Kentucky had one of the better defenses in the Southeastern Conference over the previous two seasons and linebacker DeAndre Square was a reason for that both times.
Now a junior, Square is one of the most experienced players on Kentucky's defense and he's assuming more of a leadership role, in addition to playing lots of snaps.
Background: Nowadays it's common to hear about Kentucky's recruiting success in the state of Michigan. That dates back to the 2018 class when the Wildcats landed Square and line recruit Marquan McCall from the state. Square had visited and camped at Kentucky and was familiar with the 'Cats, although there was speculation about Michigan State and some wondered whether it was realistic for UK to win him over. Not long after that Square did pick Kentucky. He was regarded as one of the top-10 recruits in Michigan at that time and finished the process as a near four-star prospect. He was an integral contributor for Cass Tech, the top talent-producing program in the state of Michigan.
During Square's true freshman season he was a backup at inside linebacker while Kash Daniel and Jordan Jones started for the 'Cats, but he played valuable snaps. Last season he was one of Kentucky's top defensive performers finishing the year with 69 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three hurries, a pass breakup, an interception, and a forced fumble.
At 6'1 and 217, Square is still regarded as something of an undersized Will linebacker but he's more built than he was upon arrival in Lexington, and even that didn't keep him off the field as a true freshman.
2020 Outlook: For weeks Cats Illustrated was reporting that it was likely Kentucky would crosstrain and rotate Square with Jamin Davis and Chris Oats between the two inside linebacker positions. Oats' unexpected health issue has changed the situation and will put more of a strain on Square and Davis, as they may need to play more snaps. Staying healthy will be paramount for Kentucky. He is one of UK's most indispensable players.
While Square might have seen a few snaps at Mike, now it's very likely he will see almost all his time at Will with Davis at Mike.
One of the things Jon Sumrall said he wanted for Square, when Cats Illustrated interviewed him earlier this offseason, was to keep him fresh and spare him the wear and tear of too many snaps. The obvious question now is whether Marquez Bembry and/or Jared Casey are prepared to give him that rest.
But in terms of Square himself, he appears ready to become one of the SEC's better inside linebackers and should contend for UK's lead in total tackles.