10 takeaways from one of UK's more surprising depth charts in recent memory
Justin Rowland | Publisher
Kentucky's game week depth chart was released on Monday and there were some surprises.
Cats Illustrated takes a look at 10 things that stand out from the two-deep with Southern Miss just days away.
Lynn Bowden (UK Athletics)
10. It's just a depth chart so keep some perspective. Remember, depth charts can be political. Sometimes coaches are diplomatic with them and sometimes they use them to try to communicate a message to players. That doesn't mean they lack informative value completely, but it does mean that it's just paper and nothing is binding the coaches to this. In the course of a game substitution patterns are going to vary according to what the coaches want and what the matchups favor in a given situation, not what's on paper.
9. Remember, Mark Stoops often favors seniority on the depth chart. In the past sometimes Mark Stoops has put a senior in front of an underclassman even if it seems likely that the underclassman is going to get as much or more playing time. What does that mean here? Maybe nothing. But when you see Charles Walker listed ahead of Lynn Bowden, that doesn't mean that Walker is bound to get more touches or to see more game time, just to use an example.
RELATED: Kentucky's game week depth chart released on Monday
8. David Baumer is the second string left guard. Who saw that coming? Maybe a few people, but not many who don't have access to UK's football offices. Previously Luke Fortner was in that spot, but he's nowhere to be found on the new two-deep. Remember, that doesn't mean you should write a player like Fortner off. He's only in his second year in the program. This is more about Baumer and his climb from where he was (i.e. nowhere) on the previous depth chart.
7. Josh Paschal is going to play a lot. He's not going to start unless Denzil Ware goes down with an injury, because Ware has All-SEC potential. But to see Paschal as the No. 2 guy at the Jack position as a true freshman in spite of Kentucky's other options there is quite impressive. He's going to play a lot this year and it's going to be fascinating to see how his skill set translates to a position it didn't always appear he would be playing.
6. Jamar "Boogie" Watson has caught Kash Daniel at MLB. Daniel is still listed as a second-stringer behind Courtney Love, but is he the heir apparent? At the very least he appears to be a valuable part of the rotation and contributor moving forward, but after a strong spring, a great spring game and continued excelling in the fall, redshirt freshman Boogie Watson, a former two star recruit (but one of my picks to be among the best players from the '16 class) is now an "or" on the second line at MLB. He's more athletic than Daniel and though he came in a bit raw he has good closing speed and football instincts.
RELATED: Game week blog leading up to UK-USM
5. Davonte Robinson has caught Darius West at free safety. Maybe this shouldn't come as a huge shock but it's definitely a bit surprising given how fixed our perceptions tend to become. Early in camp Matt House said that Darius West was trying to clean up some things because it had been a while since he played extensively. Meanwhile, it seemed a given that Davonte Robinson would slowly bide his time and work his way onto the field, but probably not so much this year. Now West and Robinson are listed as "or" starters, or basically alternates. They're both among the faster, more explosive players on the team, but they have different skill sets and perhaps West's injury history has leveled the playing field inasmuch as he doesn't have much of an experience edge. The move to safety seems to be paying off for Robinson so kudos to the coaching staff.
4. Charles Walker and Lynn Bowden offer two very different visions of the return game. Walker has shown he has the potential to be a quality return man. He took one to the house against New Mexico State. But he didn't do much in the return game after that. He's listed as the primary punt return man for Kentucky with Lynn Bowden in the second spot. Walker is probably someone the coaches feel comfortable with fielding punts in terms of avoiding mistakes while offering the potential for a nice return occasionally if blocking sets up and the ball drops in the right spot, but Bowden is clearly the more dynamic option. He's also the less proven option and could be more of a risk-reward bet. My take? Don't be surprised if the coaches put Bowden back there quite a bit even though he's the number two.
3. Matthew Panton is Kentucky's starting punter. The graduate transfer from Columbia is beating out second-year punter Grant McKinniss and at the very least that will give some people more hope for the position this year. McKinniss had a very difficult freshman season and that's putting it mildly. Panton does not have a cannon and might be limited in terms of his ability to flip the field. It's interesting that the "or" tag wasn't applied here, so Panton could be the preferred punter in every situation. Then again, McKinniss didn't really demonstrate he could flip the field last year, either. Going into the season without a booming leg just means it's paramount that Kentucky move the chains and avoid those kicks from deep in their own territory, lest they watch opponents start drives from midfield too often.
RELATED: Who has the edge? Positional comparison of the Cats and Golden Eagles
2. Bunchy Stallings and Nick Haynes are interchangeable parts? Earlier this year there was plenty of talk about Haynes working out at center, but the way this depth chart reads it's starting to look like he and Stallings are interchangeable there and at right guard. Bunchy Stallings told Cats Illustrated at Kentucky's media day that he's very excited to move back to center, which he considers a much more natural position for him. There's still a great chance he plays there, but it appears not all is settled between he and Haynes when it comes to those two spots. Apparently both will start, but where? That's something UK will want to sort out very early in the season to start to build some chemistry and consistency with their line.
1. Landon Young might not be the starting left tackle. This is one of the big takeaways from the depth chart. When Cole Mosier went down conventional thinking said that Young was the "next man up" with Kyle Meadows on the right side and George Asafo-Adjei rotating back and forth between tackle and guard to provide depth. But on today's depth chart it's Kyle Meadows or Landon Young as the starting left tackle and George Asafo-Adjei or Kyle Meadows as the starter on the right side. It might be reading too much into things to just make a blanket assumption that Asafo-Adjei starts at right and Meadows at left, but would that really be a surprise? It makes sense. Asafo-Adjei has the physical tools to be a mauler on the right side where you need a great run blocking force, and protecting Stephen Johnson's left side is a job that the athletic Meadows could probably handle. Maybe the biggest takeaway should be that this is not a knock on Young. It's more a statement about how Meadows fits at left and how valuable Asafo-Adjei's experience is. Young will certainly be a part of the rotation either way.
RELATED: Mismatch Meter looks at the biggest advantages for UK or USM
Justin Rowland | Publisher
Kentucky's game week depth chart was released on Monday and there were some surprises.
Cats Illustrated takes a look at 10 things that stand out from the two-deep with Southern Miss just days away.
Lynn Bowden (UK Athletics)
10. It's just a depth chart so keep some perspective. Remember, depth charts can be political. Sometimes coaches are diplomatic with them and sometimes they use them to try to communicate a message to players. That doesn't mean they lack informative value completely, but it does mean that it's just paper and nothing is binding the coaches to this. In the course of a game substitution patterns are going to vary according to what the coaches want and what the matchups favor in a given situation, not what's on paper.
9. Remember, Mark Stoops often favors seniority on the depth chart. In the past sometimes Mark Stoops has put a senior in front of an underclassman even if it seems likely that the underclassman is going to get as much or more playing time. What does that mean here? Maybe nothing. But when you see Charles Walker listed ahead of Lynn Bowden, that doesn't mean that Walker is bound to get more touches or to see more game time, just to use an example.
RELATED: Kentucky's game week depth chart released on Monday
8. David Baumer is the second string left guard. Who saw that coming? Maybe a few people, but not many who don't have access to UK's football offices. Previously Luke Fortner was in that spot, but he's nowhere to be found on the new two-deep. Remember, that doesn't mean you should write a player like Fortner off. He's only in his second year in the program. This is more about Baumer and his climb from where he was (i.e. nowhere) on the previous depth chart.
7. Josh Paschal is going to play a lot. He's not going to start unless Denzil Ware goes down with an injury, because Ware has All-SEC potential. But to see Paschal as the No. 2 guy at the Jack position as a true freshman in spite of Kentucky's other options there is quite impressive. He's going to play a lot this year and it's going to be fascinating to see how his skill set translates to a position it didn't always appear he would be playing.
6. Jamar "Boogie" Watson has caught Kash Daniel at MLB. Daniel is still listed as a second-stringer behind Courtney Love, but is he the heir apparent? At the very least he appears to be a valuable part of the rotation and contributor moving forward, but after a strong spring, a great spring game and continued excelling in the fall, redshirt freshman Boogie Watson, a former two star recruit (but one of my picks to be among the best players from the '16 class) is now an "or" on the second line at MLB. He's more athletic than Daniel and though he came in a bit raw he has good closing speed and football instincts.
RELATED: Game week blog leading up to UK-USM
5. Davonte Robinson has caught Darius West at free safety. Maybe this shouldn't come as a huge shock but it's definitely a bit surprising given how fixed our perceptions tend to become. Early in camp Matt House said that Darius West was trying to clean up some things because it had been a while since he played extensively. Meanwhile, it seemed a given that Davonte Robinson would slowly bide his time and work his way onto the field, but probably not so much this year. Now West and Robinson are listed as "or" starters, or basically alternates. They're both among the faster, more explosive players on the team, but they have different skill sets and perhaps West's injury history has leveled the playing field inasmuch as he doesn't have much of an experience edge. The move to safety seems to be paying off for Robinson so kudos to the coaching staff.
4. Charles Walker and Lynn Bowden offer two very different visions of the return game. Walker has shown he has the potential to be a quality return man. He took one to the house against New Mexico State. But he didn't do much in the return game after that. He's listed as the primary punt return man for Kentucky with Lynn Bowden in the second spot. Walker is probably someone the coaches feel comfortable with fielding punts in terms of avoiding mistakes while offering the potential for a nice return occasionally if blocking sets up and the ball drops in the right spot, but Bowden is clearly the more dynamic option. He's also the less proven option and could be more of a risk-reward bet. My take? Don't be surprised if the coaches put Bowden back there quite a bit even though he's the number two.
3. Matthew Panton is Kentucky's starting punter. The graduate transfer from Columbia is beating out second-year punter Grant McKinniss and at the very least that will give some people more hope for the position this year. McKinniss had a very difficult freshman season and that's putting it mildly. Panton does not have a cannon and might be limited in terms of his ability to flip the field. It's interesting that the "or" tag wasn't applied here, so Panton could be the preferred punter in every situation. Then again, McKinniss didn't really demonstrate he could flip the field last year, either. Going into the season without a booming leg just means it's paramount that Kentucky move the chains and avoid those kicks from deep in their own territory, lest they watch opponents start drives from midfield too often.
RELATED: Who has the edge? Positional comparison of the Cats and Golden Eagles
2. Bunchy Stallings and Nick Haynes are interchangeable parts? Earlier this year there was plenty of talk about Haynes working out at center, but the way this depth chart reads it's starting to look like he and Stallings are interchangeable there and at right guard. Bunchy Stallings told Cats Illustrated at Kentucky's media day that he's very excited to move back to center, which he considers a much more natural position for him. There's still a great chance he plays there, but it appears not all is settled between he and Haynes when it comes to those two spots. Apparently both will start, but where? That's something UK will want to sort out very early in the season to start to build some chemistry and consistency with their line.
1. Landon Young might not be the starting left tackle. This is one of the big takeaways from the depth chart. When Cole Mosier went down conventional thinking said that Young was the "next man up" with Kyle Meadows on the right side and George Asafo-Adjei rotating back and forth between tackle and guard to provide depth. But on today's depth chart it's Kyle Meadows or Landon Young as the starting left tackle and George Asafo-Adjei or Kyle Meadows as the starter on the right side. It might be reading too much into things to just make a blanket assumption that Asafo-Adjei starts at right and Meadows at left, but would that really be a surprise? It makes sense. Asafo-Adjei has the physical tools to be a mauler on the right side where you need a great run blocking force, and protecting Stephen Johnson's left side is a job that the athletic Meadows could probably handle. Maybe the biggest takeaway should be that this is not a knock on Young. It's more a statement about how Meadows fits at left and how valuable Asafo-Adjei's experience is. Young will certainly be a part of the rotation either way.
RELATED: Mismatch Meter looks at the biggest advantages for UK or USM
