Several Questions That Need Answers
The Kentucky football program is coming off a brief pause in activities due to COVID-19. They are also one of a couple of SEC schools that haven’t announced an official start date for either spring practice or the annual spring game. However, once the campaign finally gets started there are a few things that will dominate headlines. Let’s take a look at each with our Kentucky Spring Football Preview.
Who’s The Quarterback?
For the first time in three years, the Cats won’t have Terry Wilson under center. After leading UK to heights not seen since the 1970s Wilson surprised many by announcing he was transferring for one more year. In “Terry Touchdown’s” absence the quarterback race is wide open between a couple of players. Joey Gatewood, the former Auburn transfer, and Beau Allen are battling for the vacant job.
In limited action, a season ago Gatewood completed 17 of 35 passes for 109 yards. In addition, he ran for another 62 yards. Allen, a local product from Lexington Catholic, played in two games completing three of seven passes for 40 yards. Gatewood is more of a dual-threat quarterback while Allen is the classic drop-back passer. Another item to factor in is new offensive coordinator Liam Coen. The former L.A. Rams quarterback coach says he plans on using a more wide-open shotgun attack. This of course is in stark contrast to the ground attack from former coordinator Eddie Gran. It’s been a while since Kentucky had a true quarterback competition so this is what’s going to grab most of the headlines.
Of course, when we get to the summer there’s a new person added to the mix. Former Penn State quarterback Will Levis announced he’s coming to Lexington meaning we might have this all over again in the fall.
New Pieces of the “Big Blue Wall”
The Cats lost two of their biggest pieces of the wall in tackle Landon Young and center Drake Jackson, both of whom graduated. On paper at least Jackson’s spot seems easier to fill. Look for Quinton Wilson to take over and in an emergency guard, Luke Fortner could slide over. However, the tackle position is a little more interesting. From all accounts, Darrian Kinnard is moving from right to left tackle. After debating on heading to the NFL Kinnard came back in order to improve his draft stock where he could be a first-round pick in 2022.
MY 2020 All-SEC offensive lines: pic.twitter.com/Oqli2rtjbF
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) December 27, 2020
Why is Kinnard moving from right to left tackle important? All three QB candidates are all right-handed so Kinnard would be protecting their blind side.
Fortunately, Kentucky has a wealth of talent on the offensive line. Deondre Buford, Jeremy Flax, Nassir Watkins, and John Young all are capable of earning the other tackle job. In addition, freshman Jager Burton could also be in the mix. Coach Mark Stoops generally favors upperclassmen so look for Watkins to get the first nod.
Continuing on with our Kentucky Spring Football Preview we head to the other side of the ball where two positions will be watched more than the rest.
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Manning The Middle
Defensive coordinator Brad White lost two really good linebackers from last season in Jamin Davis and “Boogie” Watson. Of course part of the fun of spring practice is finding the replacements. Davis led the Cats in tackles a season ago after not even expecting to see that much playing time. One option has DeAndre Square moving from outside to middle linebacker, which of course leaves his spot open. Wherever inside or outlook for Jared Casey to see lots of time. A four-star recruit out of Louisville, the Cats flipped him from Oregon in the 2019 class. Casey had 2o tackles, including two for a loss, as a redshirt freshman last year.
Another player to watch is D’Eryk Jackson, a three-star player out of Georgia. Jackson chose the Cats over Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Purdue and ended up as the backup to Davis. Playing in three games he recorded four tackles and had an interception.
One more player garnering headlines is incoming freshman Trevin Wallace. A four-star player out of Georgia Wallace ranks as the 140th best player in the country by 24/7 Sports. Defensive coordinator Brad White believes Wallace can play from day one. He just needs to get stronger and adjust to the speed of the college game. As you can see, while they may lack experience, it’s a very talented group of linebackers.
As we finish up our Kentucky Spring Football Preview we stay on the defense and look at a secondary group that loses two key players from 2020.
Keeping The Corners Strong
A season ago the Wildcat secondary led the SEC in interceptions with 16 including three for touchdowns. In addition that was third-best in the nation. However, two players from that group are off to the NFL, Kelvin Joseph, and Brandin Echols. Luckily for secondary coach Steve Clinkscale, he’s got a wealth of players to choose from. Heading the list are Cedric Dort and Quandre Mosely, with the latter playing both corner and safety last year. Furthermore, younger guys like Andru Phillips and Carrington Valentine will also push for playing time. White says the battle likely goes well into the fall.
Coming off three straight bowl wins excitement around the Kentucky football team is already at an all-time high. When you throw in the historically bad season by the basketball team and many in the Big Blue Nation are already waiting for September 4th. With last year’s spring, practice and game canceled due to COVID-19 both players are fans are ready for a normal year. With our spring football preview, you now have a guide of things to watch during the upcoming months.
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