Kentucky Wildcats: Replacing Stars on Defense

Stoops and his coaching staff have a lot of tasks left unmarked on the to-do list. Possibly their greatest task of the offseason is filling the holes left by leaving stars on the defensive line.

With the loss of defensive stars in Bud Dupree and Z’Darius Smith, there is undoubtedly holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball. More specifically the two end positions on the defensive line.

More from Kentucky football

In his senior year at Kentucky last season, defensive end Bud Dupree drew the eyes of multiple NFL scouts. In his Wildcat career, Dupree finished with a total of 247 tackles and 23.5 sacks.

Defensive end Z’Darius Smith, another Wildcat projected to be playing on Sundays next year, also had an impressive college career. Smith finished his 2-years of play at Kentucky with 120 tackles and 10.5 sacks.

Before the 14′ season, the lackluster play of Kentucky’s secondary left all the defensive responsibility to the guys on the line of scrimmage. Kentucky’s defensive line is what keeps our defense alive most of the ball game, but with Bud Dupree and Za’darius Smith out of Lexington, now who do they turn to?

Oct 11, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Stanley Williams (18) runs the ball against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated Louisiana-Monroe 48-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The Wildcats are a team used to having young talent stepping up into big roles. We’ve seen it last year in RB Stanley ‘Boom’ Williams and a few potential stars on defense in Cornerback Blake McClain and safety junior college transfer A.J. Stamps.

Could another young blood step up and fill vacancies left by Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith? As of now, it’s really all up to how spring practice pans out.

Now obviously, we aren’t going to see a player step right into the position and dominate as Bud and Big Z did, but eventually, I wouldn’t be shocked to see a player produce on that level. The Wildcats have crazy potential when it comes to future stars at the defensive end position.

Denzil Ware, coming off of his first season as a redshirt, is without a doubt ready to take the field. Back in 2014, Ware was a 4-star prospect and the 13th best weak-side defensive end in the class. Ware stands tall at 6-2 and weighs 249 pounds, not lacking in the size department. Should he play his cards right in spring football, he should be seeing the field quite a few times this fall.

Kengera Daniel, 3-star defensive end and the 33rd ranked weak-side end among 2015 recruits by 247Sports is a perfect example of the Wildcats’ could-be stars. Daniel will be a freshman next season but his build says otherwise. Size wise, Kengera Daniel is more than ready for the big bodied SEC standing tall at 6-6 and weighing 250 lbs. Because Daniel is an early enrollee, he will be involves in spring football, giving him more than enough time to accustom himself to the high intensity of college football.

Weak-side defensive end Alvonte Bell, another big body from the class of 15′, is another youngster that has the talent and size to fill the holes left by Dupree and Smith. Bell is rated as a 3-star prospect and ranked as the 11th best weak-side end by 247Sports. He will be a freshman next fall but weighing 260 and standing at 6-5, he will be ready for a hit or two should he see the field.

Mark Stoops has done more than his fair-share of work to get some big name guys into the program that could keep the end positions stacked with more than enough talent.

It’s only a matter of time before we see another star emerge.

More from Wildcat Blue Nation

Home/Kentucky football