The Cardinal Countdown: 42 Days Until Kickoff

#42 Tyler Polston

Class: Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-2/240

Position: Tight End

Hometown: Louisville, KY (Product of St. Xavier High School)

Twitter: @Tyler_Polston

Thoughts: Tyler is a local walk-on who I wouldn’t anticipate getting a ton of run this year sitting behind the depth we have at tight end. Similar to his buddy Paul (Day 44) I’d assume they will run scout team the majority of the season but may sneak in for a few plays if things get a little out of hand. (In other words, when Lamar drops 50 on Kentucky)

Appreciate the effort and the time these guys put in daily.

Sweet Tweet: Tyler’s twitter account is protected, which may not be the worst thing in the world. We’ve seen people get in trouble in the past for some off the cuff comments so making it private could be a smart move.

Kids these days can say some pretty dumb stuff…actually….adults these days can say some pretty dumb stuff too. Should probably only follow those you trust, those that make your attitude better, those that brighten your day, those that increase your knowledge, or those that do nothing more than make you smile...

Oh, how did this get here…? @CardinaIStrong

Weird.

#42 Isaac Stewart

Class: RS Sophomore

Ht/Wt: 6-2/236

Position: Linebacker

Hometown: Charlotte, NC

Twitter: @TheIsaacStewart

Thoughts: The one man on the team who may have been “slightly” disappointed that Keith Kelsey decided to return for his senior season is Isaac Stewart. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Isaac loves him some Keith Kelsey, as all of us should, but after taking a redshirt and getting some 2^nd team run last season at ILB most pegged Stewart as the man to beat if Keith made the leap to the pros. Since Kelsey is back, Isaac will more than likely be relegated to the second team behind Keith and Stacy Thomas.

Stewart has a nice frame, solid athleticism, and was tagged early on as a guy who can make tackles. He actually appeared in all 13 games last season, mostly on special teams, but was getting some reps at linebacker as well making tackles against Samford, NC State, BC, Syracuse, Pitt, Kentucky, and Texas A&M. Just as I said a few days ago, don’t ignore the efforts of Stewart or Amonte Caban. These guys WILL PLAY significant minutes at ILB in 2016 and in crucial situations. You can’t expect Thomas and Kelsey to be every down players in every game, it just won’t happen. Keep an eye out for both as they will be leading the ILB group in the seasons to come (along with current projected starter Thomas).

Sweet Tweet:

#ACC we out here!!!!!!!!!

— G.U.M.P (@TheIsaacStewart) January 7, 2014

While many pointed to this season or possibly next season for the Cards to make a serious run at the College Football Playoff, we know that will never happen until they beat the likes of Clemson and Florida State. Unfortunately for the Cards, both of those teams are projected to be VERY good this season as well. I know we did the regular season record prognostications back on Day 90 (I’ll address those in a few weeks) but what about those two teams in particular. Can we get over the hump this year? Can we topple one or both of the 'Atlantic' giants in 2016?