Talented Players At Both Positions
As Mark Stoops starts his ninth season in Lexington excitement around the program is as high as it’s ever been. To get you ready for the 2021 season Last Word has been previewing every position of the Kentucky team. We started with the quarterbacks, then moved to the running backs and receivers. From there it was the big guys up front with a look at the offensive and defensive lines. We wrap things with our 2021 Kentucky linebackers and secondary preview, two groups that feature many talented players. In addition, we’ll look at the special teams and how the Cats plan to replace one of the best punters in college football.
Next Star In The Making?
A season ago Jamin Davis went from a lightly recruited three-star linebacker from Georgia to a first-round draft pick. This season Stoops hopes DeAndre Square follows a similar path. The three-star recruit out of Michigan has started 22 games during his time in Lexington. In 2020 Square finished third on the team in tackles with 60. Furthermore, he has 164 stops for his career with 10.5 going for a loss and 2.5 sacks. His taking the next step goes a long way towards a successful defensive group.
Moving to outside linebacker the name to watch is Jordan Wright. During his junior season, Wright finished with 45 tackles and 3.5 sacks. In addition, he had an interception return for a touchdown. Another candidate is JJ Weaver, who was having a breakout season before tearing his ACL against Florida. It’s a question of whether he’s ready for the season opener. If he is the staff thinks they’ve found their next great pass rusher. A couple of other players to watch are Georgia Tech transfer Justice Dingle and freshman Martez Thrower.
High Impact Transfer
Due to players leaving and an injury to D’Eryk Jackson the Cats needed depth quickly. As a result, the Cats looked to the transfer portal. Stoops picked up a good one when they landed Jacquez Jones. The former Ole Miss player racked up 182 tackles in three years in Oxford. A season ago Jones led the Rebels with 75 tackles, including 13 in their Outback Bowl win over Indiana. He’s been a little banged up during camp but should be ready to go by the September 4th opener against Louisiana-Monroe.
In addition to Jones Kentucky also picked up Luke Fulton from Michigan State. The former three-star recruit is from Cardinal Mooney high school in Youngstown, Ohio. That’s the same school that produced not only Stoops but assistant coaches Vince Marrow and Frank Buffano.
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Big Time Recruit
The Cats picked up one of their biggest recruiting victories in four-star player Trevin Wallace. Ranked as the 140th best player in the country by 247 Sports, Wallace chose Kentucky over Auburn and Georgia. Not only was he a standout on defense, but also took snaps at quarterback, running back, and receiver. Wallace has been working with the first team recently in practice and has looked very impressive.
As we continue our 2021 Kentucky linebackers and secondary preview we head to the defensive backfield.
New Defensive Back U?
A season ago the Cats intercepted 16 passes, which tied for third in the NCAA. Brandin Echols and Kelvin Joseph were both drafted giving Kentucky four defensive backs picked in the last three drafts. This year’s group is led by safety Yusuf Corker, who has finished as runner-up two straight years in our defensive player of the year honors for Kentucky. Pro Football Focus picked him to their second team after recording 77 tackles, two interceptions, and two fumbles. His running mate is Tyrell Ajian who added 48 tackles and an interception.
Moving to the corner spot the Cats feature a couple of returning players there as well. Senior Cedric Dort has been in and out of the starting lineup for years and will be another leader. Quandre Mosely is back for another season and is likely your other starter. However, one player to watch is Carrington Valentine, a sophomore who has turned heads in practice. One of the fan day highlights was his pick-six.
Carrington Valentine intercepts a pass from Joey Gatewood. My favorite part of the play was Valentine’s finger wag after snagging the pass. pic.twitter.com/k7EHieI2C5
— Chris Leach (@ChrisLeachHL) August 7, 2021
Davonte Robinson is a likely candidate for the nickel position. He had 29 tackles a season ago and is another player taking advantage of the extra year granted by the NCAA.
As promised in the beginning we wrap up our 2021 Kentucky linebackers and secondary preview with a look at the special teams.
The Australian Pipeline Continues
After three years in Lexington Australian fan favorite, Max Duffy graduated, leaving behind a great legacy. The 2019 Ray Guy Award winner for the nation’s best punter averaged 46 yards per punt for the Cats. However, UK went out and found another punter from the land down under. Wilson Berry, ranked as the 12th best punter in the 2021 class, follows Duffy to Kentucky. He played three years of Australian rules football for Essendon’s team in the Victorian Football League. In addition, his brother Jordan is the punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Should Berry not be ready then Colin Goodfellow will handle the punting duties. Appearing in two games when Duffy wasn’t available the senior averaged 47.7 yards per punt.
Moving onto kicker Matt Ruffolo returns after taking advantage of the NCAA allowing players another year. He struggled early in 2020 but finished strong making 22-23 extra points and 12-14 field goals. He had his best game in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl win over North Carolina State when he hit all three attempts setting a new UK bowl game record. Chance Poore also returns and is the backup to Ruffolo.
As far as the return game goes Josh Ali handles the punt returns while Zack Johnson the kickoffs. Kentucky didn’t have an official special teams coach last season and it showed. The Cats ranked near the bottom in almost every special team’s statistic. To that end, new running backs coach John Settle and safeties coach Frank Buffano will handle the coaching duties in 2021.
That does it for our 2021 Kentucky linebackers and secondary preview here at Last Word On College Football. Hard to believe the season is almost here and next time out we’ll predict their 2021 record.
