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BigBlueDawg12 said...
With the additions of Za'darius Smith and Jaleel Hytchye, Stoops and his staff have started the talent injection off on a good footing. I fully expect Smith's teammates Jarran Reed and Lauren Jackson to join him here at UK. One advantage with signing JUCO players is they get to enroll early, be here for spring practice..get more comfortable with thier assignments than a typical prep recruit who has to wait untill late summer to report.
Stoops likes to rotate his D-Linemen, keep them fresh. THis will force Cobble, Rumph, and the other current players to up thier game..they will now have competition for snaps. If we land a couple more highly talented DL recruits..I think our defense could surprise some people next year. From a depth standpoint, Linebacker would seem to be the weakest link on our defense going into next season. I think Eliot will find a way to get the most from guys like Simpson, Forrest, McDuffen..and Pancho Thomas and Khalid Henderson. Forrest and Simpson could develop into two very athletic and productive will backers. Both have a good blend of size and speed. Forrest at 6'3 230 and Simpson about the same at 6'2 225ish. I really think Josh Forrest will become a star under Eliot's coaching...the new staff brings a lot of fire and confidence with them, and we should see a huge difference next year in terms of excitement. A welcome change to the rather meek UK teams under Joker..I think Joker was too relaxed, too cool..you have to be pumped up and have some swagger about you in football. I dont expect a top 10 defense or anything..but a noticable improvement and a D that allows in the 22-24 point per game range.
D-Line looks much better with the addition of Z.Smith at DE. Huguenin,Graffree,Newton,Douglass,Bell..possibly Dupree and Paschal will be the others to vie for playing time. Huguenin could blossom under Brumbaugh and Eliot..has the tools..just needs the motivation and know how. Graffree could be a interesting piece of the puzzle at DL. 6'4 270ish quick, strong, Should be able to hold up at the LOS. Could be a siutational type player starting out..playing in the jumbo sets to stuff the run. I think Alvonte Bell could be a huge add if he recovers 100% from his injury. 6'6 250ish with long arms and good quickness. Stoops will get the most out of our db's. I think we have some really good young players in our secondary..they are in need of some good coaching and motivation. Harmon,Quinn,Tiller all looked like capable SEC corners late in the season. Daron Blaylock has all the physical tools to be an athletic and punishing SS. Twin Zach could wind up being even better. Lowery and Faulkner will be better under the new staff, as will the rest of the holdovers and incoming kids like McClain and Hytchye. Overall, I think there is reason for optimism when it comes to our defense in 2013!
This post was edited by MossCat15 on 1/8/2013 at 3:30 PM
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MossCat15 said...
The hype machine that is BigBlueDawg strikes again...lol. Just kidding man.
Reed is a good possibility, but not sure Jackson even has an offer at this point. I do agree that our defense will improve, hell we have nowhere to go but up. Just keep in mind that this team was 2-10 and the defense was a big part of that. Forrest, Thomas, and Henderson are all guys who could have bright futures. As for Simpson, I am skeptical of his ability to cover like 4-3 OLBs need to be able to do.
Dupree will not "possibly" be vying for playing time, that guy will start. He has produced on a high level in the SEC, Smith has not. It will be interesting to see if CMS finds a way to get them on the field together, as they both are built for the same position (WSDE).
Our schedule is BRUTAL in 2013, so even with an improved defense, I think 2014 is a year for optimism. 2013, is a year to temper expectations and just look for competitive spirit. I just want to see us not get blown out and give up like we did multiple times this past year.
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scalf said...
I wonder if we will see Dupree used like Johnny Williams his last year where his main position was OLB but put his hand on the ground in passing situations on 3rd down.
I love BBD12's enthusiasm...it's soooooo much better than the negativity spewed other places. However, I don't like reading results based speculation, ESPECIALLY presented as fact. I'm prolly in the minority but I come here mainly for facts and a little discussion...but discussion that is grounded in facts. Basically, what I'm saying is so many people present their opinion as fact (Brumbaugh will have our DLine playing great) when in reality they have no clue...and this stuff clouds the information(its hard enough as it is to find good info). I'm alsways trying to get an accurate gauge on an individual, coach, position, our team and this sort of stuff murks the water so to speak.
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2013 Defense.