Roster Rundown: No. 27 Joel Williams

It might be a lot to expect a true freshman defensive back to break into Kentucky's playing rotation in 2020, but if anyone can then Joel Williams might have the credentials to be someone we're looking out for.

Background: Joel Williams hailed from LSU's backyard, right in the Tigers' hometown of Baton Rouge, and as a defensive back he was bound to get a look from the program that has arguably been "DBU" at the collegiate level. He went on to verbally commit to Florida, another school that could contend for that honored title, before reopening his recruitment. At the time he opened things back up it seemed like Alabama was a strong contender for Williams. But as time went on Kentucky stuck around and was able to pull him out of the state.

Williams was a four-star prospect for most of the recruiting process but was dropped to three stars in the last batch of ranking revisions.

The coaches talked Williams up in the spring as an early enrollee.

2020 Outlook: Williams was recruited and listed as a safety and that's a position where the 'Cats have a lot of experienced depth going into the 2020 season. Arriving a semester early after a December high school graduation allowed Williams to get five practices under his belt, so the coaches at least know what they are working with. But the cancellation of the remainder of practices limited the good that might have been achieved by that decision.

Williams could benefit from the four-game redshirt rule but he's likely to slide into a special teams, spot duty role until the program's rising juniors and seniors currently at safety have moved on.