Kentucky's dark horse All-SEC candidates in 2017
At the end of SEC Media Days the conference's preseason All-SEC teams were released.
It didn't mean much. In fact, it's only a projection that amounts to an acknowledgement of a general public consensus, not rooted in what's happened on the field in 2017 but more about hype and what's happened in the past.
Denzil Ware was a second team All-SEC pick while Jordan Jones and Mike Edwards were selected to the league's third team.
CatsIllustrated.com takes a look at some other players not on those preseason all-league lists who could be dark horse candidates to earn postseason honors.
Benny Snell, sophomore running back. Was Snell snubbed? Or was his omission perhaps the best evidence of just how strong the SEC is, especially in terms of running back talent? Here's one of the SEC's leading rushers from last year who's set to shoulder a much heavier load, with a knack for scoring in goal line situations and the durability to take a ton of carries behind a massive offensive line. It shouldn't surprise anyone if Snell puts up monster numbers in 2017 and if he does he'll move from dark horse to duly honored.
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C.J. Conrad, junior tight end. Pro Football Focus' research tells them that Conrad is the third-best returning tight end in the country in terms of how he graded out in 2016. He probably won't be given the credit he deserves for his skill and consistency as a blocker (that tends not to garner accolades as much as catching and scoring), but the reason to be bullish on Conrad's all-league potential is just how close he was to huge numbers last year.
Nick Haynes, senior offensive guard. Haynes was arguably one of the SEC's better interior offensive linemen last year, helping to pave the way for one of the nation's most dominant ground games by blowing open holes and blowing opponents off the ball. If Benny Snell puts up huge numbers and the Kentucky ground game continues to excel, Haynes will get a lot more recognition as a senior who's already well-regarded.
Jervontius Stallings, junior center. You could argue that Stallings had his breakout season last year, when he often graded out as one of Kentucky's better interior offensive linemen and became part of an effective rotation and one of the SEC's better line units. As he slides to center and takes over Jon Toth's position, Stallings is going to be in the spotlight.
Landon Young, sophomore offensive tackle. He's not even starting, so in that respect this choice would seem to be curious. However, there's a reason Young is listed, even as Kentucky's second-string offensive tackle. Cole Mosier and Kyle Meadows are Kentucky's starting tackles for a reason. They've earned those spots. In some respects, in the case of both players, Mark Stoops and John Schlarman know what they're going to get. Young's the player with tremendous upside who's expected to develop into a star. Since he didn't benefit from an extra semester last year, it's fair to wonder whether he has the potential to explode onto the scene with a lot more seasoning this year.
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Josh Allen, junior linebacker. Ware and Jones are already on the list so Kentucky's linebackers were well-represented on the preseason all-conference team. Allen isn't on one of the preseason teams but he's a starter, so you know he's going to get plenty of opportunities to rack up stats, and he's already proven he's capable of being a disruptive pass rusher. Allen's numbers last year (62 tackles, 7 sacks, 8.5 TFL, 4 forced fumbles) were impressive and if he can build on that then he's definitely a dark horse all-league candidate.
Derrick Baity and/or Chris Westry, junior cornerbacks. It might be unfair to slot either of these players under "dark horse" because truthfully it probably wouldn't shock many SEC observers if either of these players had a strong enough season to garner some level of All-SEC accolades after the year. Westry was one of the better tacklers among SEC defensive backs last year while Baity could be more likely to garner all-league recognition because of his penchant for picking off or breaking up passes.
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Austin MacGinnis, senior placekicker. It might be a little curious that MacGinnis wasn't an All-SEC selection. After all, he's probably the best kicker in the history of Kentucky's football program with both impressive power on field goals, excellent accuracy, a clutch gene and usefulness on kickoffs. He has impressive experience and had two game-winners last season, so if MacGinnis continues putting the ball through the uprights at the rate he has, historically, and gets some clutch opportunities, he could easily find himself on all-conference teams.
