Secondary remains position of need for Kentucky heading into offseason

The 2021 season was not a great one for Kentucky’s secondary. The Wildcats lost position coach Steve Clinkscale to Michigan in May on top of losing starting cornerbacks Brandin Echols and Kelvin Joseph to the NFL.

There were a lot of question marks, and the final result was Kentucky having one of their worst pass defenses of the Mark Stoops era.

Despite the subpar results, Kentucky still finished with 10 wins and had a top-40 defense for the fourth year in a row. However, big questions remain. Three-year starter Yusuf Corker is off to the NFL, and the Wildcats must get better at defensive back in 2022.

Expect Mark Stoops and his staff to still address this position as the roster construction season moves forward.

Depth was addressed but cornerback still has big questions

The departure of Echols and Joseph left a gaping hole at cornerback. Losing Clinkscale after spring football did not help issues. Stoops brought on Georgia State assistant Chris Collins, but it was year one as a Power Five assistant.

That all added up to be an unfortunate recipe for the cornerback position.

Redshirt freshman Andru Phillips was lost for spring practice and the first month of the season due to the off-campus party incident. True freshman Adrian Huey was a developmental prospect and Maxwell Hairston was a late arrival to campus. Redshirt senior Cedrick Dort Jr. seemed to struggle and was replaced by super senior Quandre Mosely.

Due to all of that, sophomore Carrington Valentine logged over 750 snaps in his first year with extensive playing time. As expected, there were many ups and downs for the Cincinnati Moeller product who finished the season with 61 tackles (46 solo) and five pass breakups. Valentine’s development will be vital in the offseason, but other help is needed.

On signing day, Kentucky saw junior college commit DeCarlos Nicholson flip to Mississippi State, but the Wildcats landed Zah Frazier late. The 6-foot-3 defensive back will be on campus for spring practice.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats also signed Elijah Reed and Andre Stewart from high school. Alex Afari was another addition, but his best position could be safety moving forward.

After spending most of 2021 with limited scholarship numbers at cornerback, Kentucky is expected to have seven scholarship players at this position in 2022, and each will be on campus for spring practice. That is vital for the development of the position.

However, Valentine is the only proven contributor of the bunch. A lot seems to be riding on Frazier or a big jump being made by Phillips. Kentucky could use an additional contributor from the transfer portal.

Unfortunately, Mississippi State landed a commitment from Alabama transfer Marcus Banks taking a target off the board. Not surprisingly, LSU transfer Eli Ricks picked Alabama. As of now, there do not appear to be any quality cornerbacks in the transfer portal.

Expect Kentucky to monitor this position thoroughly as the offseason continues. The Wildcats need help at cornerback and could find themselves in a pickle again if Frazier is not an immediate hit for the program.

Kentucky is in good shape at safety but could use another body

Corker has decided to move on after five years in the Kentucky secondary, but another class of 2017 signee could return to Lexington for a sixth season.

Tyrell Ajian was a top-200 prospect out of Mansfield (Ohio) Madison Comprehensive, and the defensive back has played in 38 career games with 121 tackles and four interceptions. The veteran has started 23 games and was excellent in coverage this season despite struggling to play with physicality at certain points.

A return for an extra year could help solve some issues.

Jalen Geiger will be ready to step into a full-time role after playing over 300 snaps and starting two games as a redshirt sophomore. The Columbia (S.C.) Spring Valley product flashed some promising tackling ability to go along with some ball skills in coverage.

Meanwhile, Taj Dodson has potential despite battling injuries during his first three years on campus. The Metro Atlanta product could be the group’s wild card.

At Nickel/Sam, Vito Tisdale appears ready to take control of a starting spot after platooning with Davonte Robinson in 2021. Former four-star recruit Joel Williams looks like a likely candidate to help his fellow class of 2020 signee at this hybrid position.

Newcomers Kobi Albert and Afari look like players who could potentially play early. Albert is more of a deep cover safety, and Afari seems to have the build to play the Sam/Nickel role.

However, questions remain about this position group. A return from Ajian could help provide some secondary answers in the short term. The Wildcats must consider a portal addition regardless of what the redshirt senior decides to do.

Double down on the front six

What is the best way to help out your coverage? Fix your pass rush.

The Wildcats will be without Marquan McCall and Josh Paschal in 2022, but nearly everyone else in the front could return.

Former blue-chippers Josaih Hayes and Justin Rogers should make a formidable duo at nose with both entering their junior seasons. At boundary tackle, Octavious Oxendine and Khalil Saunders each showed potential as freshmen in 2021. At field end, Tre’vonn Rybka impressed in the Citrus Bowl. At EDGE, J.J. Weaver seems primed for a monster season after recovering from a torn ACL.

However, two other names could allow this unit to make a major jump next season.

Former four-star recruit Jordan Wright suffered an ankle injury against Missouri and had to battle with it all season. The South Florida product missed four games. When healthy at the Citrus Bowl, Wright shined with 10 tackles and a pass breakup that led to a Middle Eight interception. Getting him back to platoon with Weaver could make the Wildcats dangerous on the edge.

Fielding a front six that is littered with former blue-chip recruits that are all nearly upperclassmen could help Kentucky survive as things are being rebuilt in the secondary.

Thanks to the transfer portal, roster construction truly never stops. Kentucky must figure some things out in the secondary, but it is clear that the Wildcats have options at this point.

A couple of key super senior decisions could go a long way.