Kalen Edwards will fill specific need for Kentucky

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kalen-edwards-kentucky-commitment-place-for-you — (Photo courtesy of UK Athletics)

Kentucky’s defense must have big humans on the line of scrimmage who can eat up blocks, plug gaps, and allow the players behind them and outside of them the ability to roam free and make plays. Finding the prospects who can check those boxes is not easy.

The Wildcats are planning on Dyersburg (Tenn.) High senior Kalen Edwards to come be a true nose tackle in their three-down front. Many teams in college football do not necessarily want to mess with an odd front because these types of players can be hard to find on the recruiting trail.

“The good thing about the four-man front is its kind of counterintuitive to what you think,” TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said at Big 12 Media Days on Tuesday. “Defensive linemen and a high quality defensive linemen are really difficult to recruit.”

“If you’re a three-down you only have to recruit three and if you’re four-down you have to recruit four. Not entirely true. I think when you’re three-down you have to recruit three big guys. Those are the hard guys to find. What that does now is changes a little bit of the makeup of your defense when it comes to being able to get speed on the field.”

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Kentucky has chosen to stay in the mostly three-down world. That means the Wildcats must hit on nose tackle prospects. We’ve seen the program build out their roster through high school recruiting, the transfer portal, and in junior college. However, line of scrimmage talent must be developed and you are typically better suited going the traditional route to find success in the trenches.

An unexpected injury to Josaih Hayes forced the Wildcats to shop in the junior college market over the spring and summer ultimately leading to the commitment of Dennious Jackson. That came one year after UK added North Carolina transfer Keeshawn Silver to play nose tackle. Now Kentucky is looking to avoid the transfer market at this position by addressing it via high school recruiting.

Kalen Edwards is a true nose tackle prospect with surprising burst out of his stance, good size, and the required play strength. The four-star recruit is the type of prospect every three-down front defense is looking to add. Kentucky checked a big box by landing the former Auburn commit.