DEPTH PERCEPTION: Biggest takeaways from UK's preseason depth chart
On Sunday, Kentucky's football program released its preseason depth chart with SEC Media Days getting started this week.
CatsIllustrated.com publisher Justin Rowland (@RowlandRIVALS) breaks down the significance of the depth chart and we can take from it.
QUARTERBACK PECKING ORDER
The first thing that jumps out about 2017's inaugural depth chart is the way the quarterbacks are listed. Stephen Johnson is the starter with Drew Barker and Gunnar Hoak sharing the "OR" label in an apparent battle for the second string spot. That shouldn't catch anyone off guard as the widespread speculation has been that the job is Johnson's to lose.
That consensus probably reflects reality, as its very difficult to see Mark Stoops not going with the guy who got him seven wins after the awful start to last season. If he were to start another quarterback against Southern Miss in the opener, and that game were to end in a loss for Kentucky, what would the popular outcry be for not going with Johnson? Conversely, if Stoops starts Johnson and the game goes poorly it would be much easier to understand, and justify, the coach going with the guy who played the last 11 games of the previous season.
It's interesting that Barker and Hoak are listed, effectively, as side-by-sides with neither ahead of the other. But that's not especially surprising either. The "OR" is sometimes helpful when a position battle hasn't found resolution, but it's also a convenient way of avoiding an uncomfortable decision.
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Barker didn't lose his job last year. He was injured. Stoops is apparently intent on giving him the opportunity to work his way back up the depth chart (having said, earlier, that he wants a real competition), but Barker is apparently going to have to really earn every step back up that ladder.
The most likely scenario is that Johnson enters fall camp as the very heavy favorite to hold onto the starting job at the end of the season, but even as the heavy favorite to start the season behind center his leash certainly won't be unlimited.
Hoak's spring game performance was impressive and sharing the two line puts him in the conversation to viably compete for the job if Johnson struggles mightily or goes down in fall camp or early in the year.
The big positive from all of this (and absent any discernible discontentment the positives outweigh any negatives) is that Kentucky is approaching the 2017 season with enviable quarterback depth. None of the quarterbacks have proven so much that you could point to one and feel 100-percent great, because there are warts, but there are three players the staff feels like they can win with. And last year Darin Hinshaw proved that he can successfully work with a backup plan.
OTHER POSITION BATTLES
We'll just go right down the line with the remaining "OR's" on the depth chart...
— Second string running back (Sihiem King/A.J. Rose): Again, it's not surprising at all to see King and Rose listed as locked in an ongoing battle. This is where the spring ended and it's where we expected to be. King played very well against Tennessee and is more experienced both in terms of college time and on-field, in-game reps. But Rose is the bigger back and before he went out of the spring game he had the most explosive run in the game. He passes the eye test. Last year he didn't have a firm grasp on the playbook and that bolsters any case for King as the backup. There's no problem going into a season with a battle here and either the hot hand will emerge game-by-game or more permanently over the season. Ball security, blocking, pass catching and other factors will shape this battle. Benny Snell will be logging more carries this season as well, so don't expect the carries to be so evenly distributed between a 1A/1B as we saw last year with Snell and Boom.
— First string right tackle (Kyle Meadows/George Asafo-Adjei). We heard some good things about Asafo-Adjei, a guard/tackle hybrid and interchangeable piece, during spring camp. Consistency has always been the buzzword for Asafo-Adjei, who has undeniable attributes (size, athleticism, mauler ability). The "OR" here is probably a testament to the strides the coaches have seen from him and it shouldn't be taken as a negative evaluation of Meadows, because by this point you know what Kentucky's got in him -- a pretty athletic if lean, very experienced starter and glue guy. The really good news is the most likely scenario for 2017 at tackle (Cole Mosier at LT, Meadows at RT) should lead into a very seamless transition to the 2018 front line (Landon Young at LT, Asafo-Adjei at RT).
— Second string defensive end/OLB (Boogie Watson/Jaylin Bannerman). This is actually a very intriguing position battle because it pits a couple of very young, talented players who lack experience against one another. We know that Bannerman impressed the coaches during his redshirt season via sources. His developed, refined lower body gives him explosive power to go with his range and closing speed, which were coveted attributes when he was in high school. Then there's Watson, who was undervalued as a recruit with excellent athleticism (one of our surprise picks of the 2016 class at the time). And most impressively, he had a dominant spring game with several sacks in a performance that was reminiscent of Denzil Ware's the previous year. If Kentucky is blessed with depth at OT (see: above) complemented by a seamless transition looming, their depth and combination of current star power and youth is just as impressive at the strongside linebacker and DE/OLB spots. Josh Allen and Denzil Ware have their spots on lock, but between Watson, Bannerman and Jordan Bonner, the future looks very bright, too.
— Second string cornerback (Lonnie Johnson/Kei Beckham). If you were expecting JUCO transfer Lonnie Johnson to step right into a starting spot, think again. He was recruited to play right away, but in this era Kentucky's got improved secondary depth and both Johnson and Beckham are behind Derrick Baity (who like Allen and Ware, along with Chris Westry, likely has a starting spot on lock for the next two years). Baity is going to play the lion's share of the snaps here barring injury because he was one of the SEC's best corners last year. Fortunately, we've heard about how Johnson is capable of playing multiple positions in the secondary. If he has a strong camp we might be talking about the staff just finding a place to put him to get him on the field, even if not as a starter.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
— There's only one nickelback listed. Not surprisingly, Kendall Randolph is listed as the starter. The senior has extensive game experience dating back to his freshman season in Lexington. But no one is listed behind him. He'll be expected to play the great majority of the snaps there, and there won't always be a nickel on the field. Still, one has to wonder who the second guy at this spot might be. Tobias Gilliam? Someone else? This makes it clear that 2018 JUCO commit Domonique Williams has been recruited with a prime opportunity to compete for a starting spot, because the staff likes him as a nickel.
— If you think Kentucky's experienced now, wait 'til next year ... on defense. Kentucky returns a ton of defensive production with some of the leading SEC tacklers and playmakers in the likes of Mike Edwards, Jordan Jones, Courtney Love, Allen, Ware and Baity. But let's assume every underclassman returns again in 2018. Imagine the experience of that team. Kentucky returns roughly nine defensive starters in 2017, and nine of these projected starters are expected to return in 2018. You'd be talking about one of the most experienced Kentucky defenses of the modern era at least. Of course, there's no guarantee everyone returns, because Edwards is likely to get some NFL looks and transfers/injuries are a possibility.
— The best depth in a long time. If you look across the depth chart, position by position, it appears to be one of the deepest Kentucky teams in a very long time. That's not to say the team is without weaknesses or that depth is ideal everywhere. Ideally, Kentucky would have a second proven running back and a little better depth in the backfield. Kentucky would have better proven depth at nose guard and at defensive end. But at almost every other position it wouldn't be crippling if a front line starter went down with an injury. There would be a drop off but that's true of starters/backups everywhere. From quarterback to tight end, from the offensive line to linebacker and the secondary, there's plenty of reason for optimism on the depth issue.
— Grant McKinniss as the starter and only listed punter. Where does that leave incoming Columbia transfer Matthew Panton? It's just not surprising to see him not listed. He wasn't around for spring camp and the coaches aren't going to put him on the depth chart, not even right behind McKinniss, until he goes through camp and they know what they're working with.
— Interesting backups at LG/C/RG. It should come as no surprise that Kentucky's starters across the middle of the offensive line are Logan Stenberg, Jervontius Stallings and Nick Haynes. That much was all but a given. The backup situation is interesting (though not shocking), because Kentucky had some options here in terms of combinations and listings. Luke Fortner is Stenberg's backup at LG and we've heard sources rave about his intelligence and versatility. He could probably play several different spots on the line in a pinch, which really helps the rotation and depth situation. Drake Jackson, not surprisingly, is the backup center, although the staff has worked out Fortner and Haynes there, too. And former tackle Mason Wolfe is the backup right guard. Noticeably absent is former JUCO transfer Tate Leavitt, who has worked at guard and tackle.
