April 30, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Former University of Kentucky football stars, Anthony Mosley, Matt Roark, Ronnie Sneed and Ryan Tydlacka, have signed as undrafted free agents to begin their dreams of playing in the National Football League.
Mosley agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers; Roark signs with the New England Patriots; Sneed will join the Detroit Lions; Tydlacka will head to the Philadelphia Eagles organization. Their signings followed the NFL Draft, which featured safety Winston Guy and linebacker Danny Trevathan being taken in the sixth round by Seattle and Denver, respectively.
“Playing in the NFL is something few people get to experience so I am extremely excited that these four players are going to get their chance,” UK head coach Joker Phillips said. “With Winston and Danny being drafted over the weekend we now have six guys from last year headed to the NFL. I look forward to seeing their continued development as they live out their dream.”
Mosley had a nice 2011 season for Kentucky, earning 27 tackles and five pass breakups in 12 games. The native of Ellenwood, Ga., ended the season with the second-most pass breakups on the team, helping Kentucky rank in the top 25 in pass defense most of the season. Mosley’s best game statistically came at South Carolina, where he earned a career-best nine tackles, including a tackle for loss. The cornerback finished his career with 63 tackles in 30 career games with his lone interception being the game-clincher in the win over South Carolina in 2010.
Roark had a fantastic ending to the 2011 season, leading Kentucky to its first win over rival Tennessee in 27 years. Roark started at quarterback in the game for the first time collegiately, rushing 24 times for 124 yards for the win. Before the win, Roark had developed into a key part of UK’s wide receiving corps, making 36 receptions for 349 yards and a touchdown. The native of Acworth, Ga., had back-to-back solid games against Mississippi State and Ole Miss, recording 116 receiving yards in both games. Roark spent a lot of time during his career on special teams, tying a school record for most blocked kicks in a career with seven, and he proved to be an adept tackler in kick coverage.
Sneed performed extremely well at the linebacker position for Kentucky in his final two seasons. The native of Tallahassee, Fla., played in 42 career games for UK, making 25 consecutive starts to end his career. Sneed finished his career with 148 tackles, including 133 tackles in his junior and senior seasons. During the 2011 season, Sneed had 71 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. His career-best game came this season at LSU, where he earned 11 tackles against the No. 1 team in the nation.
Tydlacka, a native of Louisville, Ky., ranked fourth in the SEC by averaging 43.6 yards per punt in 2011. His outstanding hangtime and punt placement helped UK rank second in the league last season in net punting with 39.6 net yards per punt. Tydlacka had 20 punts of at least 50 yards during the season, leading the SEC in that category, and he also placed 19 punts within the 20-yard line. He was named second-team All-SEC by Rivals.com.
Tydlacka was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week in his final game as a Wildcat, the 10-7 win over Tennessee. With field position at a premium for that game, Tydlacka kept Tennessee backed up all day long, as the Volunteers did not begin a drive outside their 30-yard line the entire game. He punted nine times that day for a 43.6-yard average and his placement and hangtime did not allow UT to return a punt.
For more information on the Kentucky football team, visit UKathletics.com or follow “UKFootball” on Twitter.
