If there is one word to describe the Kentucky Wildcats in 2013 it would be "young". When examining the starting lineups on both sides of the ball, you will find that every single unit on this team will be starting at least one player who is a SO or FR. In the single best conference in the country, that is a serious issue.
The offense will be starting a SO or FR at QB, a SO at RB, 1 SO at WR, a SO at TE and both a SO and FR on the o-line. Sure, some of these guys are athletic, and will be a youthful mindset to the position, this could make for a lot of growing pains, especially against some of the outstanding defenses they will be facing in 2013, including Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. SR OG Larry Warford and SR WR LaRod King bring the most experience to the offense, but neither of these guys projects at this point to be anything more than a day 3 consideration for the 2013 draft.
On the defensive side of the ball, there is more of the same. 1 SO starter on the d-line, 2 SO starters at linebacker, and both a SO and rFR getting the call in the secondary. To win in the SEC you have to be able to play defense. This means you have to get pressure on opposing QBs and take advantage of the mistakes they make. SR DE Collins Ukwu has the reputation of being a fierce pass rusher, but he has not put up the production to back that up. If he doesn't get it together this year, opposing QBs will have enough time to pick apart this inexperienced secondary, and that will translate into a lot of losses.
Joker Phillips has a tough year in front of him in 2013. The good news is that with this much youth on the roster, if they can all work to develop, then next year and the year after the outlook will be a lot brighter.
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