Early in Cats Illustrated's Roster Rundown series we've had the opportunity to touch on some of the most interesting players who will wear the blue and white this fall.

As we reach No. 9, Davonte Robinson, the intrigue continues.

Background: Nobody who was familiar with Davonte Robinson as a high school recruit from Lexington (Ky.) Henry Clay doubted his talent. He had explosive speed and the potential was obvious. Somehow, Kentucky was able to keep him under the radar during the recruiting process. Robinson didn't seem to do much to promote himself beyond UK and that worked out for the 'Cats when the time came for him to make a decision and later sign.

Robinson redshirted as a freshman but the fact that he worked his way onto the field for significant playing time during the 2018 season, in such a veteran and senior-laden secondary, was impressive. In fact, at times Robinson was one of the best players on a defense that was loaded with talent and had several future NFL players.

As everyone started to look ahead to the 2019 season Robinson was widely identified as a crucial player. The secondary would be almost entirely overhauled and given his experience in '18, Robinson was expected to play an essential role. He needed to become a true star, many believed.

But then came the crushing news that Robinson was injured and would miss his entire season. While Kentucky's secondary rebounded to post the second-best pass defense in college football, by some measurements, it could have been even better with Robinson.

2020 Outlook: Depending on Robinson's health, he could still bounce back as a starter in Kentucky's 2020 secondary. If the talent comes back to where it was, it will be hard to keep him off the field, even though Yusuf Corker and Quandre Mosely played at a fairly high level a year ago.

Coaches told Cats Illustrated in offseason interviews that Robinson's rehabilitation process was coming along well and that the COVID-19 shutdowns had not interrupted that process even with facilities closing or limiting their function.

In the next several weeks we'll start getting more reports on just how he's doing. There may be some rust to shake off. In a worst case scenario the comeback takes a little while but Robinson adds promise to the depth situation at safety, positions where UK has plenty of experienced and younger talent. In a best case scenario, he starts to round into one of the SEC's better safeties in a more dynamic, athletic secondary than UK had a year ago.