2023 Kentucky Position Previews: Cornerback

Kentucky football fall camp is right around the corner. Before the Cats officially begin the 2023 season in August, KSR is taking a closer look at the roster and analyzing each position group. Personnel, storylines, questions, and one bold prediction will be included.

At cornerback, Kentucky must find two new full-time starters. There is one proven piece returning and some recent transfer portal additions must factor in sooner rather than later for defensive backs coach Chris Collins.

KSR Position Previews: Quarterback, Tailback, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, Linebacker, EDGE

Personnel

Kentucky enters the season with eight scholarship cornerbacks and each has multiple years of eligibility remaining. A redshirt junior leads the way, but there is a lot of youth in this position room that must grow up quickly.

— Andru Phillips (Redshirt Junior): The Kentucky legacy played 363 snaps for Kentucky last season spending most of his time at nickel. Phillips would begin the year as a starter on the outside but could still slide into the slot on obvious passing downs. UK needs the Mauldin (S.C.) High product to be good.

— Jantzen Dunn (Redshirt Sophomore): An Ohio State transfer, Dunn is returning home after two seasons in Columbus where he spent time at multiple positions. The Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren product was a top-200 prospect in the class of 2021 and is getting a shot to play cornerback at Kentucky.

— Maxwell Hairston (Redshirt Sophomore): Hairston left spring practice as the other cornerback starter opposite Phillips. The Metro Detroit native has good ball skills and might be Kentucky’s best true man coverage corner. However, there is some boom-or-bust with Hairston, but this is a player that will be in the mix for playing time all season.

— Jordan Robinson (Redshirt Sophomore): The former Division II transfer took a redshirt season last year and is looking to carve out a role this season. Robinson brings great size (6-4, 208) to the position and will be among those competing for a starting spot in fall camp.

— JQ Hardaway (Sophomore): A former top-300 recruit out of Phenix City (Ala.) Central played in 11 games (94 defensive snaps) for Cincinnati last season before entering the transfer portal. Hardaway has the frame (6-3, 194) and skill set to be a productive zone scheme cornerback. Due to his physical traits, it could be hard to keep this transfer off of the field.

— Elijah Reed (Redshirt Freshman): Reed was always seen as a long-term play when Kentucky signed him out of Louisville (Ky.) Pleasure Ridge Park. The three-star prospect took a redshirt last season and will likely use 2023 as another development year.

— Nasir Addison (True Freshman): Kentucky flipped the Maryland commit which led to a recruiting win in New Jersey last cycle. Addison is likely headed for a redshirt season.

— Avery Stuart (True Freshman): One of the biggest wins in the 2023 high school recruiting class, Kentucky beat out Florida State for the four-star defensive back out of Montgomery, Alabama. Stuart appears to be a cornerback/safety tweener that must find a full-time home. However, that talent is there for the rookie to push for a role in year one. Stuart might be the biggest wild card in this position room.

Projected starters

Andru Phillips is a lock to start. That much is known. The second starter and what happens at nickel is harder to predict.

During spring practice, heavy rotations were going on with the ones, but Maxwell Hairston left that part of the offseason as CB2 with JQ Hardaway not far behind. Jordan Robinson is also lurking.

Hairston enters fall camp as the favorite to start, but this will be a position battle that leaks into the first few weeks of the season. However, the best-case scenario is that both Hariston and Hardaway emerge as reliable options giving Kentucky the ability to slide Phillips inside to slot cornerback for big moments.

One Big Question: Will Kentucky get more ball production?

Since defensive coordinator Brad White took over in 2019, creating ball production has been an issue for Kentucky’s pass defense. Only once (2019) has Kentucky ranked inside the top 50 in passes defended, and that team had a poor 15.4 percent pick rate on total interceptions/pass breakups. This is a team statistic, but mostly it falls on the cornerback position.

Carrington Valentine had a strong season at boundary cornerback for Kentucky last season that led to the Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller product becoming a day three NFL Draft pick. However, getting interceptions were an issue as Valentine produced 16 pass breakups in 25 career starts but just one interception. The Wildcats need more takeaways.

Andru Phillips flashed potential producing five pass breakups in 236 coverage snaps last season. We’ll see if that can translate to some more interceptions. The next step for this defense is to start producing more takeaways and the cornerback position will play a big role in that.

Key Storyline: Cornerback is the weak link of Kentucky’s defense

Kentucky’s defense has high expectations entering 2023. Most power rankings are calling for this to be a top-15 unit. There is depth and a star on the defensive line. Proven playmaking at off-ball linebacker and EDGE. Great veteran presence and proven production at safety. The one questionable spot is at cornerback.

Everyone knows that this position has a ton to prove in 2023. If the defense hits a rough patch, many will focus their attention on what is happening at cornerback. If this unit can provide positive play early and find a good lineup mix, the ceiling could be raised for a unit that has a chance to have an outstanding year due to the scheme and returning talent.

One Bold Prediction: JQ Hardaway will lock down a starting spot

Kentucky went into the transfer portal to add Jantzen Dunn and JQ Hardaway for a reason. The Wildcats for looking for starting-caliber players. I believe one of those will become a full-time starter at cornerback before SEC play begins.

JQ Hardaway made a strong push during spring practice and should continue to make strides during training camp. We will see a rotation with Maxwell Hairston to begin the year, but eventually, Hardaway will become this team’s starter at boundary cornerback.