The Cardinal Countdown: 59 Days Until Kickoff

#59 T.J. McCoy

Class: Grad Transfer

Ht/Wt: 6-1/305

Position: Offensive Line

Hometown: Clermont, FL

Twitter: @Iamtjmccoy

Thoughts: If you asked me back in December, after the 2018 season had wrapped up, what one position on the team you would look at to bring in a grad transfer; without question the center position would be at the top of that list. I know I’m a bit over the top with my O-line love but man oh man did we see how the play of one group can alter so many different things. I was encouraged when the Cards pulled in Dwayne Ledford just a couple weeks into December but I was thrilled that just over a month later they already had a commitment from a talented center who starter numerous games in the SEC (it just means more).

Getting McCoy out of the transfer portal was filling two voids in one: A talented player with experience at a position of need and leadership in a group that needed a reset. McCoy was originally committed to play for NC State (2015) but transferred back home to Florida to be closer to his ailing father. After back to back injuries at the center position the Gator’s looked to the RS Freshman McCoy in 2016 to make some plays, and he did just that. McCoy started the final four games and kept his spot the first nine games into 2017 before suffering a foot injury of his own. With a new staff and new plan in place the University of Florida looked in a different direction at that spot in 2018 and McCoy saw his playing time drop significantly. When one door closes….Ledford bust through another door with Ultimate Warrior gifs and Murderbird paraphernalia!

McCoy is penciled in as the starting center right now and I’d be surprised if someone took that job from him this Fall. We’ve seen crazy thing happen at this spot over the years but McCoy appears to be a great fit for what the team needs this year and can hopefully help groom the next man up in 2020. I found this feature on McCoy from last year that I enjoyed checking out and thought you would as well. Appears the young man has a good head on his shoulders and I’m excited to watch him play.

Sweet Tweet:

Hey, uh…….that is a hose, right? I mean, I know you’re moving to Kentucky and all but we don’t get down like that up here, boss.

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Two players in one day!?!?! You’re damn right. 4th of July celebration keeps on rolling...

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#59 Caleb Tillman

Class: RS Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-3/286

Position: Defensive Line

Hometown: Dothan, AL

Twitter: @Till_2016

Thoughts: When it comes to Caleb Tillman, for me, one thing comes to mind.

Tillman was such a good get for the Cards a few years back that I thought a couple seasons into his career he would be a solid contributor up front. After a redshirt (2016) and then a season with limited action (2017) we saw nothing from Tillman at all in 2018. I thought maybe I missed an injury, or a rules violation, or a European vacation to find himself, but I couldn’t find a single thing about Tillman last year on or off the field. After watching a defense that struggled week in and week out I would assume all available bodies would have got a rep or three just to see if there was someone who could show some signs of life but Caleb was M.I.A.

If you go back into the early days of this countdown when I covered a few other defensive lineman I discussed the new scheme a bit and described how some of the depth at that position would thin out even more if Brown sticks with a more traditional 3-4 lineup. You don’t have to be a math major to realize that only three players get to play with their hand in the dirt each down and the Cards have a couple guys who will undoubtedly get the vast majority of reps at a couple of those spots. Caleb still has a shot to make his mark here with a couple more seasons of eligibility remaining. Out of high school he had plenty of interest from other Power 5 schools so I think the talent is there. Maybe the staff finds another diamond that had been buried deep in the rough by the previous staff.

Sweet Tweet:

Caleb doesn’t tweet much so check out this video from the football account showcasing some summer workouts. That dance move at the end…I taught them that.

(I did not teach them that)