Round Table: Breakout offensive player for UK football in 2017
Benny Snell broke out last year. Does Kentucky's offense has a star in waiting with the 2017 season approaching?
The CatsIllustrated.com staff shares opinions on who might be in line for a big boost in production in the 2017 season on the offensive side.
T.J. Walker, Basketball Recruiting Analyst: We know Benny Snell is going to have a big year but the breakout star will be wide receiver Tavin Richardson. As a redshirt freshman he didn't have eye-popping stats but made several big catches and when you match his size with his hands, expect good things to happen in 2017.
As a whole I think UK receivers are underrated. Losing Jeff Badet hurt but Garrett Johnson and Dorian Baker have proven they have big catch ability. We know C.J. Conrad gets the job done at tight end and he's due for a big season, but watch the way Richardson excels this year. He will be the receiver fans are most excited about in 2018 because of what he shows this year.
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Derek Terry, Staff Writer: The breakout player on UK's offense this season will be Clevan Thomas. Thomas has firmly put himself in position to contribute as a freshman. He's impressed since arriving on campus in the spring and has continued that through the summer and start of fall camp.
Justin Rowland, Publisher: You could go a number of directions here and make a strong case, and you've got to explain what you mean by "breakout," but I'll go with C.J. Conrad. Yes, he's already regarded as one of the better tight ends in the SEC, or at least as a solid, SEC-level starter. But I think his numbers could be in line for a big increase given how close he was to seeing much bigger numbers last year.
At media day he spoke with CatsIllustrated.com about how more time in the same offense with the same coaches and Stephen Johnson gives him confidence that some of those close calls will become catches in 2017, and he's also confident that his role in the offense will be expanded. While everyone's looking at wide receivers (and Lynn Bowden) for how the offense might replace Jeff Badet, Conrad could add a big missing component in the passing game: Regular tight end targets and big catches all over the field. We know he's going to block well.