UK Football Player Preview: Darius West poised for strong senior season

The 2018 football season for the Kentucky Wildcats will be headlined by many names. Two in-particular, though, will be Mike Edwards and Darius West. West, specifically, will start alongside Edwards at the FS position. Here’s why you should be thrilled he’s in Kentucky’s secondary.

Darius West

Position: Free Safety

Measurements: 6’0, 210 pounds

Hometown: Lima, Ohio

School: Lima Central Catholic

Recruit Ranking: No. 230 player, No. 17 S (247Sports)

West is coming off a junior season of which he totaled 85 tackles, an interception and two forced fumbles in all 13 games for the Wildcats.

West is exceptional when it comes to roaming the field. His range provides a huge boost to the Wildcats’ defense.

Here’s West flying in to pick off a ball thrown by Florida quarterback Luke Del Rio last fall in Lexington.

West is great in coverage but also knows how to hit the opposition.

Here’s West dislodging the ball on a huge tackle that lead to a defensive touchdown.

While Edwards grabs the headlines and the attention in the locker room, West has snuck behind the scenes due to battling back from four crucial injuries. Two in high school and two in college have set quite the comeback path for West.

However, nothing has held him back.

Maybe that’s why he's one of Mark Stoops’s most prized recruits. Maybe that’s why his teammates always seem to rally around his dog-mentality.

Here’s CB Chris Westry on what it means to have West on the field.

Whatever keeps West going sure paid off, as he suited up for every possible game in the 2017 season.

Hungry for more football, West came back to Kentucky for his senior season to lead the back-end of the Wildcats’ secondary alongside Edwards and the cornerback duo of Derrick Baity and Lonnie Johnson Sr.

While the odds makers are projecting a rough season for Kentucky (5.5 wins), that number will definitely go over if West and his fellow Cats have anything to say about it.