Kentucky Wildcats Football: Who Mans the Middle?
October 27, 2012; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Kendial Lawrence (4) runs the ball with Kentucky Wildcats linebacker Avery Williamson (40) and Kentucky Wildcats cornerback Martavius Neloms (1) in toe during the third quarter at Faurot Field. The Missouri Tigers defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 33-10. Mandatory Credit: Dak Dillon-USA TODAY Sports
With the commitment of Jordan Jones this week Kentucky has really shored up a linebacker unit that was considered a need
coming into this recruiting cycle. Both are four star prospects with major offers who have very high ceilings. Both are also outside linebackers. So the question remains now , who will Kentucky target to man the middle of the defense in the future? In 2014 they brought in Dorian Hendrix and Nico Firios to possibly play that spot but if we’ve learned anything about this new UK staff, it’s that they want competition at all times. Expect to see them sign at least one more middle linebacker for this class. The only questions now is who?
The list is topped by a trio of four stars in Justin Hilliard , Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Nick Conner. Hilliard is likely the longest odds of them all despite a lot of early interest for Kentucky. Hilliard is nearly a five star and is the top player in the nation at the position. He holds offers from everyone. Kirkland is a guy that many weren’t talking about until recently when he named the Cats as part of his Top 10 and he is taking a visit to Lexington today. UK has long said that getting a recruit on campus is huge for them and it’s true, Lexington impresses recruits. So it will be interesting to see what Kirkland has to say afterward. Conner is the guy that I could see wearing blue and white. He has been open to Kentucky for a while now and it doesn’t look like Ohio State is going to offer him. He has plenty of other top offers, with Oregon recently joining the fray, but Ohio guys rarely go that far from home.
After those three there is kind of a second tier of linebacker targets that is full of playmakers that could come in and challenge for playing time immediately. Mikel Horton and Kyle Meadows former teammate CJ Stalker is a three star but could easily become a four with a good camp circuit. He brings to mind Michigan State signee Chris Frey last year, a player that Kentucky slow-played and eventually missed out on that became a four star. After UK leading for a while, Stalker now favors the Virginia Cavaliers but this one isn’t over. On the same day that Jones committed, Kentucky LB Emmitt Smith pledged to Cincinnati. He didn’t have an offer from Kentucky but was being recruited as a defensive end/rush linebacker by the Cats. He wants to play in the middle in college. Perhaps he proves he can do that at UK’s camps this Summer. A name that could heat up is Winton Woods (OH) LB David Long. Long is the teammate of two UK targets in George Brown and Noah Listermann and those three have talked about a desire to play together at the next level. He isn’t at the top of the board but could rise late. One other name to watch is Alabama prospect Amonte Caban who is blowing up right now, Kentucky was one of his first offers and he appreciates that but it’s tough to get a highly-rated linebacker out of Alabama.