Know Your Wildcat: Fred Tiller

During the slow and insipid summer of 2008, former KSR wordsmith Evan Hilbert profiled each and every member of the University of Kentucky football team. Though his knowledge was sparse and his research was far from thorough, Evan’s short and insufficient player profiles were an integral part of Kentucky’s success that season. UK finished with seven wins, including the opener at Louisville and a 25-19 victory in the Liberty Bowl. Kentucky hasn’t won a bowl game since. Let’s bring back that magic…   #3 FRED TILLER Vitals -- Height: 6'0” -- Weight: 171 lbs. -- Class: Sophomore -- Experience: 1L -- Position: Cornerback -- Hometown: Homerville, GA -- High School: Clinch County Class of 2012 High School Ranking -- Rivals.com: #45 ATH,  -- Scout.com: #71 CB,  -- 247Sports.com: #109 ATH,  -- ESPN Recruiting: #82 ATH,  How He Got Here A couple days after taking an official visit to the University of Kentucky in September of 2011, Tiller called up Joker Phillips and told him he was ready to commit to the Wildcats. Tiller told Rivals.com at the time that he talked to his teachers and coaches after visiting Lexington and they all encouraged him to go ahead and get it over with if he felt so good about UK. He also had offers from several other schools including Nebraska, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Kansas, East Carolina, and Marshall. Immediate playing time was a major selling point in his recruitment. Freshman Season, 2012 Tiller played in 11 games as a true freshman at backup cornerback in 2012. He broke up two passes, both against Mississippi State, and recorded 27 tackles on the year, including a career-high eight tackles against his home state Georgia Bulldogs. Something You Didn't Know About Him He can throw down a windmill dunk: Something We Made Up About Him Tiller's amateur status was in jeopardy last fall when it was discovered he appeared on three episodes of the hit musical television show, Glee, as an extra during his junior year of high school. And as you know, new NCAA law prohibits any student-athlete from appearing in any musical comedy-drama, regardless of role or duration of on-screen appearances. But Tiller was able escape to Mark Emmert's twisted gavel of justice by paying back the $67.55 he made from the Fox Network and delivering singing telegrams to all NCAA employees as their Christmas bonuses. Unfair NFL Comparison Charles Tillman, Chicago Bears Outlook for 2013 Tiller is listed as a starter at one of the cornerback spots on the preseason depth chart. Cornerback is arguably the weakest position on the entire roster so he'll be expected to step up and lead the group as one of the most experienced, sadly, in coverage. With the status of Nate Willis and possibly JD Harmon currently up in the air, depth could be very, very thin at corner so he'll also have to avoid injury or a slow start to the season.