Tearz49ers presents: In Pursuit of Perfection (NCAA Football '14)

[Tearz49ers]

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After another hot start under head coach Mark Stoops, Kentucky went on to finish last season 5-7 and missed out on a bowl appearance. The Wildcats hope that 2016 will be the year that the program takes that next step and quarterback Drew Barker must lead the way. The offense won't miss a beat this year with returning the most starters on that side of the ball in, the most in fact in the whole SEC conference, however the defense must make strides under coordinator D.J. Eliot to keep the momentum going for the full season .

Previewing the Kentucky Offense in 2016:

Kentucky will play with its third difference offensive coordinator in three seasons this fall, but the arrival of new co-offensive coordinators Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw from Cincinnati has lead to renewed optimism about the direction the offense is going in after a season of struggles under Shannon Dawson. The new UK assistants inherit a strong nucleus of young talent with nine of eleven starters from the last season finale back on campus for the 2016 season.

Drew Barker is the offs-on favourite to start at quarterback for the Wildcats this season after completing 23-of-70 passes for 364 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in his five games last year. He is joined by a triple-header at the running back position featuring junior All-SEC contender Boom Williams, senior Jojo Kemp and sophomore Mikel Horton. Tight end C.J. Conrad figures to take on a larger role after earning SEC All-Freshman honours in 2015.

The biggest key to a successful season on offense for Kentucky will happen if the passing attack becomes more efficient and effective. There's no excuse to not be better considering the experience the team has at the receiver position and the help at running back. The offensive line gave up thirty sacks last season, but it should be better after breaking in several young blockers last season.

Previewing the Kentucky Defense in 2016:

Kentucky's defense boasts little of the returning expereince that the offense can lean on this year.

The Wildcats return just one full-time starter in the front seven, and the returning defensive lineman and linebackers accounted for just 2.5 sacks last season. Following the dismissal of senior outside linebacker Jason Hatcher, sophomores Denzil Ware and Josh Allen will need to take on much of the pass-rushing burden.

Courtney Love (Nebraska) and De'Niro Laster (Minnesota) are a pair of transfers who could be key in replacing some of the lost production from 2015. Love has been hailed as the defense's new leader and will be particularly important in leading the way for an inside linebacking group that has almost no starters returning.

The strength of the defense is the secondary, where the Wildcats return almost the entire two-deep, led by SEC All-Freshman corner Chris Westry. Seniors Blake McClain, Marcus McWilson and J.D. Harmon should add a veteran presence to support what could be four sophomore starters.

The defense as a whole needs to be more aggressive this season; Last season as a unit they only recorded 17 sacks and 10.5 of those sacks have now left the program and will need to be replaced. Ten of those sacks came in the Wildcats first five games, and four of them later against Charlotte so that means just three sacks were generated in six other games games- Lets put it this way, it can't happen again in 2016.

Previewing the Kentucky Special Teams in 2016:

Kicking proved a significant problem for Kentucky in 2015, with former All-SEC place kicker Austin MacGinnis battling a nagging groin injury and senior punter Landon Foster posting the worst season of his Wildcats career. Foster has now graduated , but MacGinnis returns and it has been reported that he is back to being 100% healthy. Freshman punter Grant McKinniss, who was rated as a four-star recruit by Scout.com, will need to make an immediate impact.

The return game has added little excitement so far during Mark Stoops tenure, but Sihiem King showed potential on kickoffs and who knows, maybe the Wildcats will become more dynamic in this area in 2016.

Final Analysis

Gran’s Cincinnati offense posted video-game numbers, ranking sixth nationally in passing yards (359.9) and total yards (537.8) per game. Kentucky may need its offense to find similar success to make up for massive turnover on defense. After back-to-back 5–7 seasons that featured second-half collapses, the Wildcats have all eyes set on reaching their first bowl game since 2010. The schedule is never easy in the SEC, but home games against South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State combined with the returning talent on offense offer hope Stoops can reach his first bowl game this fall.


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[Tearz49ers]

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[Tearz49ers]

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[Tearz49ers]

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Positions of Need: HB, DE, DT, FS
Target # of Recruits: 35







QB Brandon Dixon [QB #17]: 6'6", 190lbs | Youngstown, OH
DE Jarrett Hodges [DE #1]: 6'2", 247lbs | Gainesville, FL
DT David Chance [DT #2]: 6'2", 280lbs | Sulphur, LA
DE William Dailey [DE #16]: 6'5", 270lbs | Napoleon, OH
DT Kellen Gates [DT #8]: 6'5", 252lbs | Starkville, MS
FS Will Britt [FS #2]: 6'1", 175lbs | Highland Park, TX
OT Tase Long [OT #10]: 6'5", 270lbs | Holt, AL
SS Matt Foster [SS #4]: 5'11", 175lbs | Maumee, OH
HB Jayden Clement [HB #9]: 6'1", 210lbs | Watsonville, CA
OG Tom Cox [OG #9]: 6'3", 320lbs | Cave Springs, VA
HB Corey Booth [HB #27]: 6'1", 214lbs | Mobile, AL
ATH Eric Hall [ATH #21]: 6'1", 272lsb | Lake Worth, FL




OG Omar Mark [OG #54}: 6'7", 290lbs | Creve Coeu, MO
DT Robert McConnell [DT #38]: 6'4", 283lbs | Bellaire, TX
DE Vernon Schroeder [DE #70]: 6'4", 248lbs | St. Marys, OH
DT Jeremy Maxey [DT #40]: 5'11, 292lbs | Brookfield, IL
FS Jacob Coley [FS #45]: 6'2", 183lbs | Orchard Mess, CO
FB Brandon McFarland [FB #8]: 6'1", 250lbs | Fort Hunt, VA
FS Sheldon Brown [FS #14]: 5'11", 216lbs | Highpoint, FL
OT Luis Lawson [OT #13]: 6'4", 268lbs | Lake Jackson, TX
DE Darrick Brynat [DE #85]: 6'5", 267lbs | Wapakoneta, OH
HB Reggie Pressley [HB #56]: 6'0", 199lbs | Carrollwood, FL
OC Andy Wilson [OC #23]: 6'0", 261lbs | South Park, PA
CB Mario Jones [CB #28]: 6'0", 170lbs | Grand Ledge, MI
CB B.J. Ramsey [CB #119]: 6'2", 208lbs | St. Louis, MO
QB Jake Lewis [QB #87]: 6'1", 191lbs | Campbell, OH
ATH Titus Larsen [ATH #31]: 6'1", 181lbs | DeLand, FL



OG James Avery [OG #113]: 6'4", 326lbs | Euclid, OH
OT Jonathan Conley [OT #103]: 6'3", 297lbs | Coral Springs, FL
FB Patrick Gardner [FB #21]: 6'2", 231lbs | Hilliard, OH
FB Terrence Peterson [FB #14]: 6'1", 236lbs | North Canton, OH
CB Josh Hill [CB #139]: 6'0", 182lbs | Cherry Hill, NJ
OLB Alvin McCloud [OLB #23]: 6'1", 238lbs | Mayfield, KY
WR Steve Fine [WR #126]: 6'4", 190lbs | Monticello, KY




OC Damion Johnson (Juco) [OC #78]: 6'4", 305lbs | Oregon, OH


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[Tearz49ers]

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[Hushroom]

Nice...I'm following!
Do you have any recruiting restrictions?

[gsutiger]

I'm following for sure..hopefully this works out like you hope. Iove the team choice

[Tearz49ers]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hushroom

Nice...I'm following! Do you have any recruiting restrictions?

I don't have any restrictions per say set in stone, but I do like to keep things as realistic as possible so I will be heading down that road with this report also.

Quote: Originally Posted by gsutiger

I'm following for sure..hopefully this works out like you hope. Iove the team choice

Much appreciated, glad to have you along