Brad White isn't forcing Grant Godfrey into one position

Grant Godfrey was one of the most highly-anticipated additions to Kentucky’s 2023 recruiting class. Now that Brad White finally has him on campus, the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator is urging the true freshman to learn as much as possible now, in order to potentially player multiple positions in the future.

A four-star talent from Suwanee, Ga., On3 ranked the 6-foot-3, 227-pound athlete as the No. 31 linebacker in America. As the No. 333 overall prospect in the country, Godfrey was the second-highest ranked prospect in the Cats’ high school class, trailing only WR Shamar Porter.

High recruiting rankings are accompanied by high expectations. That’s just how this works.

When KSR turned on the tape, the Jamin Davis comps were unavoidable. Godfrey is a rangy athlete that plays well in space and isn’t afraid to split wood. However, once the class officially put pen to paper, Mark Stoops pumped the brakes ever so slightly. Rather than compare him to a former first round draft pick, the head coach said Godfrey may play either inside or outside linebacker. So what position is Grant Godfrey going to play?

“He is a guy that I think can play either. What I want him focused on is big picture understanding. Understand the defense, understand how to play fast, understand how to strike and separate. To pin a freshman into a position for the rest of his career right now, I think it’s silly,” Kentucky’s defensive coordinator said Thursday afternoon.

The logic makes sense. Why create barriers and pigeonhole him into one position before learning what he’s capable of? However, without a specific position, it’s clear Kentucky is not grooming him to play this fall. Similar to Davis’ slow development, White and his coaching staff are taking baby steps with Grant Godfrey to create a solid foundation that’s built on proper fundamentals.

“Hey, listen, you gotta have a place where he can sort of anchor through camp, right? But understand what we’re trying to get done schematically, and understand what you have to do from a physical standpoint.

“At the end of the day, our Sam outside linebackers, our Mikes and Wills (inside linebackers), you gotta be able to play in space. You got to make space tackles, you got to be able to win a one-on-one, you got to be able to pass rush, whether it’s against a tackle or a back or a tight end. The skillset is very similar in that regard, so just learn how to be successful within the play-call that we set on that down and, we’ll figure it out later for him.”

It may take him a lot longer to figure it out, but once he does, there’s a lot to like about this talented young athlete.