 27-14. Credit: Mark Zerof-US PRESSWIRE

I know that I said that Kentucky’s youth was unprecedented, but this press release from the UKAA helps to put the numbers in perspective:

"Fountain of Youth: Here are more notes on the youth and inexperience of the Kentucky football team. •UK is fifth in the nation for most true freshmen played with 14 and only one behind four teams who are tied for first with 15 true frosh played. •UK is third in the nation for most total freshmen (true and redshirt frosh) played with 26, only two behind the national leader. •Phillips noted after Thursday’s practice that 23 of the 30 defensive players traveling to the Arkansas game will be freshmen or sophomores. •Kentucky’s two-deep in the defensive backfield features one senior, one sophomore and six true freshmen, two of whom are walk-ons. •In a blog post earlier in the week, Kyle Tucker of the Louisville Courier-Journal researched and wrote that UK leads the SEC with 26 freshmen and sophomores in the two-deep and UK also leads the league with 11 freshman and sophomore starters. (Interesting to note that by the end of the week, UK now has 12 freshman and sophomore starters.)"