Anthony Mosley says he’s always had a knack for talking and leading, but at first glance he doesn’t portray an image of a guy who can hold a room with a speech.He’s as articulate as anyone on the football team and speaks with a certain poise, confidence and thoughtfulness of a player everyone has labeled as one of the leaders on this year’s Kentucky football team, but there’s also a sense of humbleness and coyness you don’t see with a lot of other vocal leaders.Apparently he’s just being polite.Word out of UK football camp this summer is that Mosley has matured into the voice of the Kentucky defense. On a unit that features the Southeastern Conference’s leading tackler, Danny Trevathan, and a potential pro in Winston Guy, it’s actually Mosley who has evolved into the vocal leader of the defense. “What he’s done a great job in is he’s really taken ownership in being a senior,” said Steve Brown, co-defensive coordinator and Mosley’s position coach in the secondary. “He’s done a great job in the offseason in keeping people accountable. Players from Danny Trevathan on down listen to him and adhere to him because he walks the walk and talks the talk.”Mosley still isn’t what Brown describes a “rah-rah” guy in practice – although he will call a guy out if the situation asks for it – but he has been one of the leaders during a positive offseason of development who has held players accountable in the weight room, made sure guys show up to meetings on time and mentored some of the young additions. If Mosley doesn’t like what he sees or thinks one of his teammates can do something differently to help the team, he’s usually one of the first ones to pull a player to the side and respectfully let him know about it.”We have a lot of guys that can lead in different ways, especially on the field,” said Mosley, a senior cornerback. “Off the field I just want to make sure everybody knows how to do it right and knows how to do it the Kentucky way, the way I learned when I got here. I just want to make sure we do it correctly off the field all the time.”Perhaps it’s no coincidence then that Mosley has aspirations of going into politics in the future. A community communications and leadership development graduate who plans on getting his master’s this year, Mosley hopes to one day work in the White House as the head of communications. Mosley says he would like to be in a position where he can talk about the issues because he likes doing interviews and answering questions, a rare quality for a player at his age.”As a young guy I really liked to talk,” Mosley said. “I really like to share my feelings and open up. I always try to be professional. As I got to college and picked a major, I realized that I can talk and lead professionally.” For the last couple of years, Mosley has certainly looked the part of a politician. On a camp roster with more than 100 different player personalities, Mosley, despite his quiet nature, is arguably the most polished and humble speaker in interviews with the media.But following a disappointing 6-7 season last year, Mosley took it upon himself this offseason to become a more vocal presence in the locker room to ensure that his final year at UK would put the Wildcat program back on the winning track.”I think he’s blossoming as a man, but it’s really something that, because it’s his last hurrah and his last year, he’s made the decision to step up,” Brown said. “He could have not played this year because he has his degree already, but he wanted to come back and play his senior year. He decided if he was going to do it, he was going to do it 100 percent the right way.”Mosley’s rise to senior leader has come out of the blue. The Ellenwood, Ga., native didn’t even begin playing football until his junior year in high school when Tucker High School coaches saw how fast he was and convinced him to try to sport.Head coach Joker Phillips recruited Mosley to Kentucky as a wide receiver, but he was switched to cornerback in the spring of 2008 after Brown was exposed to Mosley’s footwork. Brown saw potential in Mosley as a defensive back, but he only played in five games with a tackle and a pass breakup through his sophomore year.Quite honestly, a rather large contingent of UK fans didn’t even know who Mosley was until he made arguably the biggest play of the 2010 season when he snared an interception in the end zone in the closing seconds of Kentucky’s upset of No. 10 South Carolina. By year’s end, Mosley played in all 13 games with 12 starts and finished the season second on the team in pass breakups and seventh with 34 tackles. As a senior, he’s been locked into one of the starting cornerback positions. “It’s my last year to make a change on the program, to try to get to a better season, so I’m really excited to get started and get ready for the season,” said Mosley, who credits much of his development to former UK cornerbacks Trevard Lindley and David Jones.Looking back at last year, Mosley played at less than 170 pounds, a weight that wasn’t conducive for a Southeastern Conference defender. On one occasion last season, when Mosley walked into a room full of reporters, several media members wondered if Mosley had an SEC-caliber body.Now, after an offseason with strength and conditioning coach Rock Oliver, Mosley has filled out and is up to what he says is around 185 pounds (UK’s fact book lists him at 178). The added strength, most noticeably to his arms, should bolster his efforts in the rugged SEC.”It certainly helps,” Mosley said. “It just makes you feel a little more confident, especially when you’re pressing in coverage and tackling and wrapping up.”Mosley is one of a number of veterans in one of the most experienced secondary units in the league. Opposite of Mosley is two-year starter Randall Burden, senior Taiedo Smith is slated to get the starting spot at free safety, and Guy, a three-year safety who has been converted to a hybrid linebacker position, will still be utilized in pass coverage in certain Rick Minter schemes.The only starter with question marks is junior Martavius Neloms, and those concerns are only prompted because Neloms is making a position change from cornerback to safety. The coaching staff believes his hard-hitting mentality aligns more as a safety, plus he still has the pass-defending skills as a corner.”It kind of fits his nature a bit,” Brown said. “He’s a visional kid. He’s a guy that probably has the body type and movement skills of a really good safety. He definitely has the mentality of a safety and maybe a linebacker. We’ve just got to continue to bring him along. He’s only been through a spring with us doing this so we’ve still got to bring him along and watch his progress, but he’s doing some really good things.”Developing depth is Brown’s camp priority, but that shouldn’t be a problem with veterans Mychal Bailey, Cartier Rice, Josh Gibbs, Dale Trimble and the talented Jarrell Priester in the mix.”The starting four are pretty good, but we can’t just have four starters,” Brown said. “We’ve got to get at least eight guys that can play because, in this conference and this game, one play and you’re on to the next guy. We’re trying to get everyone ready to play and see where the cards fall.”UK will also welcome newcomers Eric Dixon, Daylen Hall and Ashely Lowery into the fold, but the freshman with the best chance to make an immediate impact is four-star signee Glenn Faulkner.Ranked the No. 1 prospect in Illinois and the No. 8 safety in the country by Rivals.com, Faulkner joined the program as the gem of the 2011 class. The 6-foot-2, 194-pound defensive back is a little behind to start camp because he arrived on campus late, but there’s little disputing the talents of a player who totaled 123 tackles and seven interceptions in his final two years in high school. Phillips said Friday that talent can overcome experience any day when talking about Faulkner’s chances to come in and play right away. The coaches believe he has that ability. “That’s why we recruited him,” Brown said. “He has a chance to be pretty good. It’s just a matter of learning what to do and letting his talents shine. He has to be comfortable to play fast.”