Kentucky Football 2019 Spring Preview

#3 Replacing Allen and Finding a Solid Secondary

Kentucky’s defense was pretty good last year. The Wildcats had the No. 4 total defense in the SEC giving up 337.9 total yards a game.

They ranked No. 2 in Scoring Defense in the SEC allowing opponents to score 16.8 points a game. The Wildcats ranked No. 4 in the SEC in pass defense giving up 186.3 yards in the air a game.

Despite the Wildcats allowing 151.62 yards on the ground a game, they ranked No. 8 in rush defense in the SEC.

So the defense did well last season but lost nine significant players. One of those players is Josh Allen.

Allen won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award last year. Like Snell on the offense, replacing him on the defense is one of the big necessities this spring.

Jamar Watson is someone who could take over Allen’s spot. There are other guys, but Watson can do it. He recorded 17 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss, but that doesn’t compare to Allen.

Kengera Daniel is another guy who could take over the role. The Wildcats also add in JUCO transfer Marquez Bembry. Then in the 2019 class, Kentucky adds early enrollee Jared Casey and J.J. Weaver, who will arrive this summer.

However, Watson returns as one of Kentucky’s best players on the defense and could shine this year with Allen out of the picture. Like the running backs, Watson and company need to be themselves and not try to be another Allen.

Kentucky plays its annual Blue-White game on Friday, April 12. Kick off is at 6 p.m. ET and the game will air on the SEC Network. This game marks the third straight Blue-White game on a Friday. Last year, the Wildcats had 36,090 fans attend the spring scrimmage.