Dennious Jackson gives Kentucky Defensive Line Strength in Numbers

The strength of the Kentucky defense is in the trenches. That isn’t changing thanks to the late addition of JUCO defensive tackle Dennious Jackson. A 6-foot-5, 335-pound athlete from Georgia, Jackson’s arrival bolsters a stout defensive line that should be one of the best run-stopping units in the Southeastern Conference.

Kentucky is Enormous in the Middle

For a 3-4 defense to operate effectively, it needs big bodies in the middle of the defensive line to fill gaps. The trick is finding nose guards who have the size to take on multiple blockers against the run, and who are also explosive enough to push the pocket against the pass.

Keeshawn Silver showed during his debut season that he could match his lofty recruiting expectations. The former five-star recruit who started his career at North Carolina clocks in at 6-foot-4, 322 pounds. He started in 11 games last fall, tallying 17 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss. Jackson is bringing similar size to rotate in regularly with Silver this fall.

The Deone Walker Factor

Deone Walker has the size of a nose guard, but the 6-foot-6, 330-pounder moves like an agile defensive end. He’s more valuable in one-on-one situations than by eating blocks to free up others to make plays. That is why Kentucky needed to supplement its depth chart when Josaih Hayes was one of many defensive linemen injured in spring practice. Hayes will likely miss most of the season, if not all of it.

The addition of Jackson allows Walker to showcase his skills from various alignments. He’s effective as an end in a 5-technique or slightly more inside as a 3-technique, the position he’ll most likely play in the NFL. What Deone does after the snap opens up the playbook even more for Brad White. Walker’s athleticism will give the Kentucky defense so many opportunities to confuse opposing offensive lines with twists and stunts because of their depth at other positions.

Don’t Sleep on these Kentucky Defensive Linemen

Walker and Silver’s size is eye-opening, oftentimes stealing the headlines from other productive players. Octavious Oxendine got his weight back on track last offseason, allowing him to withstand the physicality from the interior while using quick-twitch explosiveness in the pass rush. Kahlil Saunders showed some of that quick-twitch as a redshirt sophomore. He’s on track to have a breakthrough 2024 campaign. He’ll rotate with Tre’vonn Rybka, whose strength is setting the edge. Former Top 150 recruit Darrion Henry-Young is recovering from injury and could also factor into the equation this fall.

TL;DR: Kentucky has Options on the Defensive Line

Tavion Gadson and Kendrick Gilbert were Top 500 recruits a year ago. The redshirt freshmen could become breakthrough contributors this fall, but we have yet to mention them because there are so many dudes in Anwar Stewart’s room. That got a little shaky this spring, but Jackson is one large reinforcement that will fortify the middle of the Kentucky defensive line.

The Wildcats are built to stop the run in the trenches and they have two of the best run-stuffing linebackers in the SEC waiting right behind the defensive line. Opponents will be forced to beat Kentucky through the air in 2024.

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