Kentucky Wildcats Football: Position changes that make sense
By Kyle
Nov 30, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 27-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Recruiting is out of the way and the 2014 class is wrapped up, so the staff can now turn their focus to improving the team during the offseason. The entire squad had ups and downs throughout the year in 2013 and the coaching staff will likely look to stabilize things in year two of the rebuilding process. There will be changes to the offensive and defensive schemes and a roster overhaul has already begun to take place. With that in mind, most of the position changes that any roster goes through typically happen around the spring and early summer. With so many different moving parts to this program over the next several months, here are some position changes that make sense on paper at least.
#2 – Jalen Whitlow – JR – 6’2 / 220
Current Positon: QB
Could be: WR / TE
Its not like Whitlow is a bad football player, but he has undeniably struggled at the quarterback position. Faltering under pressure and inconsistent accuracy are issues that should be expected from an athlete that wasn’t even recruited to play the most difficult spot on the field. Despite early indications of Whitlow being on the outside looking in at QB, there is still plenty of time for him to improve and challenge (presumptive favorites) Phillips and Barker. If he can’t start at quarterback, Whitlow is just too dynamic to sit on the bench and the staff should look to try him out at receiver or even tight end, where he is much more likely to play if he advances to professional football one day.
#5 – Ashely Lowery – SR – 6’1 / 211
Current Position: S
Could be: LB
It seems like eons ago that the highlight clip of Lowery hurdling opponents went viral. While it wasn’t that long ago, the reality that Lowery is heading into his senior year is a reminder that he has struggled to live up t the hype he had coming out of high school as a safety prospect. With ample size and ideal speed, a switch to linebacker could be just the thing to allow Lowery to have a big impact on the defense in his last season in Lexington.
#6 – Jason Hatcher – SO – 6’3 / 250
Current Position: DE
Could be: LB
It may seem odd to consider moving one of the team’s most promising young stars around, but there are upsides to switching Hatcher to linebacker. He is still slightly undersized as a defensive end and was used predominantly as a rush end in 3-4 looks as a freshman. With Hatcher possessing rare speed for a defensive end, he could slide back and possibly become the heir to Avery Williamson as the team’s middle linebacker. Considering Za’Darius Smith and Bud Dupree will likely start at the two defensive end positions and a 2014 signing class that includes FOUR quality defensive ends, Hatcher’s presence and abilities might be best utilized as a linebacker.
#7 – Daron Blaylock – JR – 6’1 / 214
Current Position: S
Could be: LB
Similar to Ashely Lowery, Daron Blaylock’s natural build probably favors linebacker. He has great speed for the position and is already at a respectable playing size for one of the two outside linebacker spots. A merry-go-round of defensive backs have rotated in and out at the two safety positions for Kentucky and Blaylock will be looking at some stiff competition from both returning players as well as the incoming class. With a clear cut need at linebacker, the road to substantial playing time is much less rocky were Blaylock to make the switch.
#14 – Patrick Towles – SO – 6’5 / 225
Current Position: QB
Could be: TE
It’s so funny that Towles went from one of the most important players Kentucky had ever signed to an afterthought in only two short years. Rumors abound as to exactly why the former four-star and Parade All-American has been unable to take the reigns as the team’s starting quarterback so far but ultimately no one really knows except for the staff and Patrick himself. In the event that Towles does not exit spring practice as the starter, the staff should look to move him to tight end. With three years of eligibility left and prototypical size for the position, Towles could step into a spot where Kentucky returns only ONE scholarship player that manned the position last year.
#15 – Marcus McWilson – SO – 6’0 / 210
Current Position: S
Could be: LB
He as one of the team’s marquee additions in the 2013 class but a late arrival to camp prevented him from seeing the field early in the year. As the season progressed, it became apparent that McWilson has a natural nose for the football and that he is an athletic freak of nature. A short period in the weights program allowed McWilson to increase his playing weight up to 210 pounds while maintaining his athleticism and the possibility of him becoming even bigger still exists. With the need and uncertainty at linebacker, McWilson could be just the player to give the Wildcats some stability on defense.
#17 – Alexander Montgomery – SO – 6’2 / 210
Current Position: WR
Could be: TE
An unfortunate injury cut Montgomery’s freshman season short just as he seemed to be emerging as the team’s top redzone threat. Any knee injury is tough to return from, so there’s a decent chance that Montgomery may not be 100% healthy when the season roles around and that he may struggle to maintain his athleticism he had pre-injury. In any event, Montgomery has the natural frame to play tight end and his ability to snatch the ball at its highest point could make him a matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties. He is unlikely to ever be a mauling blocker, but then again most Air-Raid offenses aren’t predicaed on tight end blocking either.
#24 – Blake McClain – SO – 5’11 / 190
Current Position: Nickel
Could be: S
While he didn’t get the pre-season fanfare that some of the other freshmen received, Blake McClain wasted no time in making a name for himself. Playing a linebacker/safety/corner/nickel type of role allowed McClain to stay on the field in multiple defensive looks and ultimately provided him a massive amount of early playing time. Heading into the offseason, it’s clear that McClain is one of the team’s best young players and the staff would be wise to find a way to keep him on the field as much as possible. His size and abilities make him ideal as a starter at safety, where inconsistency plagued the team last season.
While some of these changes may happen and some may not, it is imperative to remember that this list is purely hypothetical at this point and no official announcements have been made about position changes.
Due to the natural uncertainty surrounding the eventual positions of the incoming freshmen, they will be omitted for the time being.