Advertisement
football Edit

UK Football Over/Unders: Interceptions for Cats' Corners

Carrington Valentine picked off a pass during spring practice.
Carrington Valentine picked off a pass during spring practice. (Jacob Noger/UK Athletics)

In this edition of Cats Illustrated's "UK Football Over/Unders," our staff ponders how many interceptions will come from the Cats' cornerbacks during the 2021 regular season after seeing two players -- Kelvin Joseph and Brandin Echols -- move on to the NFL ranks. The O/U is set at 4.5 ... 

JUSTIN ROWLAND:

UNDER. Kelvin Joseph had four picks by himself last season. All of the other corners on the roster had one, courtesy of Brandin Echols. In 2019, the only corner to pick off a pass was Jordan Griffin, and he wasn't exactly a pure corner. During the 2018 season, UK's corners had two picks between Lonnie Johnson and Derrick Baity. I just don't think the "keep everything in front" approach lends itself to a lot of interceptions by the cornerbacks. I think there's real talent and some solid depth at corner this year, but I'll have to take the under. This isn't a team that has a great pass rush on paper, so they'll probably play fairly conservative. I do think safeties and linebackers could chip in to produce picks and turnovers at a good enough clip but that's pretty unpredictable.

JEFF DRUMMOND:

OVER. Justin lays out a strong case for the under, but I'm going to play the eternal optimist here. If nothing else, the UK corners are due for a few more picks than they've recorded in recent years. Sometimes that comes down to the system being played, and sometimes it can be a matter of good fortune. The linebackers have been the big beneficiary of that in recent years. But Kentucky's guys under Mark Stoops' direction have generally always been in a position to make some plays on the ball. The Cats have a potential star in the making in sophomore Carrington Valentine, while veterans Cedric Dort and Quandre Mosely bring a lot of experience to the table. I think these guys will be driven to make sure the productivity doesn't fall off after the departure of Joseph and Echols. Joel Williams and Andru Phillips are also couple of young guys who may be ready to rise and make some impact plays. Between that crew, I say the Cats come up with at least five picks in 12 games.

Advertisement