It's been a long summer, but I think I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. Move-in is this weekend, so I will just go ahead and put this mashup out for those of you chomping at the bit for more opinions.
Offense
> The thing I'm most excited to see is how the line improves. Toth, Swindle, and GAA are the three I'm most looking forward to watching. Toth as an All-SEC Center, Swindle and the pre-snap penalties and the move to Left Tackle, and how the newbie GAA can perform in the SEC. Overall, I think the group will take a big step forward this year.
> Running backs are a great group. Boom is the front-runner, but I still love his supporting cast. Horton, Kemp, and King all have attributes that will be valuable in a given situation. Horton is a tank, Kemp is an all-purpose guy, and King is supposed to have blazing speed. Needless to say, this is the best crop of running backs I've ever seen at Ketucky (Sorry, Little, Locke, Smith....).
> Tight Ends look to be much improved. Having that middle presence will open things up. From what I've read, Conrad is performing well as the starter, but Long is definitely pushing him. Should the worst come to worst, I would feel comfortable with Long in the offense. Depth is an issue at this position, IMO, but if we cycle the two leaders, then hopefully they can stay fresh the entire season.
> Our wide receivers will be the best we've seen in years. I'd go as far as to bet that they surpass the 07 offense. Timmons, Badet, Johnson, Bone, and Baker all have so much talent but not a lot of experience (sans Timmons). Plus, the supporting cast is insane for this group- Montgomery, Snodgrass, Williams, Herrick, Richardson, and Greenwood. Are you serious? The talent and depth at this position is insane. Look for a lot of receivers making people miss and getting those few extra yards somehow some way. Definitely an exciting prospect.
> Towles. Experience, ability to burn, hell of an arm... He worked on the mental aspect, footwork, and accuracy in the offseason. I can't wait to see how that translates on the field. Barker and Phillips are excellent backups who I think can win games in their own right. Also, if Barker turns out to be the QB, I'll happily eat crow.
> I want to see Hyde rip through someone while trying to get a yard or two. Good lord.
Defense
> Defensive line looks to be improved overall. Lewis, Hyde, and Elam are two huge assets (literally) at Nose. Huguenin is a solid starter and Johnson will also be out there. Folks, our starting line is looking stout. Those starters plus Meant, Middleton, Daniel, and Dubose as backups... Whew...
> Linebackers look to improve substantially ableit without the depth we'd like to see. Hatcher (after two games), Forrest, Johnson, and Flannigan all look to give us one of the best linebacker corps we've had in years. Bell, Ware, and Walker all appear to be respectable backups, and I've been told that Firios, Jones, and He drip have shown up nicely in camp. Worst comes to worst- just bring one of our stud safeties to the game.
> Safeties. They good. McWilson has apparently had a bomb offseason, Edwards and West hit like trains, and then there's good ol Stamps. Randolph and McClain may be able to step in from time to time. Solid, SOLID group.
> Freshmen Corners Westry, Jackson, and Baity are impressing early, although they will likely get burned once or twice as freshmen... Harmon looks to be a solid returner. I like what I saw out of Randolph last year and hope to see him in coverage a lot. I would also like to see McClain at some corner when we aren't using him as Nickelback. Also, Hytche has drawn some positive words from the coaches. I haven't heard much about Tucker, but I liked what I saw of his high school film. I thought I heard somewhere that Tile was out for the season, but couldn't find anything on that. Tiller and Quinn will give the corner position some much needed experience. Westry, Baity, Harmon, Tucker, Randolph, Hytche, Jackson, Tiller, and Quinn. Definitely a solid group depth-wise. I look forward to seeing how Stoops' one-on-one carries over into games.
Special Teams
> Punter Landon Foster and Kicker Austin MacGinnis will give us some very solid production.
> Returners will range from Harmon to Boom to Timmons, Badet, King... We have a lot of speed, guys.
> With all the coaches pitching in for special teams, I think we will see strides with production. Mistakes are more likely to be noticed, more minds can come up with strategy, and instead of Stoops having to scream at an inept coord, the entire crew will have responsibility. I'm shaky on the concept, but I don't see any reason to not give it a go.
Overall
> I'm not afraid to raise my expectations. I fully intend to see UK win at least six games and a max of eight regular season games. This offseason has been the first where Stoops actively shows off some optimism, and I expect that to mean something.
> Recruiting isn't slowing down. That is all.
> Overall depth on the team is incredible compared to recent Kentucky teams. It will be impressive to see the fruits of the staff's labor playing this fall, and I fully expect it to be unlike anything we've seen recently.
As always, have an amazing weekend. Feel free to comment, correct, and add to the thread- your input is always welcome. Football is only a few weeks away. Go Big Blue!
Comment question- How many wins do you see now versus where we left off after last season?
Offense
> The thing I'm most excited to see is how the line improves. Toth, Swindle, and GAA are the three I'm most looking forward to watching. Toth as an All-SEC Center, Swindle and the pre-snap penalties and the move to Left Tackle, and how the newbie GAA can perform in the SEC. Overall, I think the group will take a big step forward this year.
> Running backs are a great group. Boom is the front-runner, but I still love his supporting cast. Horton, Kemp, and King all have attributes that will be valuable in a given situation. Horton is a tank, Kemp is an all-purpose guy, and King is supposed to have blazing speed. Needless to say, this is the best crop of running backs I've ever seen at Ketucky (Sorry, Little, Locke, Smith....).
> Tight Ends look to be much improved. Having that middle presence will open things up. From what I've read, Conrad is performing well as the starter, but Long is definitely pushing him. Should the worst come to worst, I would feel comfortable with Long in the offense. Depth is an issue at this position, IMO, but if we cycle the two leaders, then hopefully they can stay fresh the entire season.
> Our wide receivers will be the best we've seen in years. I'd go as far as to bet that they surpass the 07 offense. Timmons, Badet, Johnson, Bone, and Baker all have so much talent but not a lot of experience (sans Timmons). Plus, the supporting cast is insane for this group- Montgomery, Snodgrass, Williams, Herrick, Richardson, and Greenwood. Are you serious? The talent and depth at this position is insane. Look for a lot of receivers making people miss and getting those few extra yards somehow some way. Definitely an exciting prospect.
> Towles. Experience, ability to burn, hell of an arm... He worked on the mental aspect, footwork, and accuracy in the offseason. I can't wait to see how that translates on the field. Barker and Phillips are excellent backups who I think can win games in their own right. Also, if Barker turns out to be the QB, I'll happily eat crow.
> I want to see Hyde rip through someone while trying to get a yard or two. Good lord.
Defense
> Defensive line looks to be improved overall. Lewis, Hyde, and Elam are two huge assets (literally) at Nose. Huguenin is a solid starter and Johnson will also be out there. Folks, our starting line is looking stout. Those starters plus Meant, Middleton, Daniel, and Dubose as backups... Whew...
> Linebackers look to improve substantially ableit without the depth we'd like to see. Hatcher (after two games), Forrest, Johnson, and Flannigan all look to give us one of the best linebacker corps we've had in years. Bell, Ware, and Walker all appear to be respectable backups, and I've been told that Firios, Jones, and He drip have shown up nicely in camp. Worst comes to worst- just bring one of our stud safeties to the game.
> Safeties. They good. McWilson has apparently had a bomb offseason, Edwards and West hit like trains, and then there's good ol Stamps. Randolph and McClain may be able to step in from time to time. Solid, SOLID group.
> Freshmen Corners Westry, Jackson, and Baity are impressing early, although they will likely get burned once or twice as freshmen... Harmon looks to be a solid returner. I like what I saw out of Randolph last year and hope to see him in coverage a lot. I would also like to see McClain at some corner when we aren't using him as Nickelback. Also, Hytche has drawn some positive words from the coaches. I haven't heard much about Tucker, but I liked what I saw of his high school film. I thought I heard somewhere that Tile was out for the season, but couldn't find anything on that. Tiller and Quinn will give the corner position some much needed experience. Westry, Baity, Harmon, Tucker, Randolph, Hytche, Jackson, Tiller, and Quinn. Definitely a solid group depth-wise. I look forward to seeing how Stoops' one-on-one carries over into games.
Special Teams
> Punter Landon Foster and Kicker Austin MacGinnis will give us some very solid production.
> Returners will range from Harmon to Boom to Timmons, Badet, King... We have a lot of speed, guys.
> With all the coaches pitching in for special teams, I think we will see strides with production. Mistakes are more likely to be noticed, more minds can come up with strategy, and instead of Stoops having to scream at an inept coord, the entire crew will have responsibility. I'm shaky on the concept, but I don't see any reason to not give it a go.
Overall
> I'm not afraid to raise my expectations. I fully intend to see UK win at least six games and a max of eight regular season games. This offseason has been the first where Stoops actively shows off some optimism, and I expect that to mean something.
> Recruiting isn't slowing down. That is all.
> Overall depth on the team is incredible compared to recent Kentucky teams. It will be impressive to see the fruits of the staff's labor playing this fall, and I fully expect it to be unlike anything we've seen recently.
As always, have an amazing weekend. Feel free to comment, correct, and add to the thread- your input is always welcome. Football is only a few weeks away. Go Big Blue!
Comment question- How many wins do you see now versus where we left off after last season?
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