Blue chips: Five Kentucky football players poised for stardom in 2019
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2019 College Football Preview
Watch for the Lexington Herald-Leader’s 2019 College Football Preview special section in the print edition on Sunday, Aug. 25. Click below to view all the stories for that section that have been published on Kentucky.com.
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The following five University of Kentucky football players have played during their time in Lexington and have positioned themselves to be major contributors in 2019.
Josh Ali: Lynn Bowden’s expected to be the king in UK’s passing game; can Ali be its prince? (Aladdin pun definitely intended.) The junior never made a start but played in 12 games last year, missing only the Middle Tennessee bout, after playing in nine as a true freshman. He’s the only other returning receiver who recorded double-digit receptions in 2018 (10 for 115 yards), and he showed flashes of brilliance in a three-catch, 59-yard performance against Louisville wherein he recorded his only touchdown catch, a 32-yarder. Predicting UK receivers’ success under Stoops has been a haphazard exercise — a year ago Tavin Richardson, who transferred before spring camp, projected as a potential breakout candidate — but Ali’s as likely as anyone else to buck the trend.
Jordan Griffin: A season-ending injury to Davonte Robinson before fall camp got underway put more of a premium on Griffin’s experience for a secondary severely lacking in that department. He started in four of UK’s first five games last year, his last coming against South Carolina; barring immediate ascension by multiple underclassmen, a starting job appears to be his to lose now. Griffin was more productive as a sophomore (22 tackles, four pass break-ups and one interception) than as a junior (13 tackles, three pass break-ups) but has played since he was a freshman. The California native passed on some programs with more distinguished pedigrees — Auburn, Clemson, Stanford — to come to Lexington and now has a chance to make that decision pay off big time.
Justin Rigg: He appeared in all 13 games last year and started twice — versus MTSU and U of L in back-to-back weeks — at tight end after missing significant time early in career due to organ lacerations. C.J. Conrad was the main man at that spot but he’s with the New York Giants, creating room for Rigg, a junior, to make the position his own. He’s listed an inch taller and about 10 pounds heavier than Conrad, giving the Cats a little more size on their blocks and Terry Wilson a little more wiggle room when jump balls get tossed around.
AJ Rose: Benny Snell ain’t walking through that door, and while his confidence and wit will be missed, his level of production could be matched by a trio of rushers led by this Cleveland native. Rose, a junior, made the most of his touches as Snell’s immediate backup last year, going for 472 yards and five TDs on 71 carries, averaging slightly more yards per carry than Snell in the process (6.2 to 5.0). Rose would need gargantuan totals this year and next to eclipse Snell as UK’s all-time leading rusher, but it’s reasonable to think he might cross the 1,000-yard mark as a junior, based on UK’s recent success at the position; Snell did it each of the last three seasons and Boom Williams also did it in 2016.
Calvin Taylor Jr.: Kentucky’s “other” defensive end from last year’s 10-3 squad stands three inches taller than Josh Allen at 6-foot-9 and is about 50 pounds heftier at 310 pounds. Formerly an unranked recruit and an offensive tackle, Taylor in 2018 carved out a big role as a more traditional defensive lineman, starting the last nine games and recording four tackles in UK’s games against Georgia, MTSU and Penn State. He recorded 26 total tackles — second only to Allen among linemen — a sack and a fumble recovery last year. Should he continue to mature into the position, Taylor could easily hear his name called in the 2020 NFL Draft.
