Don't sleep on K.D. McDaniel
When you think about the future of Kentucky's defense, K.D. McDaniel might not yet come to mind.
There's a good chance that will change after this year.
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If you've listened closely, or talked to anyone around the program, there's a good chance that you've heard a bit of buzz regarding the redshirt freshman from Georgia.
While McDaniel appears to be behind older teammates Boogie Watson and Jordan Wright on this year's depth chart, playing opposite J.J. Weaver, there should be an opportunity for him to make an impact.
"K.D. is that really twitchy, athletic edge rush guy with a good body," UK defensive coordinator Brad White told Cats Illustrated. "When he turns an edge he can really dip. He can flatten."
While McDaniel was a three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, it has always seemed as though Kentucky's coaches had him even higher on its recruiting board than that ranking might indicate some other times.
He hasn't been a revelation since arriving in Lexington. McDaniel was identified and coveted early by UK's coaches.
"You saw him coming out of high school," White said. "You saw how violent he could play at the top of the pocket. That's his game."
UK feels so good about McDaniel and Weaver that the coaches were comfortable moving starting outside linebacker Josh Paschal to defensive line to help generate more of a pass rush up front.
"If you look at the snaps that Weaver and K.D. gave us last year, that obviously leaves us really optimistic about those positions and the depth there," White said.
So what can McDaniel do to gain even more of the staff's trust and start to log more snaps, perhaps keeping Watson fresh during his senior year?
"The thing with K.D. from a development standpoint is we've got him out there to the field backing up Boog, so it's just taking some time because he's had to play out in space more than he did in high school. But he's really starting to pick it up," White said.
"He's somebody that we're still really bullish on going into the future and we're looking forward to getting him some quality reps."
