The early portion of fall camp is an ideal time to take a look at players who may be able to help a football team at multiple positions.
That's what Kentucky is doing with Michael Drennen II. A consensus four-star prospect in the Class of 2020, the talented sophomore known as "Donut" is making the move from wide receiver to running back.
The shift does not appear to be predicated on need. While there was a substantial opportunity for a young player to break into the receiver rotation, Drennen will be joining a deep group of running backs led by returning starter Chris Rodriguez and talented colleagues like Kavosiey Smoke, JuTahn McClain, Torrance Davis, and Travis Tisdale.
First-year running backs coach John Settle, who tried to recruit Drennen to Wisconsin when he was an assistant coach with the Badgers, said Tuesday that he's been lobbying for this move since taking the job with UK.
"I've been joking about that since I got here in the spring," Settle said. "I'd talk about it and bring it up every once in a while, and we'd laugh about it. But I was really serious.
"I think he really sees himself as a running back who can play some wide receiver."
As an elite prospect at Dublin (Ohio) Coffman High School, Drennen was ranked the No. 10 all-purpose back in the country after rushing for 801 yards and catching 30 passes for 464 yards during his junior season. Injuries disrupted his senior year, but he still drew more than 40 scholarship offers and ultimately chose the Cats over programs like Southern Cal, Ohio State, Michigan, and Notre Dame.
Settle said he initially took his idea to UK receivers coach Jovon Bouknight and then on to recruiting coordinator and Ohio guru Vince Marrow before making the pitch to head coach Mark Stoops.
"I really see it, and I think he's going to be able to help us in what we're doing with this offense," Settle said.
Liam Coen, the new offensive coordinator for the Wildcats, is implementing the system that learned as an assistant coach with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams. It features far greater use of the backs as receiving targets than the offense of his predecessor, Eddie Gran.
The Rams' backs were targeted 71 times last season; Kentucky's backs caught only 16 passes in 2020.
Fans and media who got a sneak peek at the Cats' new offense during the open "Fan Day" practice, will assume that figure will grow substantially this year, and Drennen could be a big part of the change.
“In this scheme, in the things we want to do, it’s really important to have a stable of guys," Settle said. "... I believe that Chris Rodriguez, a lot of people are just used to seeing him run between the tackles -- inside runs and bounce off people -- but now he has the experience to spread out and run routes, not just a go route, but different routes in the route tree.
"Then to have 4-5 guys that can back him up and do the same thing, some guys who may be a little quicker, twitchier, that type of thing, so I think it will help keep defenses honest."
Coen and Settle also pointed to McClain as a similar weapon on Tuesday. Coen said Drennen's fellow Ohio native had an "extremely high football IQ," while Settle noted that he was a "natural receiver."
"What we want to do with JuTahn and Mike Drennen is get those guys in space," Settle said. "Speed in space, catching the ball, it helps us keep pressure on the defense and makes them defend the whole field."
