The Cardinal Countdown: 2 Days Until Kickoff

#2 Corey Reed

Class: Sophomore

Ht/Wt: 6-3/206

Position: Wide Receiver

Hometown: Fulton, GA

Twitter: @watchcorey

Thoughts: Corey was an impressive grab for the Cards last season on the recruiting trail. A consensus Top 10 wideout in the state of Georgia and a consensus Top 70 wideout nationally Corey came in looking to get some rotational reps behind Jaylen, Dez, and Seth. Unfortunately the window for Corey to be the “next man up” opened a tad early as Jaylen’s untimely injury forced Corey into a larger role just three games into the year. Corey grabbed 4 balls for 94yds against Murray and another 3 for 41yds against NC State the following week. Even with Jaylen’s return Corey still saw time in all 13 games last year and managed to get a couple more catches before wrapping up his freshman season.

In 2018 Corey is starting a bit behind the eight ball as he is still nursing a prior injury as I type this and wasn’t included on the three deep at wide receiver for Week 1. I’m not sure how long he may be out but I anticipate Petrino will work him back into the rotation just as he did last season upon his return. As I briefly mentioned earlier this year with the potential departure of Jaylen, Dez, and Seth (worst case) we need a couple big guys to step up and start to fill the potential void of ‘big target on the outside’. I like a healthy Corey Reed to slide into that spot.

Sweet Tweet:

Corey retweeted this one and it caught my eye because frankly I don’t plan on sleeping from now until kickoff…who’s with me!?!? #2Days

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#2 Chandler Jones

Class: Freshman

Ht/Wt: 5-10/181

Position: Cornerback

Hometown: Miami, FL

Twitter: @1OfficialCJ

Thoughts: For anyone of us who watched the defense last season it was plain to see that the secondary could use a few extra bodies, not only due to the departure of Jaire, Tru, and Chucky, but because the younger guys had yet to pan out, and we really didn’t know what we had waiting in the wings. The staff saw the light before most of us and went out and got Mbanasor two seasons ago, and were blessed with the Rodjay Burns transfer, but they knew they needed some more depth in the 2018 class. The “reclassification” of Jarius Brents helped add a number and grabbing Marlon Character out of JUCO was a solid addition as well. All in all the Cards added four players to the secondary in a non-tradition method for the 2018 season. The icing on the cake if you will for that group was that UofL also added two exceptional players to the secondary using the more typical method…recruiting them out of high school. We covered Trenell Troutman back on Day 20, a four star stud out of Miami, FL and today we cover Chandler Jones who is…wait for it…a four star stud out of Miami, FL.

Jones picked the cards over NC State, Mississippi State, and South Carolina but equally as impressive over Yale, Vanderbilt, and Columbia (So we got a wise guy, eh). Chandler was another early enrollee for the Cards and looked good in spring camp. Petrino liked his effort and of course his speed, and said he thought Chandler was a guy who could make plays for them as soon as this season. Jump ahead four months and apparently the playmaking narrative hasn’t changed. Jones was on the two deep for ‘Bama behind PJ Mbanasor and since BVG only listed two corners on the depth chart I think its safe to assume that any nickel or dime looks they give will eventually have Jones in that rotation as well. You can see from the clip below that Jones can play man or zone coverage and isn’t afraid to press since he has the speed to recover. He also made a few plays in the backfield and had good awareness in his run support responsibilities.

Keep an eye out for Chandler early this year. Even if he gets reps the first few games Petrino can always shelve him until next year and save a season of eligibility if he feels the upperclassman are holding their own. I like what the staff has pieced together on the recruiting trail the last two seasons and Jones is a big part of what they’re building for the future.

Sweet Tweet:

98 Day later......still coming out (Cardinal) Strong.

We’re in the final stretch. Deep breaths and big kicks.