Chris Rodriguez

The Rodriguez hype is mounting with his main competition for carries, AJ Rose, off to the NFL and Kentucky’s new offensive coordinator being quoted as viewing Rodriguez as a 20-touch per-game player. Rodriguez’s production warrants a workload bump; he has averaged 6.9 YPC over his last two seasons with 17 touchdowns. The unknown is his pass-catching ability as he has just two catches in that span. Even if that doesn’t spike dramatically, Rodriguez is primed to have one of the biggest workloads in the SEC and his track record suggests he’ll thrive with the added volume.

Rodriguez will compete with Kavosiey Smoke for touches behind starter A.J. Rose. Both are redshirt freshmen who got only a small taste of action while Benny Snell was still running the show at running back for the Wildcats in 2018. Snell is off to the NFL, though, leaving touches aplenty for Rose and the remaining stable of running backs. Rodriguez and Smoke have a bit more weight to throw around than Rose, meaning one could even serve as a goal line back if Rose breaks down or needs an extra breather.