Kelvin Joseph’s nine-game career at Kentucky was a mixed bag full of both frustrating mistakes and glimpses of greatness. The former top-50 recruit and LSU transfer started off jawing at wide receivers and then getting burned for touchdowns in two losses to open the Wildcats’ season. He ended his time in Lexington by opting out of the last two games. In between those disappointing bookends, though, Joseph strung together several games in which he looked like a first-round pick.
The 6-foot, 197-pound cornerback from Baton Rouge, who had just 12 tackles for the Tigers as a freshman in 2018 and sat out at UK in 2019, intercepted four passes (against Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi State) in a six-game stretch. He returned one of those for a touchdown. Joseph’s individual grade against the Crimson Tide was higher than any corner the national champs faced last season, per Pro Football Focus.
