Yahtzee!
- Thread starter screwduke
- Start date
Very important, very nice pickup. Solid offer sheet, outstanding physical tools at 6'6", 230#, 4.5 forty. All that, and 3 years of eligibility to boot (as he was a redshirt freshman this past year in JUCO. I think we can expect him to come in around 250#, and provide an immediate impact at the DE position. With he and Hatcher on the edge, we'll finally have a pass rush to further improve our already stellar pass defense.
Really nice pick up! I hope this guy comes in and helps the D line from day one. In order to be successful next season, we need to have a strong pass rush and allow our secondary to create turnovers.
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Completely agree. Adding a pass rush to our already good secondary gives the D some potential to be solid. Hope to see Bonner terrorizing QBs all year long next year.
I'm feeling better about the defense other than the D line. I'm hoping both linebacker transfers can come in and be playmakers.
Will not be an early enrollee, but he will be a RS Soph next fall. IOW, he will have 3 years to play 3.
It would have been nice if he were to be able to enroll at UK in January. Hopefully he will be in good shape academically to join the team for summer workouts prior to fall camp.
UK is going to have to rely on some JUCO's at the LOS next season. Bonner and Leavitt have to be ready from day 1.
UK ranks 20th now per Rivals, but this is before they show Bonner as a commit. TOS shows him as a three star and if Rivals does also it will gain us 30 points, because he would replace our last two star in the top 20 of our class. That would be enough to pass Thug U into 19th place, we are only 6 points behind them now but that will be temporary since they have a lot of spaces open yet-----and could get commits from 30 or so as they like to do.
In any case he fills a need and has a lot of potential, so congrats and welcome aboard, Mr Bonner.
Leavitt would be an instant hero if he comes in and stabilizes that position.
I truly feel like Kentucky should move to a 5-3 defense after this pickup. Bonner has the size (I think he'll enter next season around 6'6, 250#) and speed to be an immediate impact at the DE spot. Let he and Hatcher play on the defensive ends, move Kengera Daniel to DT in that lineup, have Matt Elam in the middle with Kobe Smith backing him up, and have Reggie Meant on the opposite side of the line from KG. Put Denzel Ware and Jordan Jones at the OLB spots, and have Courtney Love at MLB. We have some studs on the back end of our pass defense, that line-up should be able to stop the run and generate a good pass rush.
OL are usually OL because they're not quick enough to be DL. And our OL very well might have been the weakest group in 2015.
You're not kidding...we missed Dupree so much last year. We couldn't generate pass rush for nothing.
1. I hope Bonner can take Ware's spot at OLB.
2. I hope Hatcher can be ready for a strong season as well and close out his career with a great years.
3. I hope we can RS Josh Allen...he really needs to pick up some weight and we need to space out BOnner, Ware and Allen.
4. Ware really needs to step up his game going into his So year.
Big get for the team. He's a tall speed rusher which we really needed this year. Should help d line. Still would link to finish this class out with another defensive tackle and linebacker.
Don't think they play the same position. What this does say perhaps is that Alvonte Bell isn't the answer they've been looking for.
I'm not giving up on Alvonte Bell just yet. Jordan Bonner, Alvonte Bell, and Courtney Miggins will all be at the same position, unless they decide to go with an even man front. I know that Alvonte Bell redshirted this year because DJ Eliot was trying to stick him at OLB and he was struggling bigtime and just before the season they switched him back to DE and redshirted him. I'm hoping that redshirt was what he needed to get acclimated to D1 football.
Trysten Hill the DT may be the next commit. Not sure if we are looking at another LB though...
UKani, help me out here because I really don't know how they intend to use the DEs. I thought Miggins was more of a strong side guy and Bonner would be more weakside. Thought Bell would be Bonner's backup and Daniel, if they move him from OLB, would be Miggins backup. Thoughts?
I really hope Bell works out because UK really needs someone with his potential but I've been highly skeptical since his signing.
Or, can you really have too many good D-linemen?
I have to give Stoops some credit even with all his warts...he and staff are relentless recruiters. To get a pick up in a position of need this late and fend off Nebraska and UT....the staff is still working hard to keep UK improving.