Can Stewart or Afari start at CB this season?
- Thread starter catben
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Afari is close to a five star. Did see him listed as a corner on at least one site. Said he was a LB and DB on defense in high school. Said he wanted to play against the best because he is one of the best. So he is super confident. If you saw him in street clothes with others from his high school with his UK cap on he is already very strong looking, obvious he has lifted weight seriously for years. So physically he looks more fit already than some of the DB's we already have. Don't know if he is going to play safety or corner, physically he looks like he could be a Corker type laying the wood on people.
Stewart is listed as a corner coming out of high school. Usually a high 3 star, looks like everybody in the SEC offered him but not AL and GA. Not as big as Afari, he may be a corner but not knowing his quickness and instincts just don't know. Think he played really well in camps and his stock went up the more he was known. So as you said both these guys are highly touted but how they compare to some of the ones we have just no way of knowing.
Will be interesting to see where Huey and Williams shake out going into the season. Huey was known as a good cover guy coming out of high school. And I believe Williams moved up some in the pecking order this season. Highly touted coming out of high school, with openings on the corners two deep will he play there or at safety?
Stewart is listed as a corner coming out of high school. Usually a high 3 star, looks like everybody in the SEC offered him but not AL and GA. Not as big as Afari, he may be a corner but not knowing his quickness and instincts just don't know. Think he played really well in camps and his stock went up the more he was known. So as you said both these guys are highly touted but how they compare to some of the ones we have just no way of knowing.
Will be interesting to see where Huey and Williams shake out going into the season. Huey was known as a good cover guy coming out of high school. And I believe Williams moved up some in the pecking order this season. Highly touted coming out of high school, with openings on the corners two deep will he play there or at safety?
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I see Afari/Williams at Safety. Stewart has real nice closing speed. Williams could be a starter, Afari/Stewart are backups that need experience but have nice futures.
Yes, but he is still a ways away from contributing because he only played CB his Sr. year. But he is 6'3" and athletic. But we need IMMEDIATE help, so the other 2 I mentioned are further along.
Phillips should be a Redshirt Freshman that could factor into the rotation also. The suspension last season put him behind, but still looking for big things from him in the future.
Reed and Stewart are CBs. Afari could play any position in the secondary. I think Afari was recruited with the hope he can play CB but also with confidence that he would have a good career as a S if that's the way it works out for him.
I suspect it might eventually work out something like this-
CB incoming transfer 1/Phillips/Stewart
CB Valentine/incoming transfer 2/Afari
S Geiger/Tisdale/Williams/Hyatt
S Ajian/Dodson/Albert/Huey
NB Tisdale/Williams/Hyatt
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There was a big article talking Afari up in a Nickel/Sam role. My guess is he backs up Tisdale and is groomed for that spot
Yeah that’s what everything I’ve read suggested. Definitely our biggest need in the portal.
Well, surely we can pull in one serviceable corner from the portal to start across from Valentine.
Otherwise we have several unproven frosh/RS who might step up. Stewart had 9 SEC offers.
Yeah, I don’t want Stewart or Afari to start, but corner might be the one spot on the field I feel best about a freshman starting or playing a lot.
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Have you ever thought about other db’s on the team why does some posters not think about who is already here we had 2 db’s who couldn’t practice for months they are still here and posters are talking about freshman and potential transfers
Here’s the delicious irony: while we may not be as deep as last year at corner, in reality we are in better shape than we have been in 90 percent of Winter/Springs at the position.
Those folks on the roster from the last couple of classes weren’t chopped liver.
That said, I’d gladly take one proven transfer at corner!!
I'm assuming you didn't read my other post(#5) where I stated that Phillips would get a shot at the other CB spot with Valentine returning as the starter at the other one.
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What about Maxwell Hairston? Could he also be in the mix next season?
Do you have a link for this, or can you discuss it at more length? I am interested to know where you saw it. As far as I can see, Kentucky is Reed's only SEC scholarship offer. He also has scholarship offers from Purdue, Illinois, and West Virginia.
Don't get me wrong. Reed has a solid SEC future after a period of development and adding good bulk. That may take 2 years or so. He is an almost certain redshirt.
Reed received his Kentucky offer because of his performance at a summer camp in Lexington. No better way to impress college coaches than to take the time to attend their camp and perform well against other athletes invited by the coaches. Stoops likes tall, flexible Cbacks with reach. But Reed is still learning the Cback position and needs to reshape his body build.
Two other DB names that are never or rarely mentioned are Max Hairston and Jordan Lovett.
Anyone have any opinion on these two?
Anyone have any opinion on these two?
I guess I will have a go at that. Lovett has excellent size for a safety. I saw enough of Lovett's taped highlights from North Hardin to believe he is athletic, a good tackler, and has a nose for being around the play. What I don't know is how his speed will play in the SEC. It is possible he could end up as a WLB, but he would have to put on 20-25 pounds. Either way, he lacks experience.
I do not know as much about Hairston, except that he also has good size for the secondary.
Neither of them got onto the field in 2021. That tells me they are behind a bunch of other players on the depth chart, which does not mean they won't play at some point. Lovett is not a corner, and I doubt Hairston is either.
Since they have gotten to UK have not heard much on them. Coming out of high school Hairston was ranked somewhere around the 65th best corner. Some of the attributes on his evaluation was he had good speed, play making ability, plays balls in the air well, good cutting ability and good hands. Needed to gain weight and strength so he can be a better tackler.
Lovett was ranked about the 38th best safety in the country coming out of high school. As a junior he was second in the country in interceptions. Forgot how many but it was a bunch. His senior year continued getting several interceptions. So needless to say he has great play making ability at that safety position. Strong frame coming out of high school at 6-2 195 so I suspect by now he is a pretty stout kid and physically ready to play.
