By Will Marshall and Hank Rippetoe
Adrian Middleton DT
South Warren High School
Bowling Green, KY
Kentucky beat out Louisville for Middleton's services. He committed over the summer, and after a strong senior year in which he anchored Kentucky's best high school defense statistically, would likely have ended up fielding more offers. He was recruited by Neal Brown and D.J. Eliot. His vitals are 6' 3" and 275 lbs. Middleton was one of the five best players in Kentucky last year, and was a great in-state pick-up for the program.
Middleton recently stated that the coaches intend to move him to defensive end when he gets to Lexington which was surprising to me given his speed which suggests Kentucky's defense will play multiple looks next season. Regardless of whether he plays defensive tackle or defensive end, Middleton may end up redshirting this year. Physically, he appears ready to play immediately as he looks to carry good weight on his 6' 3'' frame, but he may need a year to refine his technique and fundamentals, especially if he is sitting on the depth chart behind Bud Dupree, Za'Darius Smith, and Jason Hatcher. In the future, Middleton will add quality depth to a defensive line that is poised to be SEC quality in two to three years.