OFFSEASON QUESTIONS: Tight End
Cats Illustrated continues to pose the big questions about Kentucky football looking ahead to the 2020 season.
Here are the things we're wondering about the tight end position.
C.J. Conrad manned the spot for four years. Justin Rigg and a cast of younger players took over in 2019.
Can Justin Rigg become one of the SEC's better tight ends? ... Rigg saw the overwhelming majority of the snaps at the position as he took over full-time following C.J. Conrad's departure after the 2018 season. That was expected given Rigg's experience and the quality of his play before that. He will go into his redshirt senior season as the unquestioned starter and as a very experienced player. He had a solid 2019 season almost exclusively as a blocker. That blocking experience will probably serve him well moving forward even as he takes on a more balanced role in the offense with the return of a passing quarterback.
Will Keaton Upshaw become a weapon in the passing game? ... Upshaw emerged as Kentucky's No. 2 tight end during the 2019 season. When he was recruited and early in his Kentucky career it seemed obvious that his hybrid ability to create mismatches in the passing game was one of the reasons the UK staff liked him so much. Because of circumstances at the quarterback position, Upshaw wasn't able to showcase that in 2019. That could change in 2020. As Kentucky's offense makes a wholesale change back to normalcy Upshaw's athleticism could become a major factor for the first time.;
Will Nik Ognenovic and/or Brenden Bates push for playing time? ...
Who will be Kentucky's third string tight end? Rising redshirt sophomore Brenden Bates or rising redshirt freshman Nikolas Ognenovic? There's not a lot to analyze at this point as neither player has a long track record for the public to assess but with Rigg and Upshaw the apparent one and two on the depth chart, this will be an interesting battle that could factor into the offense if there's an injury.
What will be the involvement of the position in the passing game? ...
'This is a general question rather than specific to any individual player. Every offseason offensive coordinators add wrinkles to what they do with their unit. Two seasons ago there was more RPO action and the tight ends were a big part of that. For years Kentucky fans have clamored for the tight end to be targeted more in the passing game. Don't expect a huge change but even a slight change could prove significant.