Adding another secondary transfer would give Kentucky more options

Entering 2022, expectations were high for Vito Tisdale. In two seasons, the explosive defensive back recorded 39 tackles in a reserve role and was going to step into a full-time starting role as a junior. Then the injury bug hit.

Tisdale suffered a knee injury during spring practice and will be forced to miss the entire year. Add that in with a re-tooling secondary group that has seen five players leave the program since the end of the 2020 season, and there is a lot to replace.

Kentucky left the Citrus Bowl In Orlando with many unknowns. Carrington Valentine was scheduled to return for his junior year at cornerback, but the Cincinnati Moeller product was forced to play a ton of snaps (777) as the Wildcats did not have much depth at the position. That won’t entirely change this year.

Both Cedrick Dort (Wisconsin) and Quandre Mosely (UDFA, Dallas Cowboys) have moved on from the program after platooning at field cornerback last season. Andru Phillips is set to help contribute as a redshirt sophomore, but Kentucky went out and landed additional help from the transfer portal. Both Keidron Smith (Ole Miss) and Jordan Robinson (Livingston College) were added to contribute at outside cornerback. Smith has positional versatility as the super senior could play multiple roles in the defense. It would not be a surprise to see the SEC transfer take over at boundary cornerback to take advantage of his length and allow Valentine to play field cornerback.

At safety, Yusuf Corker (UDFA, New York Giants) and his 1,522 snaps over the last two seasons are off to the NFL. The Wildcats got a boost when Tyrell Ajian returned for his super senior year, and Jordan Lovett looked like a nice revelation in spring practice as a redshirt freshman. Add Taj Dodson and Jalen Geiger to the mix, and that gives Kentucky some solid answers at the two safety positions.

However, Tisdale’s absence leaves a big hole at the nickel (or medium) position.

Joel Williams is back for his junior season, and the former four-star recruit has a ton of potential, but we simply haven’t seen any of that yet. Geiger played this role some for Kentucky last year, but the redshirt junior has now switched to free safety full-time to replace Corker. Class of 2022 signees Alex Afari and Kobi Albert could figure into this equation, but neither will get to campus until June.

That leaves Kentucky in a bind, and the recent recruitment news of Zion Childress makes a ton of sense.

The Texas State safety entered the transfer portal after two seasons in San Marcos where the former high school quarterback tallied 135 tackles (76 solo), 9 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 2 non-sack tackles for loss, and 1 interception. Childress played 618 snaps in 2021 and has started 14 games in his career.

Playing for defensive coordinator Zac Spavital, Childress spent time playing both safety and nickel for Texas State. The defensive back has experience playing in the box, lining up against receivers in the slot, and also dropping into coverage from a safety position.

As Kentucky attempts to build out its secondary, versatility is needed. The Wildcats have scholarships to spend and are still looking for transfer portal help. Finding a player who can contribute in 2022 would give defensive coordinator Brady White options on defense.