How many freshmen will play for football Cats
Each day this week, Cats Illustrated is looking at a key question for Kentucky entering preseason football camp, which begins on Friday.
Today: How many true freshmen will play for the Wildcats?
Don't expect major contributions from too many true freshmen, but some of Kentucky's February signees will be thrust into action early.
It's not normally a good thing when true freshmen get on the field right away, but it happens to some extent at almost every program in the country. Whether coaches are putting their feet to the fire early and out of necessity, or whether some players are just too talented to keep off the field, true freshmen do see the field.
Some will at Kentucky this fall.
The most obvious candidate to play early is tight end C.J. Conrad. He's actually not a candidate to play early. He's a near lock to play right away. Given the lack of depth at tight end he will split duties with redshirt freshman Darryl Long, and it's likely that Conrad has the leg up and could start right away.
Conrad still has a long way to go but he's a fierce competitor and could be an instant upgrade in the passing game if he develops a rapport with Patrick Towles or whoever is behind center.
Another player the coaches have been very high on is George Asafo-Adjei, also from Ohio. It's rare for true freshmen on the offensive line to make an impact right away and it's rarely a good thing when they do. But Asafo-Adjei enrolled early and wowed the coaching staff with his athleticism and power. He looks the part of an SEC lineman right now and Mark Stoops himself has called Asafo-Adjei one of his best offensive linemen.
He may not start right away but Asafo-Adjei should see a significant number of snaps as a true freshman.
The other early enrollees are Kengera Daniel and Jordan Jones, so they would be obvious candidates to get on the field early. At least they would be more likely to play early because their learning curve is lessened by their early semester in Lexington.
Daniel is a physically mature defensive lineman and Kentucky will be looking for players to step up, so it wouldn't be a shock if he sneaks onto the field for some meaningful snaps at some point.
Given the lack of depth at running back it stands to reason that all-purpose back Sihiem King could factor into the equation in the backfield. The fact that he can get into the slot and make plays in space only adds to the likelihood of that happening.
At receiver Tavin Richardson is a big target that could work the middle of the field and he's more developed in terms of his body than a lot of incoming freshmen at receiver.