By Nick Gray

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Before freshmen Matt Elam and Ryan Timmons made UK a trendy pick among highly-touted recruits, sophomore Marcus McWilson did so first on Jan. 29, 2013.

McWilson, of Youngstown, Ohio, was the first four-star recruit from whom head coach Mark Stoops coaxed a commitment in his first months at the helm at UK.

The decision came after he decommitted from Nebraska, where recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow recruited him as a junior. When Marrow came to Lexington, McWilson followed.

“I’ve enjoyed campus so far, and last year was a learning experience,” McWilson said. “It’s the Southeastern Conference, though. We play against the best.”

McWilson played in eight games last season as a backup to fellow sophomore cornerback Blake McClain at the nickel in UK’s 4-2-5 defense as well as on special teams.

Stoops mentioned McWilson’s progress during media day. But the difficulty for McWilson will be a glut of mostly unheralded young players on the team, like freshmen Darius West, Kendall Randolph and sophomores J.D. Harmon, Jaleel Hytchye and McClain.

“I just keep working and try to become the best player I can be,” McWilson said. “Everything else will take care of itself.”

Stoops and defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot pointed toward the seconda­­ry’s struggles last season, an issue that lingered from the defenses of ex-defensive coordinator Rick Minter under then-head coach Joker Phillips.

Aside from the one lone interception the Cats grabbed last year, UK allowed 8.21 yards per pass attempt last season (last in the SEC), which tells a different story from the No. 65 ranking in passing yards allowed that is in the middle of the pack in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

“We had several opportunities last year the same way; when you have an opportunity to make an interception, you have to make it,” Stoops said. “That’s a big difference in winning and losing games and we did have one of those (in an early August practice) where we had a clear interception and dropped it.”

McWilson wants the opportunity to change that.

“I know if I keep working, I will get that opportunity,” he said. “What happens from there is up to me.”