Former Paducah Tilghman standout Martels Carter is being used at safety and running back this spring. (Larry Vaught Photo)
New Kentucky safeties coach Josh Christian-Young likes what he has seen from his players during spring practice.
“It’s a really smart group of people. I love those guys at safety. A lot of them have experience at different levels of ball, but they’re all really smart,” Christian-Young said after Thursday’s practice. “I’ve been impressed with the football IQ and the ability to handle a lot of stuff.
“We’re not just sitting back and playing one call. We’ve got multiple coverages, multiple things we do, different techniques within those, different blitzes. So this group has been really smart.”
Both Christian-Young and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman both knew retaining safety Ty Bryant for his senior season was a priority when they joined Will Stein’s coaching staff. But Christian-Young believes he has a “lot of really good players” in his position group.
“Ty, Jordan (Castell), Cyrus Reyes is another guy that’s played a lot of football. Jesse Anderson is having a really good spring so far. Dyllon Williams, he’s another young guy that redshirted last year that’s super talented, that’s got tremendous upside,” Christian-Young said.
“Jaden Smith is another guy who I think is a little underrated in that room. He’s been hurt but he’s getting out there more and more and more. There’s a lot of depth in that room and I’m really excited to see how the competition plays out.”
He also likes the athleticism and versatility that redshirt freshman Martels Carter of Paducah Tilghman adds. He was one of UK’s top signees last season but was limited to four games in 2025 to preserve his redshirt season.
Carter, the No. 6 safety in his recruiting class, was also an explosive receiver and offensive threat at Paducah Tilghman who admitted he would like to play both ways in college when he signed with Kentucky.This spring he’s getting that chance.
“He’s doing a little bit of both for us right now. He’s playing a little bit of offense, a little bit of defense. He’s returning kicks. The good part of Martels is he didn’t really flinch. ‘Alright, Coach. What can I do for Kentucky?’” Christian-Young said.
While Carter mainly played receiver in high school, Kentucky is using him at running back this spring in part because transfer running backs C.J. Baxter and Jayontae Barnes both are coming off injuries at their previous schools so Carter could be playing running back as a precautionary measure.
Carter had 43 receptions for 1,066 yards and 13 touchdowns, ran for three touchdowns and had six scores on special teams as a high school junior. His senior year he had three interceptions and nine touchdowns on offense and in the state title game he had nine catches for 169 yards to earn game MVP honors.
