Kentucky Wildcats Football: 5 underclassmen to watch
By Kyle
Recruiting is in full swing and Kentucky has currently racked up one of the most impressive hauls of talent in the country. As great as this is for the future, Drew Barker and company won’t be on campus this fall, so the staff will have to find a way to utilize the current roster for the time being. Here are the top five underclassmen (sophomores or younger) that need to have a big year for the Cats.
#5 – Jordan Swindle – Sophomore – OT
Te offensive line went through a minor overhaul, but the rearranged pieces appear to be similar to last season’s starting five. Darrien Miller and Zach West are expected to retain their starting jobs on the left side and a Kevin Mitchell is expected to slide down from tackle to guard on the right. Jon Toth and Zach Myers are battling it out for the center job, and the final piece of the puzzle appears to be sophomore Jordan Swindle. While you could make an argument as to the importance of the center position, the SEC is full of the country’s top pass rushers and its up to your tackles to slow them down. Swindle has great size (6’7) and should be the leading contender to start at right tackle after playing as a reserve last season. For Neal Brown’s offense to work, the quarterback will need to stay clean and about half of this responsibility falls on Swindle.
#4 – A.J. Legree – Sophomore – WR
We’re all aware of how few bodies Kentucky has at wide receiver, but it looks like the staff will have to make due with what they have this season. At 6’2, Legree is one of the tallest receivers on the team and could be one of the top redzone threats. The Wildcats are loaded with quality slots, but needs some size on the perimeter. This is where Legree comes in. He played well enough as a true freshman, but could be one of the team’s breakout stars this upcoming season.
#3 – Glenn Faulkner – Sophomore – DB
Faulkner is a former Army All-American but has yet to live up to billing since arriving in Lexington. Enrollment issues as a freshman were followed by injury problems last season and he heads into his redshirt sophomore campaign with very little tangible experience. Despite this, the situation at safety isn’t good for Kentucky. Projected starter Ashely Lowery was involved in a serious car wreck this offseason and while he wasn’t seriously injured, his status is unknown at this point. Add to that that both Lowery and fellow projected starting safety Daron Blaylock are probably both better fits at linebacker, and the opportunity for a player like Faulkner to shine has never been better. If he’s going to make a splash, he needs to make a big one. If the 2013 season concludes without Faulkner in the starting lineup, he may have trouble getting there with Marcus McWilson already on campus and both anime Edwards and Darius West arriving next year.
#2 – Khalid Henderson – Sophomore- LB
Junior Avery Williamson is certainly the headliner of the linebacker group and he should be. Williamson has been a consistent force and there is no reason to expect him to throttle down for his senior year. All that said, Henderson might be more important to the success of the defense. Possessing electric speed for a linebacker, Henderson will likely be manning the weak-side linebacker position and anyone who follows the 4-3 defense knows how important that spot is. Henderson is a more natural fit for this role in the new defense and should flourish in 2013 and take some of the heat off of Williamson
#1 – Jaleel Hytchye – Freshman – DB
It’s not easy to put a true freshman on this list, but there’s not much of a choice considering the circumstances. Kentucky will head into the season with six scholarship cornerbacks (assuming Nate Willis takes care of business) and none have ideal experience. As promising as Willis, Quinn, and Tiller are, Hytchye has the highest ceiling of the group and will likely be counted on from day one. If he can come in in dime packages and provide solid coverage of the shifty slot receivers in the SEC, it could be a huge benefit to the entire defense. Considering the Wildcats don’t even have a single defensive back that has started a complete season, he’ll likely be needed to play a much bigger role than that.