While Kentucky breaks in a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback it stands to reason that the team will lean heavily on Chris Rodriguez.
He's one of the top returning running backs in the Southeastern Conference, which is another way of saying he's one of the top returning backs in all of college football.
It seems like only yesterday when Rodriguez was in a logjam in the backfield along with AJ Rose and Kavosiey Smoke.
With Rose moving on from Kentucky, Smoke's durability questions persisting, and Rodriguez asserting himself in a big way, the Cats' backfield situation is as clear cut as it gets at the top of the depth chart.
Rodriguez has demonstrated he can carry a big load when called upon to do so, and he logged more than 40 snaps in three of Kentucky's 11 games last year.
We knew that Rodriguez was a strong runner even after a relatively limited 2019 sample size. He did nothing to call that into question, posting a PFF rushing grade of 91.6 last year. Rodriguez's 91.6 rush grade was 8th-best in college football and best in the SEC among players with more than 100 attempts. His overall 92.4 mark was 4th best in the nation.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of his performance? The 83.0 pass protection grade. He was charged with allowing only one hit on the quarterback all season.
The drawback to Rodriguez is that he is not a threat in the passing game. While he is evidently a strong blocker, he has not demonstrated he can get in the flat or out on routes and developing that part of his game will be important for the UK offense and also if he wants a future in the NFL.
Rodriguez has demonstrated more breakaway speed at the college level than some might have suspected he had, but there's still room to improve here. He had a dozen runs of 15+ yards last year, which is good, but slightly below average compared to his peers at the top of the national rushing charts as a percentage of carries last year.
Who gets carries after Rodriguez?
As long as Smoke is healthy he's likely to serve as Kentucky's RB2 or a change of pace back. He could be a situational third down back as well because he's probably a better receiving option than Rodriguez will ever be, even if he improves in that area this offseason.
What Smoke offers as a receiver and a game breaker is balanced out by the fact that he doesn't move the pile nearly as much as Rodriguez. Smoke averaged just 2.17 yards after contact last year, compared to 3.93 for Rodriguez. Those hidden yards add up in a big way over the course of a game.
With Rose out of the equation, it's very likely that either Travis Tisdale, JuTahn McClain, or true freshman La'Vell Wright will have an opportunity to make a real impact for the first time. Tisdale is the oldest of the three and has been in the program for the longest but a new coordinator and position coach wipes the slate clean for all three. It's a positive that Wright is in for spring ball.
Another big question is who will be coaching the position. Kentucky had hired former Bengals assistant coach Jemal Singleton to coach the running backs but a quick about face has him in the NFL as associate head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Not many would fault Singleton for accepting that coveted opportunity but it does leave Kentucky without a running backs coach.
The good news is Singleton's departure came at a point in time when it minimized the impact on Kentucky. It didn't impact UK's recruiting, and it was before spring practice.
It stands to reason that Mark Stoops could make a decision in the relatively near future. More than a week ago Cats Illustrated sources indicated that UK was taking its time in filling the spot, which makes sense after the last hire didn't work out. But there are obvious benefits to having a position coach working with the unit during spring practice.
It will be interesting to see if Kentucky will continue to incorporate the Wildcat formation into the offense. That became a common thing during the Eddie Gran era and Mark Stoops is obviously a fan of it for short-yardage situations.
Another question for the offense is how much running outside zone out of the shotgun will impact results, as new offensive coordinator Liam Coen has indicated he may not implement much under center work. On the flip side, if Rodriguez and the other backs can thrive once the outside zone is establish, hitting the defense up the middle could create more big plays in the run game. There could be some cutback opportunities opened up by the change in philosophy.
Of course, a lot of the success of the backs will be determined by the play of the offensive line. While there's plenty of talent there, Kentucky also has a new coach, some new personnel, and two big replacements, plus the new scheme. UK was very good at racking up yards before contact last year so that's something to watch. Fortunately, Eric Wolford's South Carolina line helped produce more yards before contact than any group in the nation. That's a positive sign.
