Kentucky Football: Do Wildcats have enough firepower to compete for SEC title?
Pass rush looks to stay elite on defense
On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats have done a good job of establishing highly productive players. The 2019 season was the first without star pass rusher and 2019 NFL Draft top-10 pick in outside linebacker Josh Allen. Last season, the Wildcats were ranked 14th in the nation (fourth in the SEC) in points allowed per game (19.3) and 21st in the nation (fifth in the SEC) in total yards allowed per game (324.6).
The Wildcats return seven starters from last year’s team as they are looking to duplicate the same success in 2020.
Brad White returns to his third season as the outside linebackers coach and the second year the defensive coordinator. In his first season as the leader of the defense, White brought a good combination of efficiently stopping the run and staying consistent in coverage. They were excellent in creating pass rush even without their main pass rusher from the 2018 season in Allen.
Kentucky returns two defensive linemen from a unit that accounted for 33 total sacks. They do lose their top pass rusher from this past season in defensive end Calvin Taylor, who led the team with 8.5 sacks. Redshirt junior Joshua Paschal will be asked to step up in his second full season as a starter. Last season, he accounted for 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. After making 19 consecutive starts, Quinton Bohanna will return at nose tackle.
While losing a top pass rusher and dual-position player in Taylor will be difficult, the Wildcats will return a diverse cast of talent at linebacker. Outside linebacker Jamar Watson returns as a preseason second-team All-SEC selection by Athlon Sports. Last year, he accounted for 36 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. DeAndre Square started 12 games at middle linebacker and was second on the team in total tackles (69) and first in solo tackles (48). After playing in all 13 games this season, Jordan Wright will get the start at the other outside linebacker position.
The second will return some depth. Last year, they were second in the nation in passing yards allowed (167.8). Yusuf Corker will return as the starting free safety after leading the team in total tackles accounted for (74) while also accounting for 46 solos and four pass deflections. Brandin Echols enters into his final season at Kentucky once again as the No. 1 coverage player. He led the team in pass deflections accounted for (9).
Jamari Brown and Cedrick Dort Jr. will both be leading candidates for the other starting positions in the secondary as they have the most experience last season.