Film Room: Steven Soles Jr.

EDGE was a position of need for Kentucky in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The Wildcats have just added another player to defensive coordinator’s Brad White position room that has a clear comp to a former multi-year starter in Lexington.

Powell (Tenn.) High rising senior Steven Soles Jr. committed to Kentucky on Wednesday. The mid three-star recruit is the No. 916 ranked prospect in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. The East Tennessee native is a top-30 player in the Volunteer State. Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Virginia Tech were all involved in this recruitment at different. After quiet June for the prospect, UK got Soles on campus last week for an unofficial visit and locked up a recruiting win for Scott Woodward and Mike Stoops on the recruiting trail.

Soles could be classified as a tweener off-ball linebacker/outside linebacker prospect. There are no verified measurements but On3 lists the prospect at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds. However, the tape shows an EDGE player all the way that can do some off-ball linebacker tasks. The latest commit could be a true fit at Sam linebacker in Kentucky’s scheme and has some real similarities to Jamar “Boogie” Watson who started 29 games and played 1,614 snaps during his career in Lexington.

We’re stepping into the KSR Film Room to see what Steven Soles Jr. can bring to the table. The undersized player can speed rush and bend the edge. This is something the Kentucky defense has been missing for a few seasons.

Pass rush potential

The pass rush has been an issue for Kentucky football in recent seasons. Some of that is by design, but there have not been enough individual wins in one-on-one situations. Steven Soles Jr. flashes the ability to be a consistent winner in isolation against tackles on tape.

The prospect has an explosive first step out of his track sprinter stance and shows flexible bend that allows him to turn the corner quickly.

First step and bend consistently allow Soles to record pass rushing wins. Those two combined to avoid an initial punch from high school offensive tackles and that allows this edge rusher to turn the corner quickly. Once he does that, the outside linebacker finishes the play with physicality (even knocking back a tailback in a pass set) becoming a sure tackler once the quarterback is within his grasp.

Some counter moves will need to be created at the next level, but Soles’ ability to win quickly off the edge is a very good building block moving to the next level. Kentucky has not had a player that could naturally bend the corner like this in a few seasons. This looks very similar to how Boogie Watson will record pass rush wins during his time at Kentucky.

Twitch and striking

The pass rushing potential of Steven Soles Jr. is the first thing that stands out about the latest Kentucky commit, but the three-star recruit is not a one trick-pony on film. The EDGE prospect’s twitchiness shows up in run fits, there is a motor as a pursuit defender, and some knockdown power as a striker.

Soles flashes a knack to create instant penetration when shooting gaps. Aligned as a defensive end, the twitchiness, spacial awareness, and instincts all come together allowing the defender to get in the backfield untouched. There are multiple reps on his junior tape where he gets by offensive linemen carelessly to record a tackle for loss. Soles likely won’t be asked to record these types of stunts at the next level, but this skillset should translate into him becoming a valuable off-ball blitzer.

There is also power consistently shown as a sure tackler, and plenty of chase down reps flashed. Soles is a prospect with good speed that can finish at the point of attack. Burst, play strength, and effort go a long way in the front seven. That bundle of traits should give the tweener prospect a high floor at the next level.

Clear comp, clear positions, questionable measurables

Similar to 2021, Kentucky’s base defense will likely include a hybrid linebacker/safety type to play the Sam position on standard downs. That will be different from 2022 when a more traditional outside linebacker (Jordan Wright) manned that position. However, this year’s recruiting haul tells us that UK would like to get back to having a more traditional outside linebacker fill that role.

Steven Soles Jr. is a clear scheme fit for Kentucky’s Sam linebacker spot. The class of 2024 prospect has the speed and instincts to be a capable defender in space and also owns some pass rush traits that give him a high floor as a prospect. Unfortunately, the size questions will be real for the three-star recruit at the next level.

Boogie Watson had a strong career at Kentucky playing Sam linebacker. The DMV native had a similar player profile to Soles winning with speed and bend as an edge rusher but also being athletic enough to play off-ball in zone coverage drops. Watson was a productive player (107 tackles, 18.5 sacks, 97 pressures) despite some legitimate size concerns and some underwhelming athletic testing numbers, per Relative Athletic Score.

Jamar Watson is a LB prospect in the 2021 draft class. He scored a 4.11 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1260 out of 2137 LB from 1987 to 2021. https://t.co/HLuJbxGaEP #RAS via @Mathbomb pic.twitter.com/SnxpK2JTIF

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 14, 2021

Soles appears to have some of those same size concerns but the tape shows a good athlete for the position. Playing weight will be a question mark, but we saw Watson excel in Brad White’s scheme despite some inefficient length (32 2/8 arm, 6-3 wingspan). However, his toolbox is worth betting on and gives UK a different player profile on the edge.

There is a high pass rush ceiling, and Kentucky is hopeful that will translate despite the size concerns.