Time for the Kentucky Wildcats to reload

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Nov 29, 2014; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Patrick Towles (14) looks to pass against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at Papa John

Kentucky struck out on another 2016 QB target in Logan Byrd this week and the Cats will be in desperate need to add once since they did not get a QB in 2015. However, the decision about the on the field QB for next season is up in the air. I think it will be Patrick Towles, but the coaches are not going to just hand it to him and they are in no rush to name him the starter.

"“That’s the furthest thing from my mind right now, to be honest with you,” Dawson said when asked about naming a starter in the spring. “I just care about them going out there every day, trying to develop a level of consistency.” The quarterbacks coach said spring is more about getting to a comfort level with all of the Cats’ potential signal callers. “Right now this spring is really for getting me and them on the same page and just repping, learning,” Dawson continued. “It doesn’t matter to the point to where I’m going to sit here and I’m stressing about making a decision, because we don’t play Saturday.” Last week, Stoops said he had no timeline in place on naming a starter, nor did he think one was necessary. “Patrick played well and was our starter coming off the year and he knows he’s got to improve to hold that position and again that’s no different than any position,” he said of Towles, who started all 12 games and threw for 2,718 yards and 14 touchdowns with nine interceptions last season."

Probably one of the more frustrating things that I read when Mark Stoops gets a three star commitment for his Kentucky Wildcats is the inevitable “Oh, he’s just a three star player”. Keep in mind, that most programs are built on the three star players and only the elite teams can get their share of four and five star players without seemingly trying. And as we have said a thousand times on this site, not all three star players are the same.

"First and foremost, the recruiting industry is not as detailed when it comes to three-star rated prospects. Of all of the ratings given out to major college football prospects, none vary as much as the three-star. There are prospects with dozens of offers that have that rating. There are prospects with one offer that have that rating. Offers are not indicative of talent, but are an example of how the opinions of analysts and college coaches alike are not as in consensus with the three-star. There are three-stars that are “value” threes who many really feel could end up being great at the college level and playing in the NFL, there are “in-between” threes who end up being role players in college (that should be two stars, which these days is wrongfully interpreted as being “bad” or “average” by prospects, parents and even the media) and there are “get you fired” three stars- guys that are good high school players that may have impressed someone somewhere at a camp or something, but who lack the ability to play college football. Recruit too many “get you fired” three stars and if you are a coaching staff, that’s exactly what is going to happen. But that doesn’t need to occur. Coaches just have to recruit smarter and many do, but many don’t. Looking at the 2014 NFL Draft, half of the 32 first-round picks in the 2014 NFL Draft were of players who were rated three (or two as there were a pair) stars coming out of high school.  What college football program in the southeast would not have wanted Kahlil Mack (Buffalo) and Marcus Smith (Louisville) at linebacker? Or out west, Brandin Crooks (Oregon State) at receiver and Deone Buchannon (Washington State) at safety?"

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