Bio Blast: Keeshawn Silver

Kentucky got a surprise recruiting win on Sunday when North Carolina transfer Keeshawn Silver committed to the Wildcats. For the second time this cycle, the Cats have landed an ACC transfer.

The Rocky Mount (N.C.) High product entered the transfer portal on Dec. 8 and ended that recruitment one month later with a commitment on Jan. 8. Now it’s time to learn some more about the redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining.

KSR’s Bio Blast is here to provide some more information on the seventh transfer to join the Kentucky football program this offseason.

Five-star recruit

Keeshawn Silver (6-5, 315) was one of the top recruits in the class of 2021 despite the 2020 high school football season being called off in North Carolina due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of that was due to strong athletic testing before a productive junior season.

As a 6-foot-5, 236-pound sophomore, Silver clocked a 4.96 forty-yard dash and a 35.4 inch vertical at The Opening. The blue-chip prospect was also a productive basketball player and there was a thought he could walk-on at North Carolina. But football quickly emerged as the top option.

North Carolina was a finalist in Silver’s recruitment along with Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Georgia, and Oregon. The Under Armour All-American decided to stay home and play for the Tar Heels. The five-star recruit was projected to play defensive tackle as he continued to grow into his body.

With excellent length, strong positional athleticism with good movement skills, and a frame with room to grown into, expectations were expectedly high for Silver in college. This is a prospect with some big-time traits.

Scheme fit at Kentucky

Due to the amount of weight that Keeshawn Silver has added in recent seasons, playing defensive end does not appear to be an option anymore for the transfer. However, the redshirt sophomore should be a good fit for Kentucky at nose tackle.

In their three-down front structure, Kentucky asks its defensive line players to be two-gap players. That means each player has two gaps to play in the run game and must be stout enough to handle double teams. Silver should be able to do that as a zero technique.

Pad level must improve for the ACC transfer, but Silver already has the sheer size to be an effective power player that should be tough for one player to move in the run game. As Silver puts in some work in the weight room and puts on good weight, the two-gap potential is very, very high.

If things hit for the transfer in Lexington, Keeshawn Silver has NFL potential as a true nose tackle with great length that could have some sneaky pass rush tools thanks to overall athleticism at 315-plus pounds.

Development will be needed at nose

As offseason workouts get ready to begin at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility get ready to begin, Kentucky has an obvious hole to fill at nose tackle. Justin Rogers has entered the transfer portal and could be playing for another SEC program in 2022. But the Cats now have three options to utilize.

Josaih Hayes will be a senior in 2023 and the former four-star recruit has played 434 snaps in his career. Jamarius Dinkins flashed in November as a redshirt freshman and appears to have a bright future. Now Keeshawn Silver will be added to the mix.

Kentucky now has depth at nose tackle and also has the option to use Deone Walker as a zero technique. But the offseason will be critical for positional development.

Hayes took a step back as a junior and fell out of the rotation as the season ended. Kentucky needs the veteran to get back on track. Dinkins was a long-term project when signed out of Columbus (Ohio) Walnut Ridge who still needs to add some strength in the weight room. Silver has a very high ceiling but must get his weight in a good place and still needs to add on some muscle in the weight room.

Kentucky has options, but defensive line coach Anwar Stewart has some critical talent development to get done before Labor Day weekend arrives.