O Line starters next season, assuming we get no more transfers

[Uncle Adolph]

We lose Kinnard, Fortner and Rosenthal up in the air.
Is Austin Dotson out of eligibility ?
I'll say Goodwin, Burton and Cox start ( Did I see where they may try Cox at center in the spring ? )
Probably Horsey.
Just for conversations sake I'll say John Young at the other tackle. Wasn't he a 4 star coming out of HS ?
In the mix- Manning the Auburn trans, Q Wilson, and Wohlabaugh a young guy they seem to be high on
Talented group but young
Help me if I've left anybody ouy

 

[ukfan1622]

We lose Kinnard, Fortner and Rosenthal up in the air.
Is Austin Dotson out of eligibility ?
I'll say Goodwin, Burton and Cox start ( Did I see where they may try Cox at center in the spring ? )
Probably Horsey.
Just for conversations sake I'll say John Young at the other tackle. Wasn't he a 4 star coming out of HS ?
In the mix- Manning the Auburn trans, Q Wilson, and Wohlabaugh a young guy they seem to be high on
Talented group but young
Help me if I've left anybody ouy

I'm thinking Dotson still has a covid year he could take? If he comes back I could see Horsey playing right tackle and Dotson at guard.
Cox was playing center and guard before winning the starting guard spot.
The staff seems to like Wohlabaugh and Buford better than Young but they both seem a bit light for the right tackle.
Also, I think our two lesser OL recruits for next year are both capable of competing for playing time as freshmen.

 

[point1zero]

We lose Kinnard, Fortner and Rosenthal up in the air.
Is Austin Dotson out of eligibility ?
I'll say Goodwin, Burton and Cox start ( Did I see where they may try Cox at center in the spring ? )
Probably Horsey.
Just for conversations sake I'll say John Young at the other tackle. Wasn't he a 4 star coming out of HS ?
In the mix- Manning the Auburn trans, Q Wilson, and Wohlabaugh a young guy they seem to be high on
Talented group but young
Help me if I've left anybody ouy

Dotson can use a Covid year if he chooses.

 

[UKSanders]

We lose Kinnard, Fortner and Rosenthal up in the air.
Is Austin Dotson out of eligibility ?
I'll say Goodwin, Burton and Cox start ( Did I see where they may try Cox at center in the spring ? )
Probably Horsey.
Just for conversations sake I'll say John Young at the other tackle. Wasn't he a 4 star coming out of HS ?
In the mix- Manning the Auburn trans, Q Wilson, and Wohlabaugh a young guy they seem to be high on
Talented group but young
Help me if I've left anybody ouy

Here's my take from another thread:

LT: SR Rosenthal (6'7 327), SO Buford (6'3 295), FR Goodwin (6'8 310)
LG: SR Horsey (6'3 300), FR Burton (6'4 280)
OC: JR Cox 6'4 293), SR Wilson (6'1 294)
RG: SR Tashawn Manning (Auburn txfr 6'3 324), SO John Young (6'6 302), SO RJ Adams (6'3 330)
RT: JR Flax (6'6 356, hope he can slim down to add a little quickness), FR Wohlabaugh (6'6 290)

That still leaves the following youngsters to battle/sort out some positions.
OG: FR Paul Rodriguez (something about this kid I like, too)
OG/OT: SO Josh Jones, FR Nikolas Hall, FR Grant Bingham

John Young has been exclusively at OG when I've seen him in games, so I wonder if he just lacks the quickness to play RT? I've said before, but his high school film and play so far (his nastiness/sticking with blocks) remind me of another former OG successfully converted from OT -- Logan Stenberg.

To me, it is a little questionable at OT pending Rosenthal's return. After 2022, it all depends on development, but there are at least some guys with potential (Goodwin, Buford, Wohlabaugh, Hall, etc...)

 

[Uncle Adolph]

From watching him, Flax needs to slim down a good bit.
Do you all see any true freshman in the rotation ? Rare in the SEC for a freshman to get playing time on the line

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Dotson can use a Covid year if he chooses.

Imo we need Dotson back. He's an odd schematic fit but is a monster and at the very least provides depth in case as indicated horsey has to play another position.

Even if not, Cox might be better sliding to center and letting Dotson rotate with Jager at rg. After seeing Wilson for an entire game vs Iowa, I am not entirely sold on him as a starter. Unfortunately also not sold on horsey at ot either, so let's hope dare comes back.

If Dare doesn't return and we come up empty in the portal, this coming season might be the first in awhile with some OL concerns

 

[bigbluedon]

We lose Kinnard, Fortner and Rosenthal up in the air.
Is Austin Dotson out of eligibility ?
I'll say Goodwin, Burton and Cox start ( Did I see where they may try Cox at center in the spring ? )
Probably Horsey.
Just for conversations sake I'll say John Young at the other tackle. Wasn't he a 4 star coming out of HS ?
In the mix- Manning the Auburn trans, Q Wilson, and Wohlabaugh a young guy they seem to be high on
Talented group but young
Help me if I've left anybody ouy

Jager Burton

 

[Uncle Adolph]

Jager Burton

I am looking forward to watching him this season

 

[gossie21]

This is a unit that we have recruited well over the past several classes. With that said, until we see everyone playing together it's a bit of a question mark.

The good news is that we have had NFL talent at several line positions the past few years. The bad news is that this hasn't allowed for many of the younger players to step in and get reps. The NMSt and UofL games did allow us to get some young guys in. At the end of the UofL game our O-Line unit was LT - Deondre Buford LG - John Young C - Quentin Wilson RG - Jager Burton RT - Jeremy Flax

 

[JHB4UK]

Easy to forget, but the staff was really really high on Flax as our starting RT coming out of last Spring

 

[UKSanders]

Easy to forget, but the staff was really really high on Flax as our starting RT coming out of last Spring

Yep, here’s to hoping he dedicates himself this off-season and hits spring practice about 20-30 pounds lighter ready to claim and dominate at the RT spot

 

[mrschwump]

Have thought all along Rosenthal would return but I'm starting to doubt it now. Just think if he were we'd know by now.

Had hoped to see Adams, his film looked really good. He got caught up in the whole frat rat fiasco, guess that set him back. Guessing he may have been hurt too.

I really like Wohlabaugh, think he has a bright future. Have also liked Nik Hall's film. I think Goodwin plays but not as a starter, at least early. Going thru Spring ball will help him.

 

[Tskware]

I thought I read where the Citrus Bowl was Dotson's last game at UK.

Think Rosenthal starts for sure if he is still here. Plus Burton and Manning at OG, Cox, I guess at C, maybe move someone else in there. I would not be surprised if Goodwin gets more PT at OT than most expect, he appears to have a lot more upside than anyone we have recruited. Think John Young has played well when given an opportunity so he may be in the mix as well. Should be a very interesting spring for certain.

 

[yoshukai]

FWIW , Ryan Lemond says he doesn’t think Rosenthal will return. I know the guy is “clownish“ but sometimes he surprises with inside information. I believe it comes through his wife’s side of the family.

 

[yoshukai]

We lose Kinnard, Fortner and Rosenthal up in the air.
Is Austin Dotson out of eligibility ?
I'll say Goodwin, Burton and Cox start ( Did I see where they may try Cox at center in the spring ? )
Probably Horsey.
Just for conversations sake I'll say John Young at the other tackle. Wasn't he a 4 star coming out of HS ?
In the mix- Manning the Auburn trans, Q Wilson, and Wohlabaugh a young guy they seem to be high on
Talented group but young
Help me if I've left anybody ouy

It would surprise me if Goodwin is in the starting lineup on opening day.

 

[Soupbean]

We lose Kinnard, Fortner and Rosenthal up in the air.
Is Austin Dotson out of eligibility ?
I'll say Goodwin, Burton and Cox start ( Did I see where they may try Cox at center in the spring ? )
Probably Horsey.
Just for conversations sake I'll say John Young at the other tackle. Wasn't he a 4 star coming out of HS ?
In the mix- Manning the Auburn trans, Q Wilson, and Wohlabaugh a young guy they seem to be high on
Talented group but young
Help me if I've left anybody ouy

I always thought Eli would play center in college because he's made for it. Stocky strong, quick footed and smart. But he really impressed me at guard this year too. Just depends where they need him most and they'll use him wherever it helps fit in the other guys. I'd guess center though.

 

[Kmoney86]

We really need Rosenthal back. I think he would be making a big mistake to enter the draft this year.

 

[gossie21]

FWIW , Ryan Lemond says he doesn’t think Rosenthal will return. I know the guy is “clownish“ but sometimes he surprises with inside information. I believe it comes through his wife’s side of the family.

Lemond is best friends with Dante Key and Dane Key is close with Ryan's son. I'm sure Dante/Dane are Ryan's primary source. And I would expect them to be very reliable.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Easy to forget, but the staff was really really high on Flax as our starting RT coming out of last Spring

To be fair he made it easy to forget because of his poor showing at the bowl game. He was so bad he only got 2 or 3 snaps and never returned. That's a pretty bad indictment even though I understand it was at LT.

Maybe with an off-season it will be better but I saw a few experienced back up guys really underperform when I expected more.

 

[THE_OAK]

I thought Wilson was being groomed as Drakes replacement at C, what happened with that? He seems always buried on the depth chart.

 

[yoshukai]

I always thought Eli would play center in college because he's made for it. Stocky strong, quick footed and smart. But he really impressed me at guard this year too. Just depends where they need him most and they'll use him wherever it helps fit in the other guys. I'd guess center though.

We’ e been GOLD at the center spot for about a decade. Hopefully it continues.

 

[TBCat]

FWIW , Ryan Lemond says he doesn’t think Rosenthal will return. I know the guy is “clownish“ but sometimes he surprises with inside information. I believe it comes through his wife’s side of the family.

I don't think much of Matt Jones and his "tid bits" of information but Ryan is a different story. Ryan seems to have work ethic behind what he predicts. Ryan is more of a journalist. He makes specific predictions that end up being right more often than not. Hopefully he's wrong here but I will give it some credibility.

 

[C*A*T*S]

Here's my take from another thread:

LT: SR Rosenthal (6'7 327), SO Buford (6'3 295), FR Goodwin (6'8 310)
LG: SR Horsey (6'3 300), FR Burton (6'4 280)
OC: JR Cox 6'4 293), SR Wilson (6'1 294)
RG: SR Tashawn Manning (Auburn txfr 6'3 324), SO John Young (6'6 302), SO RJ Adams (6'3 330)
RT: JR Flax (6'6 356, hope he can slim down to add a little quickness), FR Wohlabaugh (6'6 290)

That still leaves the following youngsters to battle/sort out some positions.
OG: FR Paul Rodriguez (something about this kid I like, too)
OG/OT: SO Josh Jones, FR Nikolas Hall, FR Grant Bingham

John Young has been exclusively at OG when I've seen him in games, so I wonder if he just lacks the quickness to play RT? I've said before, but his high school film and play so far (his nastiness/sticking with blocks) remind me of another former OG successfully converted from OT -- Logan Stenberg.

To me, it is a little questionable at OT pending Rosenthal's return. After 2022, it all depends on development, but there are at least some guys with potential (Goodwin, Buford, Wohlabaugh, Hall, etc...)

Did Burton transfer? Or you just forgot about him?

 

[UKSanders]

Did Burton transfer? Or you just forgot about him?

Nope - he’s there…LG backing up Horsey

 

[K_TIME]

Assuming Rosenthal goes pro

RT - Goodwin/Wolbaugh
RG - Manning/EJ Adams
C - Cox/Wilson
LG - Horsey/Burton
LT - Flax/Buford

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

Flax has looked too slow at RT and in the Citrus at LT. Did not look good against UL or Iowa. We need at least one good OT transfer.

 

[Rembrandt90]

LT Rosenthal (if he returns)/Goodwin/Wohlabaugh

LG Horsey/Young/Jones/Adams

C Cox/Wilson

RG Manning/Burton/Bingham

RT Flax/Buford/Rodriguez/Hall

 

[Rembrandt90]

I thought Wilson was being groomed as Drakes replacement at C, what happened with that? He seems always buried on the depth chart.

Nobody is groomed, in the sense of inheriting a position. The purpose in building a deep roster is to create competition. Fortner beat out Wilson for the 2021 starting C job. My expectation is that Cox will move inside and become our starting C in 2022. There is nothing wrong with Wilson, except that he is a bit small and not quite as good as Fortner or Cox.

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

Nobody is groomed, in the sense of inheriting a position. The purpose in building a deep roster is to create competition. Fortner beat out Wilson for the 2021 starting C job. My expectation is that Cox will move inside and become our starting C in 2022. There is nothing wrong with Wilson, except that he is a bit small and not quite as good as Fortner or Cox.

Yeah, I think Cox to center would be the first best thing for the OL. RG is crowded with Burton, Manning and I wish Dotson would come back.

 

[The-Hack]

I know with Rosethal’s likely depature we lack
some game reps, but with all the 4/5 Star talent we have recruited I think we come up with a good rotation.

The little I saw of Young against Louisville was impressive. The fact that he is projected 2nd and third string by most is a good sign of depth.

Something tells me that Bingham might be an earlier factor than most assume.

 

[Rembrandt90]

I know with Rosethal’s likely depature we lack
some game reps, but with all the 4/5 Star talent we have recruited I think we come up with a good rotation.

The little I saw of Young against Louisville was impressive. The fact that he is projected 2nd and third string by most is a good sign of depth.

Something tells me that Bingham might be an earlier factor than most assume.

I like Young's potential because of his size and effort. I think he will eventually play a lot. But I don't think we can judge the future of our linemen by what they did against UL. UL's lines were the weakness of their football team.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Yeah, I think Cox to center would be the first best thing for the OL. RG is crowded with Burton, Manning and I wish Dotson would come back.

Although a fantastic player, Drake Jackson was considered a bit small for a starting SEC center. In Jackson's case, size was compensated for by quickness, athleticism, and a very high football IQ. Many SEC LBs had their lights put out by Drake at the second level. Wilson is about 2 inches shorter and at least 10# lighter than Jackson was. Wilson is a pretty good player, but probably not a regular SEC starter. He is a better player than his performance against IA in the Citrus Bowl. He is not an OG, and he didn't have much time to prep for that game. And IA is a really good football team. But Wilson is fine as our backup C. Cox is a future star on our OL, and C is the position he was recruited to play.

After the Citrus Bowl ended, Austin Dotson stood next to UK's bench and stared up at all the UK fans in the stands who stayed to watch our team honored as the bowl champions. He didn't gesture or say anything. He just stood there and looked at us for at least 5 minutes. I had the distinct feeling that he knew his college football career was over, and he was reflecting on what it meant to him to be a part of the Big Blue Nation. IDK, maybe I was completely wrong. But it certainly seemed like a time of contemplation and maybe appreciation. I just had the feeling he was done, and this was closure. It looked like that to me.

 

[The-Hack]

But I don't think we can judge the future of our linemen by what they did against UL.

True, but did we see him get any other snaps on film?

I’m not sure he played any minutes beyond those at U of L.

 

[Girthang]

FWIW , Ryan Lemond says he doesn’t think Rosenthal will return. I know the guy is “clownish“ but sometimes he surprises with inside information. I believe it comes through his wife’s side of the family.

I didn't think he would, but was hoping he might. Like @mrschwump said, once we hadn't heard anything for a while it seemed like he was definitely leaving.

 

[Girthang]

Although a fantastic player, Drake Jackson was considered a bit small for a starting SEC center. In Jackson's case, size was compensated for by quickness, athleticism, and a very high football IQ. Many SEC LBs had their lights put out by Drake at the second level. Wilson is about 2 inches shorter and at least 10# lighter than Jackson was. Wilson is a pretty good player, but probably not a regular SEC starter. He is a better player than his performance against IA in the Citrus Bowl. He is not an OG, and he didn't have much time to prep for that game. And IA is a really good football team. But Wilson is fine as our backup C. Cox is a future star on our OL, and C is the position he was recruited to play.

After the Citrus Bowl ended, Austin Dotson stood next to UK's bench and stared up at all the UK fans in the stands who stayed to watch our team honored as the bowl champions. He didn't gesture or say anything. He just stood there and looked at us for at least 5 minutes. I had the distinct feeling that he knew his college football career was over, and he was reflecting on what it meant to him to be a part of the Big Blue Nation. IDK, maybe I was completely wrong. But it certainly seemed like a time of contemplation and maybe appreciation. I just had the feeling he was done, and this was closure. It looked like that to me.

I have gotten that feeling from him since Senior Day and don't expect him to return.

In order for him to return he'd have to want to commit to a graduate degree track. He's already graduated, but he still has to attend classes full time to play ball. I know that was something I wasn't wanting to do after 5 years of undergrad. Grad school isn't for everyone

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

Don't know a lot about Manning. Could he play RT? We have two openings at LT and RT. You would think at least one good OT somewhere would want to jump on this opportunity.

 

[sieken]

I think Burton will be playing a lot this year, he may be our most athletic OLineman.

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

I think Burton will be playing a lot this year, he may be our most athletic OLineman.

Yeah, he moves well. When he gets the bulk he needs he should be what we are use to on the OL.

 

[mrschwump]

Spring practice will be very important for a lot of guys.

 

[Rembrandt90]

True, but did we see him get any other snaps on film?

I’m not sure he played any minutes beyond those at U of L.

What does that say? It tells me something.