LaRosa's Kentucky Football Preseason Position Previews: Linebacker
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Avery Williamson, Josh Forrest, and Jamin Davis were all off-ball linebackers who turned into NFL Draft picks while playing for Mark Stoops at Kentucky. The Wildcats have consistently gotten solid play from their inside linebackers. The defense is hopeful that this remains the case in 2021.
Clear Linebacker Leader
Josh Paschal is set to be a three-time captain at defensive end, but DeAndre Square will be a two-time captain this season.
The former high three-star recruit out of Detroit has started a game in every season on campus. The 224-pound Will linebacker has drawn 22 starting assignments in his career with 164 total tackles.
“DeAndre is still the stalwart in that room. He makes that room go and he’s the glue,” said defensive coordinator Brad White at media day. “I’m looking forward to seeing him take another step forward this year, as well. I think he’s primed and ready to do that. We’ve got to keep him healthy.
Next Up At Linebacker
#6 Jared Casey: A blue-chip recruiting win out of Louisville (Ky.) Ballard High, Vince Marrow was able to flip the linebacker from Oregon. After playing EDGE as a true freshman in 2019, Casey moved over to off-ball linebacker in 2020. The 221-pound redshirt sophomore will play both Mike and Will this season looking to give Jon Sumrall’s position group some needed depth.
“Learning the positions, it’s a lot,” Sumrall said during spring practice. “What we do to play inside linebacker, we put a lot on those guys mentally. They have to think at a high level. It’s more than just a physical game, it’s a mental game for those guys as well. Jared’s made a lot of great strides. You’re never going to be perfect, you’re going to make mistakes but I’m really excited to see his growth.”
#10 Jacquez Jones: To help fill a hole at Mike, Kentucky went into the transfer portal over the summer and landed the former Ole Miss linebacker. Jones started 19 games in Oxford while recording 182 tackles over three seasons. The senior is currently banged up but feels like a safe bet to open the season as the starter at Mike. Jones is at his best playing downhill.
#32 Trevin Wallace: A top-50 recruiting win out of South Georgia, Sumrall landed Kentucky one of the biggest out-of-state recruiting wins in program history. Wallace is a freak athlete that can play either Mike or Will in Kentucky’s 3-4 scheme.
#40 Luke Fulton: Another addition from the transfer portal, Fulton makes the move to Kentucky from Michigan State. The redshirt sophomore is a Youngstown (Ohio) Cardinal Mooney alum joining fellow alumni Mark Stoops, Vince Marrow, and Frank Buffano in Lexington. The former top-500 recruit is looking to provide depth in his first season.
#44 Martez Thrower: Another true freshman from South Georgia, Thrower committed to Kentucky over Arkansas and Nebraska. The high three-star prospect is a good-looking athlete who made a ton of tackles for Rochelle (Ga.) Wilcox County.
How deep is the rotation at linebacker?
After the addition of Jones, Kentucky put itself in a good position. The Wildcats now have a pair of senior starters to utilize. The only remaining doubt was just how deep this group could get.
Trevin Wallace is currently getting some work with the ones and the true freshman has looked impressive thus far. Jared Casey appears to be next in line and could play either spot for defensive coordinator Brad White.
The Wildcats are a legit four-deep heading into next year, but depth is always needed. Will Luke Fulton or Martez Thrower be able to step up and carve out a role this season? Only time will tell.
Something You Didn’t Know
True freshman Martez Thrower broke other players’ facemasks while playing high school football. That sentence is 100 percent true.
While recording 120 tackles (92 solo) for Wilcox County last season, Thrower was dropping the boom on offensive players in South Georgia.
“Martez is in his own right a very talented young man and is a very physical player.” Jon Sumrall told KSR. “Martez strikes people with bad intentions. His high school career, his coach every couple weeks would be sending me a picture of a facemask that got broken because he was hitting so hard.”
Trevin Wallace is getting much of the buzz, but don’t sleep on Thrower. With four forced fumbles last season, the 212-pound linebacker packs a punch and drops hammers on people.
Biggest Question Mark
“Can Kentucky replace the production of Jamin Davis?”
Another linebacker from South Georgia, Davis was one of the best defensive players in college football last season. The first-round pick recorded 102 tackles last season in 11 games and was specifically stingy against the run. However, Davis was also very good in coverage making plays both in the box and out in space. Replacing his production could be difficult.
The Wildcats will have to take a committee approach this fall.
Kentucky will need a healthy and consistent DeAndre Square throughout the whole year. The senior needs to put together his best season yet. Meanwhile, the rest of the group just needs to combine to give Kentucky some solid reps and consistent production. If a combination of Jacquez Jones/Trevin Wallace/Jared Casey can be productive and reliable, the Wildcats could once again have one of the best off-ball linebacker groups in the SEC.
Replacing Davis will be difficult, but Kentucky has multiple guys that are capable of taking on the challenge.
Bold Prediction
“Trevin Wallace is a starter by the end of the season.”
The high-four star prospect out of Jesup (Ga.) Wayne County was just a monster recruiting win for Kentucky as the Wildcats were able to hold off Auburn for the services of the former Boston College commitment. Wallace is a big-time talent with big-time traits who will be tough to keep off the field this season.
The rookie is currently running with the ones in practice, but Jacquez Jones still might have the upper hand to start when the season begins. However, the talent will just be too hard to keep off the field. Wallace will become a full-time starter before the season comes to an end resulting in the blue-chipper being a cornerstone piece of the defense in 2022.
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