Marquan McCall in line to be the next Quinton Bohanna

@MccallMarquan

Last year Quinton Bohanna defied norms as a freshman by working his way into a starting position as Kentucky’s nose guard.  This year Kentucky has another freshman nose guard that’s talented enough to break tradition, Marquan McCall.

A four-star prospect from Oak Park, Michigan, McCall was a consensus Top 200 player and considered by many as the best prospect in the state of Michigan.  McCall earned the praise for his play on the offensive line.  Kentucky’s coaches saw a nose guard, not an offensive guard.

“Marquan played offensive line, and I saw a defensive lineman in him,” Defensive line coach Derrick LeBlanc told KSR.  “I went to watch him play at his high school and he just mauled people. On fourth and short, they put Marquan in the game and the offense couldn’t run the ball.  This kid can play defense for us.  Now we’ve got size. We’ve got ability. We just have to condition him to play defense.”

McCall explodes out of his stance and packs a powerful punch.  No. 50 does not look like a typical freshman.

“He’s got all the tools,” LeBlanc said.  “He’s physical.  He’s a big ole brute.  He loves to play football.”

When McCall first arrived on campus, Bohanna saw a potential star.  Upon seeing the freshman, it was almost like looking into a mirror.

“Marquan’s going to be real good.  He can move,” Bohanna said.  “He kinda reminds me of myself a little bit. He’s a little bigger, but he reminds me of myself at this time last year.  I’d probably say he’s better than what I was last year. He’s just gotta get his hands right.  When he gets his hands right, can’t nobody block him with his get-off.  He’s got a very good get-off.”

Last year Bohanna focused all of his energy on beating out the seniors who were ahead of him on the depth chart.  Now the starting sophomore is doing whatever he can to help the freshman learn what it takes to play in the SEC.

“Marquan knows if he asks me about anything, I got him.  He’s going to be very good.  I can’t wait to see him.”

Physically, McCall is good enough to play right away, however, playing defensive line requires a much higher motor than playing offensive line.  Consistently attacking 350-pound offensive linemen isn’t easy, but LeBlanc believes it will happen in due time.  Bohanna is an excellent mentor, even though he’s still an underclassman.

“We got a sophomore teaching a freshman how to be a football player,” he laughed.  “That’s a good thing to have. We have two young guys that are physically capable of being good SEC football players.”

It might take some time for the freshman to become a playmaker, but he has all of the tools and the right guidance to become a household name in the Commonwealth.

[mobile_ad]