Top 5 Questions for Defense headed into Spring Practice

As we know, UK lost several key playmakers (C Peters, S Maxwell, M Johnson, T Lindley, and C Harrison) from the defensive side of the ball from the '09 season. Historically, losses like this on one side of the ball would have crippled the CATS for at least 2-3 years; however, unlike past years, there seems to be a much more talent laden pool of talent to replenish what has gone on to NFL Glory.

Here are what I see as the Top 5 Questions for the Defense for the '10 Season:

1. How will the DT rotation play out? The starters look to be R Lumpkin (who started during the '09 season, and M Crawford who had a lot of playing time for the year. The reserves look to be (in no particular order): M Cobble, S Mc Cord, M Walker, and probably Brice Laughlin (provided he does not redshirt his freshman year). My Guess: Crawford and Lumpkin start with Cobble and Laughlin at #2 on the depth chart.

Who will step up for the Linebackers? Do doubt one LB spot is on major lock down by Danny Trevathan at WLB. Again, the other 2 positions seem to be a wide open competition.

2. The MLB looks to be a toss up between Avery Williamson and Qua Huzzie (unless a dark horse emerges). There are players (Ronnie Sneed, and Ridge Wilson) with playing time, but the talent level of Williamson and Huzzie may be too much for the others to overcome. Avery has stated that the coaches have already told him that he is as strong as the rest of the linebackers, and the coaches are on record as saying that Huzzie would have been in the rotation last year had he not gotten hurt. Barring a major upset look for one of these 4 players to get the nod at the position. My Guess: Qua Huzzie gets the nod due to his speed, but "The Pit Bull" (Williamson) pushes him for the next 4 years

3. The SLB position is equally intriguing as well. Ridge Wilson does have playing time at the position, and there is always the rumor that Matt Lentz may be moved from safety to SLB. Lentz would provide field experience, speed, and coverage ability to a unit that immediately needs those things. It has also been speculated that M McDuffen (a true freshman from Christian Co.) may also be in the mix, but there are also rumors that he will redshirt. My Guess: Lentz switches positions to add game experience and playmaking ability that he has shown as a safety, and Ridge Wilson is the #2 on the Depth chart.

It does not seem that any of the other players for the '10 recruiting class will start at Linebacker, but stranger things have happened!

4. Who will cover for Trevard Lindley at CB? The 2 main entrants for this fight seem to be Randall Burden and Martavius Neloms. Both have definitely shown flashes in the past, and had valuable game experience. If a freshman starts, I look for it to be Dale Trimble from Alabama. My Guess: Neloms, and Burden is the #3 CB.

5. Who will cover for the loss of Calvin Harrison? Again, there seems to be talent here. Matt Lentz would seem to have the upper hand if he stays at safety; however, there are other players which may have something to say about it IE Jarvis Walker, Dakotah Tyler,and Josh Gibbs to name a few. Throw in the heat seeking missle known as Mychal Bailey, and you can see that this may truly be a dogfight for playing time. My Guess: Josh Gibbs gets it due to him being on campus early and having previous college experience (he was a 2nd team all American in Santa Clarita)