Redshirt Report: Who saved a year, who didn't and what it all means
Justin Rowland • CatsIllustrated.com
@RowlandRIVALS
The NCAA's new regulations regarding redshirts has shaken up how coaches handle playing time and make it possible for more players to gain valuable game experience while keeping their redshirt tag.
Players can see action in up to four regular season games without sacrificing their redshirts and that extra season of eligibility. With postseason games not counting towards that four-game limit, we now know who kept their redshirts.
But what does it mean?
Cats Illustrated breaks down UK's freshman class by playing time, overall impact in 2018 and what it might mean moving forward.
Kavosiey Smoke (Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports)
Players who kept redshirt seasons by position
RBs Kavosiey Smoke and Chris Rodriguez
Kentucky's two true freshman running backs had seasons that were pretty much identical. Neither saw more than a few snaps but in their respective mop-up duty, garbage time situations they ran hard and were rewarded with big gains that created some buzz. That both Smoke and Rodriguez would redshirt was expected especially given that Sihiem King was expected to group with Benny Snell and AJ Rose as part of UK's rotation in the backfield. It's a positive that UK was able to preserve both redshirts even in light of the collaborative decision by King and the staff to keep him off the field after the early season.
RB Sihiem King
We'll separate King from the two aforementioned backs for the obvious reason that he was a senior, not a freshman, and the circumstances of his redshirt were very different. While King was Kentucky's No. 2 option at running back in 2017, it became apparent early this season that the younger A.J. Rose had surpassed King in the rotation. Rather than waste his last season of college eligibility getting spot carries in blowouts or the occasional third and long situation, King decided, with the staff's consent, that he would prefer to save that last year. So he didn't play after the CMU and Murray State games.
What does that mean for the future? That's the interesting question. It is clear that King has the option of transferring to a program where he could instantly be a major part of an offense. Or King could stick around and play a significant role with the Wildcats, who are likely to feature Rose quite a bit following the expected departure of Snell.
WRs Allen Dailey, Akeem Hayes, Marvin Alexander and Bryce Oliver
During preseason camp it seemed clear that Kentucky's coaches were something between pleased and enamored with Dailey and Hayes of the first-year receivers who had just enrolled. But, as was the case with Clevan Thomas in his true freshman season a year prior, that didn't actually translate to a significant amount of playing time in their first years. Thus, all four true freshman receivers keep their redshirt tags and have four years of eligibility remaining.
In very limited action that doesn't reveal much Dailey made the most of his time and it wouldn't be a surprise if we hear about him over the next year as someone to watch. Dailey logged 14 snaps on the season and Hayes was on the field for half that number.
The impact of any player keeping a redshirt will be felt more three to four years from that point than the next season and that is certainly true in the case of these players.
TEs Brenden Bates and Keaton Upshaw
Kentucky's two Class of 2018 tight end signees, both from Ohio, arrived with similar expectations. There was a question as to whether one of them might eventually burn a redshirt because both CJ Conrad and Justin Rigg had dealt with various injuries in 2017 (and in Rigg's case also before that). But because Conrad and Rigg stayed healthy and on the field consistently through the 2018 season, the UK coaches were able to use Bates and Upshaw only sparingly while saving that extra season of development.
With Conrad gone after 2018, Rigg is the heir apparent to the starting tight end position especially after playing a lot at the end of the season. Bates, Upshaw and Class of 2019 commitment Nikolas Ognenovic will be battling for the second string duties but because at least Bates and Upshaw are significantly different players the playing time could turn out to be more based on situation and matchups with both getting action.
Bates did log 15 snaps on the season and Upshaw didn't see the field.
OLs Nick Lewis, Quintin Wilson and Kenneth Horsey
None of these three players were expected to burn through a redshirt season as a true freshman because Kentucky returned a wealth of depth and experience on the offensive line coming into this season. Even with Landon Young's season-ending injury and some other more minor issues and shuffling that young trio is on track to remain rostered through the 2022 season.
While Wilson did get on the field a very small amount at the end of the year, this group did not benefit from the new redshirt rule because they did not gain real playing experience.
DLs Davoan Hawkins and Jerquavion Mahone
Hawkins and Mahone were both three-star recruiting prospects for Kentucky but both players arrived in Lexington with fairly high expectations given those rankings because they were known as physical players. Because of that, there was the potential that one of them could have showed up and worked their way into the bottom part of the rotation, especially given the defensive line hadn't really proven much before this year.
As things played out, the defensive line depth with the older players in the program improved and neither player was really needed. Their redshirts were luxuries that development created. Hawkins did see 16 snaps and Mahone didn't get on the field at all.
Edge defender Kengera Daniel
Daniel's situation is similar to King's, outlined earlier, except the transfer possibility doesn't seem to be quite as strong. There seemed to be an understanding that Daniel would be much better off saving his eligibility for 2018 when Josh Allen would be gone and Kentucky would really benefit from his physical maturity and experience in the program. Now Daniel stands a solid chance of become a starter at one of Kentucky's edge spots in 2019.
It's very possible that the staff's decision to redshirt Daniel could prove to be the most impactful redshirt outcome in the short term.
LB Ashtan Pierre
For a time Pierre was not with the rest of his signing class but he did make a delayed arrival. That alone made it seem less likely that Pierre would make his mark as a true freshman but he really wasn't needed because of the quality of Kentucky's older linebackers. What UK was able to use was an influx of inside linebacker depth to help spell Kash Daniel and Jordan Jones, and Pierre's classmates Chris Oats and DeAndre Square were suited for that.
DBs Stanley Garner, Jamari Brown
It would have been foolish to expect Garner and Brown not to redshirt in 2018 because senior cornerbacks Derrick Baity, Lonnie Johnson and Chris Baity were eating up all of the snaps at those two positions. Garner and Brown were not recruited to play right away. They were recruited to be part of a "next wave" of lengthy defensive backs who would sit and learn for a year before starting to compete for playing time in 2019. Garner got on the field a very small amount this season but not enough to really gain him much experience.
K Chance Poore
Poore was beat out by senior Miles Butler for the place kicking duties in the offseason and thus the assumption had to be that he would redshirt. But Butler soon ran into some struggles and Mark Stoops called on Poore, who temporarily provided stability before regressing himself. Butler got another shot and he's the starter once again. It actually worked out well for Poore, who got valuable time as a learning experience but will also have four years remaining and as the favorite to win the job next season.
CONTINUED....
Justin Rowland • CatsIllustrated.com
@RowlandRIVALS
The NCAA's new regulations regarding redshirts has shaken up how coaches handle playing time and make it possible for more players to gain valuable game experience while keeping their redshirt tag.
Players can see action in up to four regular season games without sacrificing their redshirts and that extra season of eligibility. With postseason games not counting towards that four-game limit, we now know who kept their redshirts.
But what does it mean?
Cats Illustrated breaks down UK's freshman class by playing time, overall impact in 2018 and what it might mean moving forward.
Kavosiey Smoke (Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports)
Players who kept redshirt seasons by position
RBs Kavosiey Smoke and Chris Rodriguez
Kentucky's two true freshman running backs had seasons that were pretty much identical. Neither saw more than a few snaps but in their respective mop-up duty, garbage time situations they ran hard and were rewarded with big gains that created some buzz. That both Smoke and Rodriguez would redshirt was expected especially given that Sihiem King was expected to group with Benny Snell and AJ Rose as part of UK's rotation in the backfield. It's a positive that UK was able to preserve both redshirts even in light of the collaborative decision by King and the staff to keep him off the field after the early season.
RB Sihiem King
We'll separate King from the two aforementioned backs for the obvious reason that he was a senior, not a freshman, and the circumstances of his redshirt were very different. While King was Kentucky's No. 2 option at running back in 2017, it became apparent early this season that the younger A.J. Rose had surpassed King in the rotation. Rather than waste his last season of college eligibility getting spot carries in blowouts or the occasional third and long situation, King decided, with the staff's consent, that he would prefer to save that last year. So he didn't play after the CMU and Murray State games.
What does that mean for the future? That's the interesting question. It is clear that King has the option of transferring to a program where he could instantly be a major part of an offense. Or King could stick around and play a significant role with the Wildcats, who are likely to feature Rose quite a bit following the expected departure of Snell.
WRs Allen Dailey, Akeem Hayes, Marvin Alexander and Bryce Oliver
During preseason camp it seemed clear that Kentucky's coaches were something between pleased and enamored with Dailey and Hayes of the first-year receivers who had just enrolled. But, as was the case with Clevan Thomas in his true freshman season a year prior, that didn't actually translate to a significant amount of playing time in their first years. Thus, all four true freshman receivers keep their redshirt tags and have four years of eligibility remaining.
In very limited action that doesn't reveal much Dailey made the most of his time and it wouldn't be a surprise if we hear about him over the next year as someone to watch. Dailey logged 14 snaps on the season and Hayes was on the field for half that number.
The impact of any player keeping a redshirt will be felt more three to four years from that point than the next season and that is certainly true in the case of these players.
TEs Brenden Bates and Keaton Upshaw
Kentucky's two Class of 2018 tight end signees, both from Ohio, arrived with similar expectations. There was a question as to whether one of them might eventually burn a redshirt because both CJ Conrad and Justin Rigg had dealt with various injuries in 2017 (and in Rigg's case also before that). But because Conrad and Rigg stayed healthy and on the field consistently through the 2018 season, the UK coaches were able to use Bates and Upshaw only sparingly while saving that extra season of development.
With Conrad gone after 2018, Rigg is the heir apparent to the starting tight end position especially after playing a lot at the end of the season. Bates, Upshaw and Class of 2019 commitment Nikolas Ognenovic will be battling for the second string duties but because at least Bates and Upshaw are significantly different players the playing time could turn out to be more based on situation and matchups with both getting action.
Bates did log 15 snaps on the season and Upshaw didn't see the field.
OLs Nick Lewis, Quintin Wilson and Kenneth Horsey
None of these three players were expected to burn through a redshirt season as a true freshman because Kentucky returned a wealth of depth and experience on the offensive line coming into this season. Even with Landon Young's season-ending injury and some other more minor issues and shuffling that young trio is on track to remain rostered through the 2022 season.
While Wilson did get on the field a very small amount at the end of the year, this group did not benefit from the new redshirt rule because they did not gain real playing experience.
DLs Davoan Hawkins and Jerquavion Mahone
Hawkins and Mahone were both three-star recruiting prospects for Kentucky but both players arrived in Lexington with fairly high expectations given those rankings because they were known as physical players. Because of that, there was the potential that one of them could have showed up and worked their way into the bottom part of the rotation, especially given the defensive line hadn't really proven much before this year.
As things played out, the defensive line depth with the older players in the program improved and neither player was really needed. Their redshirts were luxuries that development created. Hawkins did see 16 snaps and Mahone didn't get on the field at all.
Edge defender Kengera Daniel
Daniel's situation is similar to King's, outlined earlier, except the transfer possibility doesn't seem to be quite as strong. There seemed to be an understanding that Daniel would be much better off saving his eligibility for 2018 when Josh Allen would be gone and Kentucky would really benefit from his physical maturity and experience in the program. Now Daniel stands a solid chance of become a starter at one of Kentucky's edge spots in 2019.
It's very possible that the staff's decision to redshirt Daniel could prove to be the most impactful redshirt outcome in the short term.
LB Ashtan Pierre
For a time Pierre was not with the rest of his signing class but he did make a delayed arrival. That alone made it seem less likely that Pierre would make his mark as a true freshman but he really wasn't needed because of the quality of Kentucky's older linebackers. What UK was able to use was an influx of inside linebacker depth to help spell Kash Daniel and Jordan Jones, and Pierre's classmates Chris Oats and DeAndre Square were suited for that.
DBs Stanley Garner, Jamari Brown
It would have been foolish to expect Garner and Brown not to redshirt in 2018 because senior cornerbacks Derrick Baity, Lonnie Johnson and Chris Baity were eating up all of the snaps at those two positions. Garner and Brown were not recruited to play right away. They were recruited to be part of a "next wave" of lengthy defensive backs who would sit and learn for a year before starting to compete for playing time in 2019. Garner got on the field a very small amount this season but not enough to really gain him much experience.
K Chance Poore
Poore was beat out by senior Miles Butler for the place kicking duties in the offseason and thus the assumption had to be that he would redshirt. But Butler soon ran into some struggles and Mark Stoops called on Poore, who temporarily provided stability before regressing himself. Butler got another shot and he's the starter once again. It actually worked out well for Poore, who got valuable time as a learning experience but will also have four years remaining and as the favorite to win the job next season.
CONTINUED....
