Last season, one of the pleasant surprises on the Kentucky football roster was the emergence of Chris Westry, a three-star cornerback out of Orange Park, Florida.

Originally committed to Auburn, UK flipped his commitment after cornerback Jeremiah Dinson spurned the Cats for the Tigers. At the time, Dinson’s loss hurt a depleted cornerback group, but many fans felt the addition of Westry was an acceptable consolation prize.

Not many people were expecting Westry to take the strides he did in his first year playing.

Almost from the get-go, he earned a good chunk of playing time based on length and raw talent alone. When he more than held his own against productive SEC receivers, head coach Mark Stoops and staff gave him the reigns to lead the secondary as a true freshman, and he took that responsibility in stride. 

During the Blue-White scrimmage back in spring, Westry built upon last year’s success by locking down every Kentucky receiver that came in his path. He swatted away a beautifully thrown ball lofted toward the right sideline intended for Tavin Richardson causing an eruption throughout the audience, just one of numerous incredible efforts by the soon-to-be sophomore.

Throughout the entire scrimmage, he failed to give up even one completion, and frankly, none of them were even close to landing in the opposing receivers’ mits. He was one of the most dominant players on the field, and showed unbelievable promise for the upcoming 2016 season. 

Now, with people expecting a lot of him in his second year, Westry is ready to surprise fans yet again.

“Honestly, if people continue to sleep on me, that’s just what they do, but I’m not worried about it,” Westry said. “I just know Monday through Friday, I come to work just to show what I can do on Saturday, and I just want to continue being the best player I can possibly be.” 

What could his on-field production look like from a statistical standpoint?

“I’d really like to get at least 30 tackles, 10-12 pass-breakups, and three or four picks.” 

Westry was one of the biggest surprises on the team last season, but he still has a lot to prove. He doesn’t plan on stopping at “best cornerback on the roster” anytime soon. He has aspirations to headline the conference as the league’s best corner, and then eventually the nation as a whole.

It may take a while, but Westry definitely has the talent and drive to get there.