"Who's Drew Barkin' At?" Mike Edwards

Safety 5’11”, 182 lbs. Cincinnati, OH (Winton Woods) Rivals: #33 S, #19 in OH Scout: #28 CB 247: #45 S, #23 in OH Choosing between UK and: Vandy, Louisville, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. Twitter: @M_Edwards6 After announcing his commitment to play for the University of Kentucky, Northern Kentucky QB Drew Barker vowed to reach out to his peers to make the best recruiting class in the history of Kentucky football. In the coming weeks I will be breaking down some of the players on Barker's wish list. "Who's Drew Barkin' At?" may be a grammatically awful pun ending in a preposition, but I just can't help myself. Past profiles: Derek Kief , Braxton Berrios, Matt Elam  

@m__edwards6 @d_1west25 don't listen to those other lame fans... You KNOW where you belong... #KentuckyEffect

— UK 2014 Fball Class (@UK2014Class) May 28, 2013

    Even though the Cats recently received a safety commitment from Jared Tucker, the buzz around the Bluegrass still gravitates towards the Mike Edwards/Darius West package deal. There have been so many changes of heart and delayed decisions that I'm sick of speculating; let's take a look at what Mike Edwards brings to the table.   The first thing you notice when watching highlights of Edwards is his aggressive play. Safeties usually are lined up about 10 yards off the line of scrimmage, with most resorting to dancing back and forth, putting forth their best effort to contain the ball. Edwards quickly reads run or pass, and immediately reacts by moving towards the ball. The instant reaction can keep a 3 yard run from turning into a 10 yarder. In the passing game, Edwards has a knack for getting his hands in-between the opposing wide receivers'. Now that  may seem like a "duh" observation, but the biggest difference between high school and college DBs is that consistently breaking up passes for high school DBs is a tall task with a good QB, whereas collegiate players have the experience to know offensive nuances that tip them off just before the pass enters the targeted area. I've personally seen DBs improve this aspect of their game in one short year of college football. Edwards has a head-start, making him usable at a variety of positions in the secondary.   While it may take some time before Edwards arrives at a decision, it is certain that the Cats are constantly on Edwards' mind.