Saturday was a crazy day for the Big Blue Nation. The men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and volleyball teams all played huge games at the same time, but football did their part to stay in the news. To start the day, Vince Marrow was connected to Bill Belichick’s new staff at North Carolina (Marrow was front row at Rupp Arena last night). Within minutes of the Marrow news Kentucky picked up a commitment from Sam Greene (USC transfer) and the first reports of L’Damian Washington joining the staff came out (former Oklahoma and USF wide receiver’s coach). To finish off the day Kentucky picked up their second commitment of the transfer portal cycle in Marshall linebacker Landyn Watson. What are the Cats receiving from their late-night addition? Let’s dive in.
Player Background
Landyn Watson was a high three-star recruit from Hutto High School just outside of Austin, Texas. Watson committed to LSU as an edge rusher before flipping his commitment to TCU. After going to the National Championship with the Horned Frogs, he made the jump to Marshall looking for an increase in playing time. Watson finally earned his starting role this past season, and the converted off-ball linebacker had a breakout season. In eleven games with the Thundering Herd, Watson accumulated 65 tackles, 8 pressures, 4 tackles for loss, and an interception. Watson became a reliable starter for the Sun Belt champions and he will bring a ton of big-game experience with him for his final season in Lexington.
Program Fit
Kentucky is losing two NFL players in Jamon Dumas-Johnson and D’eryk Jackson from the inside linebacker room and Watson will look to match their production next season. The word I keep coming back to is “reliable” for Watson. He has a good understanding of his assignments in coverage and is typically in good position to make a play on the ball. He fits the run well and shows the ability to take on blockers and still make a play. He probably isn’t going to be a superstar, but Brad White loves to have smart and experienced players in the middle of his defense.
Position Outlook
As was mentioned before, Kentucky is replacing both inside linebackers. Daveren Rayner will return with a ton of experience after a redshirt 2024 and Grant Godfrey was a highly ranked recruit that you would like to see production from in year three. Alex Afari struggled in this role once injuries decimated Kentucky in the second half of the season, but reports are he could be moved back into the Nickel role he began his career at. Kentucky could look to keep adding to the linebacker room as everyone else at the position is in their second year or younger, but I think the staff feels good about trusting Rayner and Watson if they do not make another high-profile addition.
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