Lets talk the Returning Redshirted Players

[C1180]

Here they are by offense and defense and by position.

Offense

QB Drew Barker 6'3" 216, WR Jeff Badet 6'0" 169, WR Thaddeus Snodgrass 6'1" 178, Alex Montgomery 6'2" 210 TE Darryl Long 6'4" 224, OT Jarrett La Rubbio 6'8" 282, Center Jervontius "Bunchy" Stallings 6'3" 330, OT Josh Krok 6'8" 303, OT/OG Nick Richardson 6'5" 272 (I doubt if this weight is Current)

Defense:

DE Tymere Dubose 6'5" 294, DT Adrian Middleton 6'3" 297, DE/LB Denzil Ware 6'2" 228, MLB Nico Firios 6'2" 221, Dorian Hendrix 6'0" 230, WLB Kobie Walker 6'2" 201, Safety Darius West 6'0" 193, Safety Mike Edwards 6'0' 180, CB Jared Tucker 5'11" 159, Although IMO he didn't Redshirt he played amost as little as if he redshirted CB Jaleel Hytchye 5'10" 167.

There they are UK fans lets talk about them. I will chime in later I am tired after all of that typing right now.
This post was edited on 2/17 8:25 AM by C1180

 

[UKCatnNC]

Thanks C1180. This group of players is a definite upgrade to our offense and defense rosters. Go Cats!!

 

[dalehollow]

Improvement is the key word here even though they will be young they have talent. So an upgrade is happening. They will be thrown in but that is how you get experience. They will help so much. Firios is some one who I want to see getting after it.

 

[BBN 4Life]

I think kobie walker can become the next great linebacker at UK

 

[UofKCatsFan]

Serious question guys. Is Ware a little small for DE? I would think you would need to be 240 plus to be effective in the SEC. I've always thought he would be a good player for us but I'm just wondering about his size.

 

[ctroberts1024]

You forgot Richardson at OT too. The most noticeable thing is quality depth. This will allow our special teams to be much better. I think the secondary will be vastly improved too. Randolph slides over to corner, McClain at safety. Gotta keep them on the field.

 

[CatDaddy4daWin]

Good list of guys. In past years, almost all of those guys play as freshmen. Love what Stoops is doing redshirting these guys. I'm telling ya, watch out for that defense next season. Especially if we can get Love eligible our defense is gonna be night and day, like who the hell are these guys! Can.not.wait!

Offense should be improved as well. Looking forward to see what Dawson does with this group. Think we upgraded our offensive coaching with this guy. I liked Neil but believe Dawson may have another gear that maybe Neil didn't.

 

[JPFisher]

Ware might be a little smaller, but as long as he can gain muscle and keep that enormous burst, I'm happy with him being able to blow by opposing tackles.


The biggest thing I see there (literally) is that we have 3 excellent OLine prospects coming into the fray. That's fan-freaking tastic.

 

[catben]

Nico Firios is the one kid I am looking forward to seeing play the most. I feel like he has the potential to be the next great MLB to play here. He has all of the tools plus a mean streak to make him the enforcer we will need.

 

[How Blue Can You Get?]

I thnk next year will be compafable to 2006, except I think we'll be a little further ahead. Then the next seasonwill be 2007 on steroids. From that point on, as long as we keep Stoops, who knows how good we can be!

 

[C1180]

I do not have Richardson in my information? Does anyone have his information so I can add him to the list? position name height and weight

I am anxious how this will shake out in spring practice. It is going to be interesting how many of the redshirts are able to move into the starting line up. There is a lot of starters and backups returning. IMO some of them will need to step up if they want to keep their positions. Even if the redshirts can not break into the starting lineup they are going to furnish quality depth.

I hope I am not speaking too soon but it doesn't look like that there is being near the attrition fro the Stoops recruited classes as always plagued Jokers recruited classes. I can only think of two or three out of the Stoops recruited classes.

IMO WRs Badet, Montgomery, and Snodgrass will figure big in the WR rotation. Badet is a sure handed burner and Montgomery and Snodgrass are WRs with good height. I could see some of the red shirt OL pushing for playing time considering that the OL was mediocre last season. OT Krok is a name that comes to mind first. On defense I could see some changes at LB, and both DEs will need to be replaced. Some size is needed at CB but if that is to happen it will need to come from the incoming Freshman class.

If my math is correct there will be 43 players available on this years team that did not play last year counting the redshirts, Hytchye who played just a few snaps, and the 23 incoming Freshmen.
This post was edited on 2/16 11:24 PM by C1180

 

[Wildcatsworld]

Thank you for the list. Another important thing to note is that WRs Badet and Montgomery both have game experience from their freshmen years. They both played in 8 games, Badet had 22 catches for 285 yards and 1 TD and Montgomery had 16 catches, 138 yards and 2 TDs. That was playing with QB not as good as who they'll be playing with next fall. They both would've gotten a lot of snaps this past season, but the positive is that they now should be physically and mentally more mature players.

This post was edited on 2/16 11:43 PM by Wildcatsworld

 

[UKSanders]

Nick Richardson OG/OT 6'5" 272


Richardson's bio

 

[docholiday51]

I think Middleton and Ware help big time The LB's will look much different next year.We can put enough points on the board to win if we can just stop somebody and get off the field on 3 rd down.

 

[jauk11]

Originally posted by CatDaddy4daWin:
Good list of guys. In past years, almost all of those guys play as freshmen. Love what Stoops is doing redshirting these guys. I'm telling ya, watch out for that defense next season. Especially if we can get Love eligible our defense is gonna be night and day, like who the hell are these guys! Can.not.wait!

Offense should be improved as well. Looking forward to see what Dawson does with this group. Think we upgraded our offensive coaching with this guy. I liked Neil but believe Dawson may have another gear that maybe Neil didn't.

Excellent post, but I am a little upset with you, you stole most of my thoughts about the situation. And several of these players were good enough and probably would have played this year even with our improved talent if not for injuries.

And thanks for starting another excellent thread, C1180, two in a row. Not sure how you top that, but please try.

 

[CATFANFOLIFE87]

- Ware is a little undersized but he is playing the jack position so he has to be able to play with his hand in the dirt and stand up an serve as an OLB in the 3-4 defense. His explosiveness and athleticism make him versatile enough to cover to the sideline or blow past OT when pass rushing

- Nico Firios is going to be a monster when he figures it out. The coaches brag about how he blew plays up on the scout team last year and was very impressive in practice

- Jared Tucker played the role of the opposition's best corner on the scout team. We haven't had a pure ballhawking corner like Tucker in a long while. He is going to be a great addition at field corner

- West was very impressive in camp before going down last season. He was expected to make a big impact at SS as a freshman so as long as he's healthy and managed to stay in shape he should be a big addition to the secondary

- We need Mike Edwards to come in and make an impact this year. Between Edwards, McWilson, Stamps, and West we should be talented at safety but we'll be fairly green. Maybe Faulkner will give us something this year. Marcus Walker has a chance to play early

- Krok, Stallings, and Richardson are probably ready to come in and give quality backup minutes. Asafo-Adjei is good enough to start as a freshman so getting him in early was huge. OG is a position that will get a big facelift this year. Mosier was an impressive pickup as a walkin but GAA, Richardson, and Larubbio are the kind of guys you need to play in the SEC at a high level

- Badet, Montgomery, and Snodgrass should add quality depth. Badet is almost certainly a starter. I don't think we'll RS Greenwood or Richardson. We need Richardson to replace Herrick as our big receiver in the middle and Montgomery to replace Cunningham as our big target on the outside. Greenwood is really good I don't think he's talked about enough

-Darryl Long is going to make an impact because he'll be out there and he'll have to. He and Conrad are it'll be a trial by fire for those two

 

[Vonburns1]

those looked like last fall practice weights. I sure hope they weigh more appropriately come this fall(or spring).

 

[2bunnies]

I don't think these weights are all current and they will definitely be incorrect by Fall.

 

[C1180]

Originally posted by 2bunnies:
I don't think these weights are all current and they will definitely be incorrect by Fall.

I also doubt that the weights are current. They came off of a projected 2015 depth chart put out by Cats Pause Magazine after the end of the season. They however give some idea of the size of the redshirted players.

 

[C1180]

Originally posted by jauk11:

Originally posted by CatDaddy4daWin:
Good list of guys. In past years, almost all of those guys play as freshmen. Love what Stoops is doing redshirting these guys. I'm telling ya, watch out for that defense next season. Especially if we can get Love eligible our defense is gonna be night and day, like who the hell are these guys! Can.not.wait!

Offense should be improved as well. Looking forward to see what Dawson does with this group. Think we upgraded our offensive coaching with this guy. I liked Neil but believe Dawson may have another gear that maybe Neil didn't.

Excellent post, but I am a little upset with you, you stole most of my thoughts about the situation. And several of these players were good enough and probably would have played this year even with our improved talent if not for injuries.

And thanks for starting another excellent thread, C1180, two in a row. Not sure how you top that, but please try.

I have one more planned to complete my trifecta.

 

[Rockford]

THat's 17 redshirted guys.......... Best thing about that is hopefully someday we will be playing 17 fifth year seniors. We will be much better then.

 

[UKErik]

*Hopefully, Ware is up to 260-270. I've seen enough SEC football to know that a 228 pounder at DE is going to seriously struggle (unless he's ridiculously talented).

*Dubose has the size to help. We really need he and Ware to give UK some snaps at DE.

*Hytchye is a really good athlete. Hope to hear his name this spring. It will be nice to get some of the bigger CB's on campus in August.

GBB!!!

 

[RV2]

Dubose practiced at DE last year and I expect him to continue there along with Huguenin. They should be joined there by Daniels and Miggins.

DE is not to be confused with the Jack End which is a stand up DE serving as a type of LB. This guy will put his hand down on passing situations and I don't expect Ware to ever play this position during run downs. Last year J Johnson and Hatcher split time there. I expect Jabari to remain there along with Tubman (if he returns) and Bell. Hatcher may well get some snaps there as well. It would be great if they could get by and RS Bell. I also expect the walkon Elijah Barnett to begin at this spot.

Bud Dupree played SamLB for us last year and in passing downs slid over to Jack End when Jabari came out of the game. This is the position I expect Ware to play along with Hatcher. Jason Allen projects to this position as well. Kobie Walker could also have grown into this position as well, We will know much better about some of these projections in the next six weeks.

This post was edited on 2/18 6:54 PM by RV2

 

[C1180]

UK is multiple on defense and at times will show 3-4, 4-3, 4-2, and at times a 5-2 front. They are however basically a 3-4 front team. They have different packages for their different fronts.

 

[lz]

RV, do you project Daniel to play DE? I read where he said the coaches want him to play Jack, but I assume it would just be a tryout for him this spring.

 

[Deeeefense]

I know that by the numbers there will be guys in this group that don't pan out and others that over reach expectations, but as a group it's hard not to be extremely excited about them. At the very least we are going to have a heavy injection of talent and depth on our roster, and it's going to be fun to watch them all have a chance to show their stuff. Exciting times for UK fans.





This post was edited on 2/17 1:26 PM by Deeeefense

 

[C1180]

Originally posted by Deeeefense:
I know that by the numbers there will be guys in this group that don't pan out and others that over reach expectations, but as a group it's hard not to be extremely excited about them. At the very least we are going to have a heavy injection of talent and depth on our roster, and it's going to be fun to watch them all have a chance to show their stuff. Exciting times for UK fans.






This post was edited on 2/17 1:26 PM by Deeeefense

Do you have any opinions about players that might be ready for a break out year
and push a returning starter? IMO QB I believe that Barker will push Towles and if Towles hasn't made a genuine improvement might beat him out. I think that some of the redshirted and this years class LBs are going to push for a lot of playing time. There is a lot of room for some DBs of size to find their way into the UK secondary. DE is wide open. There is a lot of playing time for some redshirted OL if they can make a push. The three redshirted WR are going to get a lot of playing time. The TE will be either a redshirt or a true Freshman.

 

[Deeeefense]

Originally posted by C1180:
Do you have any opinions about players that might be ready for a break out year
and push a returning starter? IMO QB I believe that Barker will push Towles and if Towles hasn't made a genuine improvement might beat him out. I think that some of the redshirted and this years class LBs are going to push for a lot of playing time. There is a lot of room for some DBs of size to find their way into the UK secondary. DE is wide open. There is a lot of playing time for some redshirted OL if they can make a push. The three redshirted WR are going to get a lot of playing time. The TE will be either a redshirt or a true Freshman.

Just guessing here would be most to least probable:

Left Tackle Krok pushing Swindell
Corner: West pushing Tiller
Free Safety: Edwards pushing McWilson

Also don't sleep on Phillips at QB. From what I have seen of Dawson's offense he's heavy with the quick slants, crosses, hitches etc. - a lot of 3 step drops. Phillips has a better skill set for that than Towles, as he has a quicker release and is more accurate. He's not truly a red shirt but since he only played less than a quarter last year I think of him as such.


This post was edited on 2/17 3:54 PM by Deeeefense

 

[RV2]

Originally posted by lz:
RV, do you project Daniel to play DE? I read where he said the coaches want him to play Jack, but I assume it would just be a tryout for him this spring.

Yes I do but I'll let you and others know after I watch them a bit.

 

[RV2]

Originally posted by C1180:

UK is multiple on defense and at times will show 3-4, 4-3, 4-2, and at times a 5-2 front. They are however basically a 3-4 front team. They have different packages for their different fronts.

While this is sorta true, that doesn't change any of the positions I have listed.

 

[C1180]

Originally posted by Deeeefense:

Originally posted by C1180:

Do you have any opinions about players that might be ready for a break out year
and push a returning starter? IMO QB I believe that Barker will push Towles and if Towles hasn't made a genuine improvement might beat him out. I think that some of the redshirted and this years class LBs are going to push for a lot of playing time. There is a lot of room for some DBs of size to find their way into the UK secondary. DE is wide open. There is a lot of playing time for some redshirted OL if they can make a push. The three redshirted WR are going to get a lot of playing time. The TE will be either a redshirt or a true Freshman.

Just guessing here would be most to least probable:

Left Tackle Krok pushing Swindell
Corner: West pushing Tiller
Free Safety: Edwards pushing McWilson

Also don't sleep on Phillips at QB. From what I have seen of Dawson's offense he's heavy with the quick slants, crosses, hitches etc. - a lot of 3 step drops. Phillips has a better skill set for that than Towles, as he has a quicker release and is more accurate. He's not truly a red shirt but since he only played less than a quarter last year I think of him as such.



This post was edited on 2/17 3:54 PM by Deeeefense

You think West will play CB. I had him and Wilson pegged as more so as SS types. It did seem like Phillips almost got a second RS year. I havent seen enough of that kid to make much of a judgment of him. The few snaps he played he looked shaky.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Originally posted by UofKCatsFan:
Serious question guys. Is Ware a little small for DE? I would think you would need to be 240 plus to be effective in the SEC. I've always thought he would be a good player for us but I'm just wondering about his size.

He would have a tough time against power running teams, but against spread teams it shouldn't be a huge issue. Beasley at Clemson was 230 and had a ton sacks and pressures as a Jr because he was so quick around the edge. As a sr teams schemed a little more for him and production was down. But if a team is having to adjust their offense to account for a guy that's a win for the defense. He likely isn't a 3rd and short DE, but can play today at 230 and if he came in at 220 he is probably near or above that today.

 

[C1180]

Originally posted by Grumpyolddawg:

Originally posted by UofKCatsFan:
Serious question guys. Is Ware a little small for DE? I would think you would need to be 240 plus to be effective in the SEC. I've always thought he would be a good player for us but I'm just wondering about his size.

He would have a tough time against power running teams, but against spread teams it shouldn't be a huge issue. Beasley at Clemson was 230 and had a ton sacks and pressures as a Jr because he was so quick around the edge. As a sr teams schemed a little more for him and production was down. But if a team is having to adjust their offense to account for a guy that's a win for the defense. He likely isn't a 3rd and short DE, but can play today at 230 and if he came in at 220 he is probably near or above that today.

The last weight I have on Ware is from Dec and it was 228. He will not be a DE in the 3 man fronts and will be an OLB/DE hybrid in that formation. If he is asked to play DE in a 4 man front it will be as the rush end which is usually the smaller and quicker of your two DE. He also IMO will be near 240 this fall.

 

[Smashcat]

Also don't sleep on Phillips at QB. From what I have seen of Dawson's offense he's heavy with the quick slants, crosses, hitches etc. - a lot of 3 step drops. Phillips has a better skill set for that than Towles, as he has a quicker release and is more accurate. He's not truly a red shirt but since he only played less than a quarter last year I think of him as such.

One would hope that with a new OC all three QBs would be given an equal shot of starting.

 

[C1180]

Originally posted by RV2:

Originally posted by C1180:

UK is multiple on defense and at times will show 3-4, 4-3, 4-2, and at times a 5-2 front. They are however basically a 3-4 front team. They have different packages for their different fronts.

While this is sorta true, that doesn't change any of the positions I have listed.

There was no intention of changing any of your opinion on any of the positions you listed. If I were referring to your position or post in any way I would have put it in a quote. Your opinion just like the opinion of every other poster on this board is just that your individual opinion. You do however seem to have a high opinion of your opinion and are touchy if anyone questions you.

I do not know why you felt a need to call me out. Some posters seem to place some value on your opinions. I truthfully find them nothing special but have had no reason before now to say so.

 

[RV2]

Originally posted by C1180:

Originally posted by RV2:

Originally posted by C1180:

UK is multiple on defense and at times will show 3-4, 4-3, 4-2, and at times a 5-2 front. They are however basically a 3-4 front team. They have different packages for their different fronts.

While this is sorta true, that doesn't change any of the positions I have listed.

There was no intention of changing any of your opinion on any of the positions you listed. If I were referring to your position or post in any way I would have put it in a quote. Your opinion just like the opinion of every other poster on this board is just that your individual opinion. You do however seem to have a high opinion of your opinion and are touchy if anyone questions you.

I do not know why you felt a need to call me out. Some posters seem to place some value on your opinions. I truthfully find them nothing special but have had no reason before now to say so.

Hey, just trying to help you out but that's OK if you don't want the help. Not sure why I even make the attempt.

 

[Poetax]

Originally posted by Smashcat:

Also don't sleep on Phillips at QB. From what I have seen of Dawson's offense he's heavy with the quick slants, crosses, hitches etc. - a lot of 3 step drops. Phillips has a better skill set for that than Towles, as he has a quicker release and is more accurate. He's not truly a red shirt but since he only played less than a quarter last year I think of him as such.

One would hope that with a new OC all three QBs would be given an equal shot of starting.

And who ever gets picked, 2 of the 3, will have gone through three OCs while at Kentucky. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod.