catmandoo
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posted 09-23-2020 12:56 PM
The Story: A senior, Josh Ali is the guy who has shown the most promise. He caught 23 passes for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2019 — numbers that are humble, except that he was playing for a team that had 4 games in its last 8 with 25 or fewer total passing yards. Ali had good chemistry with emergency QB Lynn Bowden — enough so that Bowden sought out Ali for the Belk Bowl-winning touchdown pass. While he doesn’t have great size or speed, Ali is a solid all-around target, who can make a tough catch (ex: his 4th-down grab in the Belk Bowl, which set up the winning score).
The Outlook: Ali will definitely be a key component of the Kentucky passing game. Lacking game-breaking size or speed, he’ll probably make some catches on the outside and in the slot. He’s grabbed 36 passes in his UK career, and could easily equal that mark in 2020.
Michael Drennen II
The Story: The 4-star prospect from Ohio has the resume to step into the shoes of one Lynn Bowden in the Kentucky receiving corps. Drennen figures to be a threat as a rusher, receiver, and possibly kick returner in his true freshman campaign. The subject of a fierce recruiting battle, Drennen is UK’s highest-rated pass-catcher since … well … Bowden.
Clevan Thomas
The Story: After a couple of seasons of getting lost in the shuffle, Thomas played well down the stretch of the 2019 season. Of course, playing well for an offense that passed for even 100 yards just once in the final 8 games of the season meant a fair amount of blocking and catching the occasional short pass from the slot. The 5-11 Thomas made a key touchdown grab against Arkansas, and also picked up 40 yards on a short pass against Vandy. He caught 11 passes for 99 yards but did most of his damage late in the season. He’s listed as a starting flanker.
The Outlook: Thomas could lead the team in catches. His sure hands and ability to get open in small spaces will bode well for an offense that still figures to be fairly conservative. Despite being one of UK’s smaller receivers, he’s also a surprisingly physical blocker, which will help him stay on the field.
Keaton Upshaw
The Story: A pass-catching tight end, the 6-6, 255-pound Upshaw showed his skill set early last season, when UK’s passing game was still somewhat intact. In the first 4 games, the redshirt freshman caught 6 passes for 70 yards, with a touchdown against Florida. Unfortunately, when Kentucky went to the ground-and-pound attack with Bowden, veteran tight end Justin Rigg saw more snaps — and Upshaw caught only 1 pass for the rest of the season.
The Outlook: Upshaw will still split time with Rigg, but he’s speedy enough that UK offensive coordinator Eddie Gran could feature both tight ends at once. His size and speed together make Upshaw a mismatch for many SEC linebackers and could lead to him emerging as a standout in 2020.
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[ 09-23-2020, 12:57 PM: Message edited by: catmandoo ]
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posted 09-26-2020 05:54 PM
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