Film Room: Koby Keenum

New offensive line coach Zach Yenser is making some real early noise on the recruiting trail in his first season as a full-time assistant in college since 2017. After recording recruiting wins for Austin Ramsey and Khalifa Keith, the new assistant has logged another win on the trail.

This one is significant.

In the first full week of July, Kentucky was able to close on three-star iOL prospect Koby Keenum as the Wildcats edged out Louisville and North Carolina for a big recruiting win.

The offense now has its interior recruiting needs checked on the Big Blue Wall in the class of 2023. The expectation is that the Florence (Ala.) Mars Hill Bible School product will enroll next year and be a future high-quality option at center.

What will Keenum bring to the Big Blue Wall? The newest commitment has a great combination of size, power, movement skills, and tenacity.

Let’s roll the tape.

Yeah, this film was fun to watch. Let the first snap on Koby Keenum’s junior tape tell the story.

On the option concept into the field, Keenum is lined up at left tackle and has a second level responsibility to seal off the Will linebacker. The offensive line prospect does more than that as Keenum flashes good movement skills, keeps a wide base, and shows heavy hands with a violent punch that results in a knockdown block. There is a lot to like.

Koby Keenum is a prospect with a very active motor with a thirst for finishing. The left tackle moves a defensive lineman out of the gap and physically imposes his will on a dominant rep.

Keenum has desired play strength and that will give the prospect a great chance at earning a starting role at the next level. Kentucky hangs its hat on being a physical football team that can establish the run. That happens by creating movement. Keenum can move people.

Going into a wide zone scheme at Kentucky, there will be a specific skillset needed for prospects. The Wildcats must have linemen who can move laterally and complete reach blocks. Koby Keenum checks this box.

On the goal-to-go rep, Keenum must reach the EDGE defender. The left tackle starts by running an outside track, latches on the defender, and does a good job keeping his grip locked in. Those things all add up to a winning rep. Keenum has the movement skills required to thrive in Kentucky’s run scheme.

However, the bread-and-butter gap schemes aren’t going away. If Koby Keenum has to play guard, he must have the athleticism to pull and make blocks against smaller defenders. That should be no problem.

When you pull up Kentucky’s recruiting class, Koby Keenum is listed as a mid three-star prospect. You can easily make the case that the Wildcats found a lot of value in the latest recruiting win for 2023.

The 6-foot-4, 285-pound lineman won’t be playing tackle at the college level, but his skill set should translate very easily to the interior. Keenum plays with a mean streak, good fundamentals, and has solid movement skills for a player his size. There is a lot to like.

Pass blocking will need to be addressed when the commitment arrives on campus, but this is a player that checks just about every box. Kentucky found a three-star line prospect with frame, power, and athletic traits that should translate to a college offense. It is easy to envision Koby Keenum turning into a good multi-year starter in the SEC.