Shining stars: Five UK football players who will continue to dominate in 2020
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2020 College Football Preview
The Lexington Herald-Leader’s 2020 College Football Preview special section was published in the print edition on Sunday, Aug. 30. Click below to view all the stories from that section that have been published on Kentucky.com.
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The following five University of Kentucky football players have made significant contributions up to this point in their careers. Here’s a reminder of what they’ve done, and why they can continue to be names you’ll remember heading into 2020.
Quinton Bohanna
Kentucky has some things to sort out beside Bohanna — how well it replaces T.J. Carter and Calvin Taylor Jr. could be the biggest difference-maker between a “good” and “great” season for the first line of ball-stoppers — but what it for sure has is a likely high-round NFL prospect locking down the middle. Bohanna probably would have been selected in this year’s draft but will look to improve his stock during a second straight season as a full-time starter. The Wildcats in back-to-back seasons have finished as a top-20 squad in terms of total defense, but last year rated in the middle of the pack when it came to stopping the run (No. 63 among all 130 FBS squads). Bohanna — 367 pounds of pure intimidation — will have a big hand in any gains made in that department.
Brandin Echols
Recruiting the junior-college ranks has been rewarding for UK under Mark Stoops’ staff, and Echols is the latest example of the gems that can be mined there. A former wide receiver before making the leap to defense at Northwest Mississippi Community College, Echols started 11 games at cornerback last year, led the team in pass breakups (nine), forced two fumbles and was among the SEC’s leaders in total passes defended. He recorded 52 tackles (No. 4 among all Wildcats), and those whom he hit probably felt it the next day; Echols doesn’t shy away from contact one bit. The defensive backfield was underestimated last year due to its inexperience, but because of guys like Echols it enters 2020 with much higher expectations.
Drake Jackson
It’s unfair to single out any one offensive lineman — all four returning starters were named to preseason award watch lists and were invaluable in last season’s record-setting display on the ground — but Jackson is a reigning All-SEC First Team selection and enters his fourth consecutive season as a starter at center for his home-state Wildcats. The Woodford County High School graduate has made 33 consecutive starts and anchors a unit that last year finished as a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the nation’s best group of offensive linemen. It may not be asked to help put up the gaudy rushing numbers it achieved last season, but the unit should be every bit as reliable for the offense.
Josh Paschal
Among those whom will be asked to complement Bohanna to a greater degree in 2020 is Paschal, something of a do-it-all on defense who this year is officially listed as a defensive end again after a turn at linebacker in 2019. The fact that Paschal is even playing football is a blessing — he underwent surgery in 2018 to remove a malignant melanoma and went through a year of immunotherapy treatments — but UK benefits from him having enough talent and skills to be a Swiss army knife to fit its ever-changing needs on the defensive front line. He finished with 9.5 tackles for loss last season (tied for second on the team), recorded 3.5 sacks and forced two fumbles.
A.J. Rose
Lynn Bowden got the lion’s share of carries and gained more yards than any Wildcat on the ground last season, but Rose was next in line and held his own. As a junior he averaged 5.5 yards per carry, netted 826 yards and rushed for six touchdowns. He ranks 28th all-time on Kentucky’s career rushing list with 1,305 ards, and needs only 695 yards to become the 10th Wildcat to reach 2,000 yards for a career. Given UK’s success in the run game over the last several seasons, he figures to be a lock to get there as long as he continues to be the featured back.
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 1:35 PM.
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