Kentucky Football Countdown: The Curious Case of No. 24 Chris Rodriguez

On3 imageby:Nick Roush08/10/22

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The Kentucky football countdown has reached No. 24, the most talked about Wildcat this offseason. Let’s spend some more time talking about Chris Rodriguez as the first game of the season draws near.

What’s Going to Happen with Chris Rodriguez?

I will not waste your time rehashing the events of his offseason since he graduated from UK in early May. If you don’t know the details by now, where have you been?

Here’s what we know about Chris Rodriguez as of Aug. 10. Mark Stoops is not going to say anything about the Kentucky running back anytime soon. We may hear something at the head coach’s first game week press conference, but I’m not holding my breath. We also will not be hearing directly from Chris Rodriguez in the foreseeable future. He attended the picture portion of UK football media day, but did not conduct any interviews.

It’s business as usual for C-Rod on the practice field. You would not know he’s facing a potential suspension if you watched practice. Others are taking some RB1 reps, but that also happened ahead of Benny Snell’s junior season. You know what you’re going to get from Chris on Saturdays. It’s wise for the coaches to let the other guys get some extra reps with the ones.

Chris Rodriguez has Improved this Offseason

While off the field issues soaked up all of oxygen this offseason, Rodriguez spent time getting better. During Kentucky’s open practice there were noticeable improvements in his play.

Last season Liam Coen promised to bring an outside zone rushing attack. That was not the case for most of the season due to a few factors. The offensive line was better at moving opponents with the inside zone and to put it bluntly, Rodriguez did not see the cut-back lanes quick enough in the outside zone. A slower developing play, Chris was at his best getting downhill as fast as possible.

At open practice we saw C-Rod execute one outside zone run to perfection. He made it a few yards past the offensive tackle before cutting back inside, making one man miss, then bouncing outside for a big gain. After a year of reps, he sees the running lanes clearly. Just when you thought he couldn’t get any better, he’s added increased vision and awareness to his arsenal.

On top of that, Rodriguez has been hitting the jugs machine. NFL running backs can’t just run the football. It’s clear he focused on improving his hands over the summer and it is a beautiful sight to behold.

Who will Step Up in his (Potential) Absence

Throughout the Stoops tenure there has been a clear-cut one-two punch at running back, from JoJo Kemp and Boom Williams to Benny Snell and AJ Rose. This year the Cats have so many talented running backs, it’s impossible to say at this point in the preseason who will be RB2.

Will Levis said he’s never played for a team with so much depth at running back. Kavosiey Smoke has 1,306 career rushing yards. JuTahn McClain and La’Vell Wright were lauded in the spring, expected to play larger roles in Rich Scangarello’s offense this fall. Then Kentucky added FCS All-American Ramon Jefferson to the roster this summer. One of the most talked about players at fall camp, he’s made a seamless transition to SEC football after making a few early adjustments.

“I feel like the speed of D-linemen is pretty impressive; the speed of the D-linemen, just the athletic ability,” Jefferson told KSR. “Obviously coming here, you know everybody’s talented or else you wouldn’t be here. I feel like that’s something (I had to adjust to). But also when the D-linemen’s speed gets faster, so does the offensive line, so running behind those guys is pretty cool. It helps me adjust.”

2022 Expectations

Kentucky has a deep, talented running back room, but there’s no way to spin: the Wildcats are at their best when Chris Rodriguez is on the football field. How much we will see C-Rod is unknown. If he’s available to play in 10 or more games, Benny Snell’s career-rushing record is in jeopardy.

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2024-03-28