Perhaps no Kentucky football player in recent memory has had more of a rocky ride, more ups and downs than Josh Paschal.

The man in the No. 4 jersey has a story that Kentucky fans know well. But we're not close to the final chapter.

With two years of eligibility remaining Paschal's best days could be ahead.

Background: Paschal was a huge recruiting win for Vince Marrow, who up to that point had mostly been known for his work in the Buckeye State. He pulled Paschal out of Good Counsel in Olney, Md., in spite of Kentucky not being one of the player's top seven schools just the summer prior to his signing.

Paschal flashed immense potential as a true freshman playing on the defensive line, with his explosiveness really showing up on third downs in obvious passing situations. But then there was the revelation that Paschal had cancer, and treatment became the focus of his life and put football on the backburner.

He came back for all of last season and was a starter at outside linebacker, serving as a quality player for the UK defense. Now the coaching staff has allowed him to put on more weight and move back up to the defensive line.

The former four-star prospect has already made a big contribution to the program. The question now is whether he can become a true star in the SEC.

2020 Outlook: Paschal should be a starter on Kentucky's defensive front alongside Quinton Bohanna and perhaps Phil Hoskins. There will be a fairly deep rotation so he won't need to play more snaps than he's comfortable with -- and playing in the trenches full-time will be an adjustment for someone who was at outside linebacker last year.

The fact that Paschal has played up front in his collegiate history bodes well. It means he has some idea of what will be required physically and he's also more up to speed on the scheme than he otherwise might be.

As a freshman, Paschal was explosive and very disruptive when he pinned his ears back to get after the quarterback. This spring Brad White and defensive coaches said they noticed he was looking like that explosive player from early in his career at Kentucky.

Replacing Calvin Taylor's pass rushing prowess from the defensive line will not be easy but it will be essential to helping UK build its best possible defense. The less UK has to blitz, the better it will be on the back end. Paschal will have a lot to say about that. He was stout against the run last year and should be serviceable in that respect even as he moves up to the first level of the defense.