PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Boogie Watson

All offseason long, from now through the spring, summer, and even into fall camp, Cats Illustrated will be shining the spotlight on all the players who should be key contributors on next year's UK football team.

We've already spotlighted a number of returning Wildcats, and we can't go too far along that process before getting to rising senior outside linebacker Boogie Watson.

The former two-star recruit started for the first time in 2019 and had what many would imagine to be the unenviable task of replacing Josh Allen, the school's single-season and all-time sack leader, the National Defensive Player of the Year, and the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Before 2019, Watson had already garnered a fair amount of playing time and had seemed to perform well enough in a backup role.

But last year was Watson's true breakout campaign. He played 651 snaps, including 112 on special teams units. As Kentucky did with Allen, defensively Watson was lined up in a variety of spots on the field and he was charged with rushing the passer, playing the run, and dropping into coverage.

So how did he fare?

For an above average defense that ranked in or around the Top-25 nationally in many categories, Watson was the highest-graded player according to PFF. His season grade from the network was 81.5, more than three full points higher than the next best grade on the defense.

For context, that would have graded second only to Josh Allen on UK's stellar 2018 defense. And while Watson graded out at 81.5 as a junior, Allen was only 77.5 as a junior.

That's not to say that we should expect Watson to turn into the No. 7 pick in the draft. But he has realistic NFL aspirations after his 36 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 11.5 tackles for loss in 2019.

According to PFF, Watson was an average tackler (54.3), above average defending the run (66.4), very good in coverage for a linebacker (76.2), and outstanding rushing the quarterback (89.5).

He posted consecutive games with a 90-plus pass rush grade, against South Carolina and Arkansas.

In addition to his 6.5 sacks, PFF credited Watson with 28 total hurries and four hits on the quarterback. He was recognized as having four hurries in the Belk Bowl and eight in UK's final three games.

Coverage is an area where Watson can improve in terms of completions allowed (13/14) but the silver lining there is those 13 completions only went for 78 yards, and he allowed two yards after the catch in Kentucky's final eight games.

After Allen and Bud Dupree, Watson in 2019 was Kentucky's next best stand-up edge defender in the Mark Stoops era. And with a year of eligibility and strength training remaining, there's reason to believe his ceiling is to contend for the SEC's lead in sacks next season. He and Calvin Taylor formed the SEC's top duo for sacks last season.

Watson came on strong at the end of the season for Kentucky. While the starters didn't have to play all that much in UK's final regular season games, Watson still had five tackles for loss and three sacks over UK's last three games, against UT-Martin, Louisville, and Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl.

The numbers show something that few have probably recognized: By the end of last season, Watson was one of the better pass rushers in the SEC and maybe in college football, and in the nation's premier conference he could be one of the nation's best defensive players as a senior.

Kentucky didn't have a "no-name" defense in 2018, but it's true that the unit was more about a collective effort than one or two spectacular players. That's a good thing, as it speaks to the program's depth. But Watson seems to have the makings of a player that Kentucky can build around and expect to receive a consistent rush from.