Cats Illustrated's 3-2-1 series leading up to the start of fall camp takes a turn from the linebackers to the position group that will be backing them on the last line of the defense.
Kentucky has not struggled to recruit defensive backs since Mark Stoops brought his impressive work history with secondaries to Lexington. Now, perhaps more than ever before, Kentucky has experience. Lots and lots of it.
Will that translate into the best Wildcat secondary in a generation?
Chris Westry (USA TODAY Sports)
WHAT WE KNOW
1. Kentucky has as much defensive backfield experience as any team in college football.
Without running the numbers for every other secondary in the country, a simple look back at the playing histories of Kentucky's returning players makes this plainly obvious.
Senior cornerback Derrick Baity didn't have the hype of Chris Westry during the pair's true freshman season in 2015, but he now has 29 starts and 37 games played to his credit spanning three years.
Former JUCO transfer Lonnie Johnson played in 13 games during his first season in Lexington last year, starting the last five games of the year after he surpassed long-time starter Chris Westry on the depth chart.
Westry was selected to the SEC's All-Freshman team after his play in 2015 and gained plenty of experience and starts in 2016 and 2017.
When Darius West has been healthy, dating back to his freshman season and through last year, he's either been a starter or he has logged plenty of snaps. Then, of course, there's Mike Edwards, a mainstay if there ever were one, and soon to be a four-year starter.
Simply put, it's very rare for a team to return five starting defensive backs with that longevity and quality of experience. Experience itself doesn't win games or guarantee success. But it probably won't hurt, either.
2. Multiple UK defensive backs will get long looks from NFL scouts and personnel in the offseason.
Mike Edwards might be gearing up for his first season in the NFL if he had left Kentucky after the 2017 season, but here he is along with Josh Allen and C.J. Conrad as Wildcats who opted ti stick around for one more year in Lexington. As it stands, he's probably in line for a better draft position if you believe the pundits. Phil Steele has him ranked as one of the top ten draft-eligible strong safeties for 2019.
But every single secondary starter going into the 2018 season will be thoroughly evaluated by scouts this year, more so than otherwise because Kentucky has several well-known commodities.
Because Kentucky has targeted and recruited length and qualities that translate not only to college but the NFL, that makes UK's defensive backs potential dark horse draft prospects.
3. Those defensive backs are getting plenty of hands-on help and lots of attention from the staff in its present form.
Most college football teams have either one defensive backs coach or they split the duties between a corners coach and someone who coaches the safeties. Kentucky has, for all practical purposes, three coaches who specialize in coaching the secondary: Steve Clinkscale, Dean Hood and Mark Stoops.
Watch Stoops at one of Kentucky's summer football camps and it's clear where his heart is. He loves coaching defensive backs, and he does a lot of it. Clinkscale has obviously been working on that exclusively since he arrived at Kentucky by way of Cincinnati. And with the staff reshuffling this past offseason Dean Hood has been reassigned to help with the secondary as well. Previously he coached defensive backs at Wake Forest. There he worked with the likes of Josh Gattis and Eric King, so he has certainly produced quality players.
As is true with experience, more coaches specializing with a position group doesn't necessarily improve the product, but when you couple experience with three coaches helping, that's a recipe that should excite fans.
WHAT WE'RE ASKING
1. Who are the younger defensive backs that will step up and start to establish themselves as the next wave?
One of the big questions looming in the longer-term for Kentucky football is how the Wildcats will replace so many seniors who will leave the program after 2018. They already have three commitments from defensive backs in the '19 class, and that will help. But players in the program already are going to see the field this fall.
Lexington product DaVonte Robinson doesn't have the experience of his older peers in the secondary but he's one of the more known prospects among those in that next wave. He's likely to see the field quite a bit as a redshirt sophomore. Robinson played in every game a year ago and racked up 19 tackles as a valuable contributor. He could be in line to start in 2019 with a strong season this fall.
Tyrell Ajian is another safety the coaches have frequently praised, and he's seen as, potentially, the next Mike Edwards in Kentucky's secondary.
JUCO cornerback Domonique Williams arrived at Kentucky a semester early and that could help him get on the field at some point. Cedrick Dort, Michael Nesbitt and Yusuf Corker are among the others who will be vying to make their first major contributions on defense. It will be interesting to see if Jamari Brown or Stanley Garner can turn heads once fall camp begins.
2. Can someone other than Mike Edwards have an All-SEC caliber season?
Baity came up especially big against conference foes South Carolina, Missouri and Vanderbilt, as well as against Northwestern when he matched up well against the purple Wildcats' receivers. If he plays most of a season like he did in those contests then he'll have made a strong case for All-SEC honors. He's not getting any love on the all-conference teams during the preseason but it would be foolish to completely ignore the potential of a 6'3 senior cornerback with his level of experience in the nation's premiere conference. You'd better believe NFL franchises are well aware of him, and league media should be as well.
There's always the potential for Westry to have the kind of season many have been expecting since that freshman campaign. And don't sleep on senior safety Darius West, either. Last year was about staying healthy and on the field after that had been so difficult. With some durability questions answered, West returns as one of Kentucky's fastest, most explosive players. He was very good helping in the box against the run last season and was sometimes a tackling machine. If he can cover as well as he plays the run this year, he could be one of Kentucky's most important defensive players.
BOLD PREDICTION
Whether it's the best UK secondary in a generation or not, this group will fare better than recent iterations and will be Stoops' best yet at Kentucky.
When you couple this group's almost unprecedented experience with the fact that three experienced defensive backs coaches will be working with them extensively, that bodes well for how this year might play out.
It won't be easy to face the likes of Jake Fromm, Nick Fitzgerald, Jake Bentley, Kyle Shurmur, Drew Lock and Jawon Pass, but in many of Kentucky's other games the Wildcat secondary and defense will be facing quarterback situations that are unsettled or players who have a lot to prove.
Kentucky's defense registered 30 sacks last year and that was the highest total in quite some time. With so much experience returning on the front seven and potentially a more aggressive defensive game plan depending on the quarterback play, Kentucky's secondary could benefit from an improved pass rush again.
Kentucky's defense ranked 103rd in pass yards allowed, 100th in passer rating allowed, 82nd in passing touchdowns allowed and 98th in yards per attempt last year. That should serve as a sobering reminder that there is a long way to go. But don't be surprised if this group outpaces every previous Mark Stoops secondary at Kentucky given what it has in its favor this year.
Kentucky has not struggled to recruit defensive backs since Mark Stoops brought his impressive work history with secondaries to Lexington. Now, perhaps more than ever before, Kentucky has experience. Lots and lots of it.
Will that translate into the best Wildcat secondary in a generation?
Chris Westry (USA TODAY Sports)
WHAT WE KNOW
1. Kentucky has as much defensive backfield experience as any team in college football.
Without running the numbers for every other secondary in the country, a simple look back at the playing histories of Kentucky's returning players makes this plainly obvious.
Senior cornerback Derrick Baity didn't have the hype of Chris Westry during the pair's true freshman season in 2015, but he now has 29 starts and 37 games played to his credit spanning three years.
Former JUCO transfer Lonnie Johnson played in 13 games during his first season in Lexington last year, starting the last five games of the year after he surpassed long-time starter Chris Westry on the depth chart.
Westry was selected to the SEC's All-Freshman team after his play in 2015 and gained plenty of experience and starts in 2016 and 2017.
When Darius West has been healthy, dating back to his freshman season and through last year, he's either been a starter or he has logged plenty of snaps. Then, of course, there's Mike Edwards, a mainstay if there ever were one, and soon to be a four-year starter.
Simply put, it's very rare for a team to return five starting defensive backs with that longevity and quality of experience. Experience itself doesn't win games or guarantee success. But it probably won't hurt, either.
2. Multiple UK defensive backs will get long looks from NFL scouts and personnel in the offseason.
Mike Edwards might be gearing up for his first season in the NFL if he had left Kentucky after the 2017 season, but here he is along with Josh Allen and C.J. Conrad as Wildcats who opted ti stick around for one more year in Lexington. As it stands, he's probably in line for a better draft position if you believe the pundits. Phil Steele has him ranked as one of the top ten draft-eligible strong safeties for 2019.
But every single secondary starter going into the 2018 season will be thoroughly evaluated by scouts this year, more so than otherwise because Kentucky has several well-known commodities.
Because Kentucky has targeted and recruited length and qualities that translate not only to college but the NFL, that makes UK's defensive backs potential dark horse draft prospects.
3. Those defensive backs are getting plenty of hands-on help and lots of attention from the staff in its present form.
Most college football teams have either one defensive backs coach or they split the duties between a corners coach and someone who coaches the safeties. Kentucky has, for all practical purposes, three coaches who specialize in coaching the secondary: Steve Clinkscale, Dean Hood and Mark Stoops.
Watch Stoops at one of Kentucky's summer football camps and it's clear where his heart is. He loves coaching defensive backs, and he does a lot of it. Clinkscale has obviously been working on that exclusively since he arrived at Kentucky by way of Cincinnati. And with the staff reshuffling this past offseason Dean Hood has been reassigned to help with the secondary as well. Previously he coached defensive backs at Wake Forest. There he worked with the likes of Josh Gattis and Eric King, so he has certainly produced quality players.
As is true with experience, more coaches specializing with a position group doesn't necessarily improve the product, but when you couple experience with three coaches helping, that's a recipe that should excite fans.
WHAT WE'RE ASKING
1. Who are the younger defensive backs that will step up and start to establish themselves as the next wave?
One of the big questions looming in the longer-term for Kentucky football is how the Wildcats will replace so many seniors who will leave the program after 2018. They already have three commitments from defensive backs in the '19 class, and that will help. But players in the program already are going to see the field this fall.
Lexington product DaVonte Robinson doesn't have the experience of his older peers in the secondary but he's one of the more known prospects among those in that next wave. He's likely to see the field quite a bit as a redshirt sophomore. Robinson played in every game a year ago and racked up 19 tackles as a valuable contributor. He could be in line to start in 2019 with a strong season this fall.
Tyrell Ajian is another safety the coaches have frequently praised, and he's seen as, potentially, the next Mike Edwards in Kentucky's secondary.
JUCO cornerback Domonique Williams arrived at Kentucky a semester early and that could help him get on the field at some point. Cedrick Dort, Michael Nesbitt and Yusuf Corker are among the others who will be vying to make their first major contributions on defense. It will be interesting to see if Jamari Brown or Stanley Garner can turn heads once fall camp begins.
2. Can someone other than Mike Edwards have an All-SEC caliber season?
Baity came up especially big against conference foes South Carolina, Missouri and Vanderbilt, as well as against Northwestern when he matched up well against the purple Wildcats' receivers. If he plays most of a season like he did in those contests then he'll have made a strong case for All-SEC honors. He's not getting any love on the all-conference teams during the preseason but it would be foolish to completely ignore the potential of a 6'3 senior cornerback with his level of experience in the nation's premiere conference. You'd better believe NFL franchises are well aware of him, and league media should be as well.
There's always the potential for Westry to have the kind of season many have been expecting since that freshman campaign. And don't sleep on senior safety Darius West, either. Last year was about staying healthy and on the field after that had been so difficult. With some durability questions answered, West returns as one of Kentucky's fastest, most explosive players. He was very good helping in the box against the run last season and was sometimes a tackling machine. If he can cover as well as he plays the run this year, he could be one of Kentucky's most important defensive players.
BOLD PREDICTION
Whether it's the best UK secondary in a generation or not, this group will fare better than recent iterations and will be Stoops' best yet at Kentucky.
When you couple this group's almost unprecedented experience with the fact that three experienced defensive backs coaches will be working with them extensively, that bodes well for how this year might play out.
It won't be easy to face the likes of Jake Fromm, Nick Fitzgerald, Jake Bentley, Kyle Shurmur, Drew Lock and Jawon Pass, but in many of Kentucky's other games the Wildcat secondary and defense will be facing quarterback situations that are unsettled or players who have a lot to prove.
Kentucky's defense registered 30 sacks last year and that was the highest total in quite some time. With so much experience returning on the front seven and potentially a more aggressive defensive game plan depending on the quarterback play, Kentucky's secondary could benefit from an improved pass rush again.
Kentucky's defense ranked 103rd in pass yards allowed, 100th in passer rating allowed, 82nd in passing touchdowns allowed and 98th in yards per attempt last year. That should serve as a sobering reminder that there is a long way to go. But don't be surprised if this group outpaces every previous Mark Stoops secondary at Kentucky given what it has in its favor this year.
