The Pinkie Previews: Kentucky Wildcats Secondary

The opening games are almost here and this season Kentucky will look for their secondary to contribute a little more to the defense then they did last season.  Without Trevard Lindley this season at one of the cornerback positions teams will be able to throw to both sides of the field.  Many times last season Lindley would not be challenged and numerous amounts of quarterbacks would check down from their number one receivers to pick on Kentucky’s secondary.  This year, the pass defense could be brutal but it also could be better.  If so  there are going to be numerous players that are going to have to get it done for the ‘Cats.

The Corners

This position will be pivotal for the ‘Cats they have had a week secondary for the past couple of years and the only player to really lock down top notch receivers has been Trevard Lindley.  Now with him gone who is going to fill the shoes?  One of the guys who will be taking over is Martavious Neloms.  Neloms is a 6’1″ sophomore out of Tennessee.  The loss of Paul Warford will be huge seeing as Neloms does not have much experience and will most likely have troubles to start out the season.

The one corner that Kentucky will be counting on is Randall Burden.  Burden is a 6’0″ junior from Georgia.  Burden started all 13 games for the ‘Cats in 2009 and ended the season with 36 tackles and two picks.  He inherits a job that Lindley did so well during his time at UK.  All his job entails is shutting down some of the countries most talented receivers and trying to keep some of the nation’s best quarterbacks from picking apart the Kentucky secondary. Doesn’t sound like too difficult of a task if you ask me.

The Safeties

The starting strong safety for the Wildcats will most likely be Taiedo Smith.  Smith is  junior from Florida.  The only reason he will probably get the nod over Josh Gibbs is because of experience.  Smith played in all 13 games last season for the ‘Cats.  If you take experience out of it though Gibbs is more talented and has more awareness from the position.  Gibbs is a junior college transfer. In his time there he was able to record 72 tackles and six interceptions.  Granted that is junior college but in two years those are pretty impressive stats for a safety.

The starting free safety will be Winston Guy.  Guy is a home grown boy out of Lexington and will be counted on to be the anchor of the Kentucky secondary.  If the Wildcats are going to do any damage against top competition then he will need to be on the top of his game.  In 2009, Guy’s first season at safety he recorded 60 tackles and a sack while starting 11 or the 13 games.  He is a strong physically specimen who has the ability to lay the lumber on anybody coming across the middle.  Speed won’t be a problem either seeing as how the junior started his UK career off at corner.

The Outlook

Paul Warford will be missed in the UK secondary.  Although, Warford was not the greatest corner for UK he was athletic and had the speed to keep up with most of the receivers he went up against.  Kentucky’s secondary is going to be challenged often this season. It seems to be the weakness to Kentucky’s defense every season.  Guy and Burden are the two names that will need to produce in order for Kentucky to hold SEC opponents to a respectable margin.