Had so much going on that I didn't post any of this in the immediate aftermath, but here's what Stoops and Shannon Dawson had to say today.
Mark Stoops
Opening statement:
Good second day. Felt like we made a little progress here in our second day of spring practice. Guys had good energy for a Monday morning, came out and had a real good practice. Still obviously got a lot of work to do, but overall pleased, pleased with their attitude, their effort. Playing a little bit cleaner. There weren't as many footballs on the ground today and execution was a touch better. Just overall pleased with the effort. Continuing to get better and work hard.
On if Drew Barker went with the first team today as scheduled:
He did. He did. Shannon's (Dawson) coming in here in a little bit and he can talk a little bit about what he's seen so far, but both guys have done some very good things and have a lot of talent, so it will be good to see how the rest of the spring goes.
On special teams and not having coordinator:
It just felt like with the four defensive coaches, we have five on offense, four on defense and I didn't want to put the entire load on our fourth defensive coach. So Andy will take the punt and kickoff and obviously they're all important ad we're working extremely hard in those two units right now -- really worked punt the first two days. So that's where we're at with that. We'll have some of our other assistants handle some of the other special teams.
On if Jeff Badet and Alex Montgomery can get something from their redshirt years:
Yeah, I think so; I hope so. I think obviously they're a year older, more mature, physically better. Certainly a guy like Jeff who came in and played as a true freshman had a chance to go back in that weight room and just physically grow up a little bit. Alex has always had pretty good speed and pretty good size, so I think it helped them in certain ways.
On if he's seeing how much UK missed those guys last year:
You know, with the injury report as I went over Saturday with having some of the wide receivers down, it's important. In the spring you're getting so many reps and you're looking at everybody, and you need so many bodies. We are a little bit thin, so it is nice to have them back.
On if they seem close to 100 percent physically:
They'll be fine. Jeff seems like there's nothing restricting him at all. Alex, just little things. Being out that long, his other leg maybe, he had a little issue with his other leg. We backed off of him today. So he'll be fine. Nothing with the surgically repaired knee or anything like that. But there's going to be some issues we have to work through. We have a lot of time, it's just good to see them out there and working through it.
On if this spring feels any different than last:
Sure it's different. It's just another year in the program. As we would expect, just more progress, more bodies, a little bit cleaner, more efficient in what we're doing. We're certainly further ahead than we were day two last spring, but we should be, and that's good to see.
On changes for offense with new coordinator:
It does. A little bit, sure. Just with the communication and the operation of practice and our guys get used to it a little bit. For the most part a lot of the plays are the same, but there are certainly some different effects in the operation and the communication.
On if there's a three-day install on this offense like the previous one:
Same. Same deal. All these guys, they fell out of the same tree.
On what coaches wanted to see from Boom Williams in the offseason and what they're seeing:
Boom is growing and maturing and just like any true freshman in their first year of school, he has strides to make and he knows that. Just all the little things it takes to be a successful player on the field and off. He's got a good attitude and he's working hard and doing the right things, but he needs to continue to do that and be consistent in what he's doing off the field in particular with academics and so on and so forth.
On where leadership comes from on defensive side of the ball with guys like Bud Dupree gone:
We've got a lot of guys who have played. Josh (Forrest) has played an awful lot of football. Melvin (Lewis) has played an awful lot of football and just as a unit, I think we're probably ahead of where we were even though we lost some great players. I just think overall when you look at the 22 guys in the two-deep, I just feel like we're a little bit more efficient at this point.
On Dupree's NFL Combine performance and what Stoops thought of it:
I've just been very proud for Bud because he's, it's great for us, here we are in our second year leading into our third season and it's nice for us to show that to our players because he's a guy who came in and said, 'What do I need to do? What do I need to eat? How do I need to train?' (He) watched extra film. He was a great leader. Once Avery (Williamson) left, it was nice to see him assume that position, which wasn't extremely comfortable for him and he did it. He's just a guy we're all very proud of. He's worked extremely hard. He deserves everything he gets. And so it will be fun. I understand there's some head coaches coming in Thursday to see his workout, so he's getting a lot of attention and deservedly so.
On position changes this spring:
Give or take a few things with moving some receivers around inside and out and things like that. Nothing major, I can't think of.
On what Jojo Kemp needs to do to get back into rotation:
He will. He will get back in the fold and we need him. You know I've always talked highly of him really all the time. I love his attitude and his demeanor. He's been very good. He brings a toughness and an energy that you need and so he has worked his way back in the mix and he will continue to do that.
On what changed for Kemp:
I don't know. It's hard to put a finger on things. Maybe guys aren't feeling as good as they were and those running backs take a beating. He's certainly had some feet and ankle issues over the years. Sometimes he appears to be more effective than others, but that's no different than a lot of kids. When you go through a tough season, it's hard to be at your top and when you have other good players that maybe have a little more bounce in their step at the moment, that's who we have to go with.
Mark Stoops
Opening statement:
Good second day. Felt like we made a little progress here in our second day of spring practice. Guys had good energy for a Monday morning, came out and had a real good practice. Still obviously got a lot of work to do, but overall pleased, pleased with their attitude, their effort. Playing a little bit cleaner. There weren't as many footballs on the ground today and execution was a touch better. Just overall pleased with the effort. Continuing to get better and work hard.
On if Drew Barker went with the first team today as scheduled:
He did. He did. Shannon's (Dawson) coming in here in a little bit and he can talk a little bit about what he's seen so far, but both guys have done some very good things and have a lot of talent, so it will be good to see how the rest of the spring goes.
On special teams and not having coordinator:
It just felt like with the four defensive coaches, we have five on offense, four on defense and I didn't want to put the entire load on our fourth defensive coach. So Andy will take the punt and kickoff and obviously they're all important ad we're working extremely hard in those two units right now -- really worked punt the first two days. So that's where we're at with that. We'll have some of our other assistants handle some of the other special teams.
On if Jeff Badet and Alex Montgomery can get something from their redshirt years:
Yeah, I think so; I hope so. I think obviously they're a year older, more mature, physically better. Certainly a guy like Jeff who came in and played as a true freshman had a chance to go back in that weight room and just physically grow up a little bit. Alex has always had pretty good speed and pretty good size, so I think it helped them in certain ways.
On if he's seeing how much UK missed those guys last year:
You know, with the injury report as I went over Saturday with having some of the wide receivers down, it's important. In the spring you're getting so many reps and you're looking at everybody, and you need so many bodies. We are a little bit thin, so it is nice to have them back.
On if they seem close to 100 percent physically:
They'll be fine. Jeff seems like there's nothing restricting him at all. Alex, just little things. Being out that long, his other leg maybe, he had a little issue with his other leg. We backed off of him today. So he'll be fine. Nothing with the surgically repaired knee or anything like that. But there's going to be some issues we have to work through. We have a lot of time, it's just good to see them out there and working through it.
On if this spring feels any different than last:
Sure it's different. It's just another year in the program. As we would expect, just more progress, more bodies, a little bit cleaner, more efficient in what we're doing. We're certainly further ahead than we were day two last spring, but we should be, and that's good to see.
On changes for offense with new coordinator:
It does. A little bit, sure. Just with the communication and the operation of practice and our guys get used to it a little bit. For the most part a lot of the plays are the same, but there are certainly some different effects in the operation and the communication.
On if there's a three-day install on this offense like the previous one:
Same. Same deal. All these guys, they fell out of the same tree.
On what coaches wanted to see from Boom Williams in the offseason and what they're seeing:
Boom is growing and maturing and just like any true freshman in their first year of school, he has strides to make and he knows that. Just all the little things it takes to be a successful player on the field and off. He's got a good attitude and he's working hard and doing the right things, but he needs to continue to do that and be consistent in what he's doing off the field in particular with academics and so on and so forth.
On where leadership comes from on defensive side of the ball with guys like Bud Dupree gone:
We've got a lot of guys who have played. Josh (Forrest) has played an awful lot of football. Melvin (Lewis) has played an awful lot of football and just as a unit, I think we're probably ahead of where we were even though we lost some great players. I just think overall when you look at the 22 guys in the two-deep, I just feel like we're a little bit more efficient at this point.
On Dupree's NFL Combine performance and what Stoops thought of it:
I've just been very proud for Bud because he's, it's great for us, here we are in our second year leading into our third season and it's nice for us to show that to our players because he's a guy who came in and said, 'What do I need to do? What do I need to eat? How do I need to train?' (He) watched extra film. He was a great leader. Once Avery (Williamson) left, it was nice to see him assume that position, which wasn't extremely comfortable for him and he did it. He's just a guy we're all very proud of. He's worked extremely hard. He deserves everything he gets. And so it will be fun. I understand there's some head coaches coming in Thursday to see his workout, so he's getting a lot of attention and deservedly so.
On position changes this spring:
Give or take a few things with moving some receivers around inside and out and things like that. Nothing major, I can't think of.
On what Jojo Kemp needs to do to get back into rotation:
He will. He will get back in the fold and we need him. You know I've always talked highly of him really all the time. I love his attitude and his demeanor. He's been very good. He brings a toughness and an energy that you need and so he has worked his way back in the mix and he will continue to do that.
On what changed for Kemp:
I don't know. It's hard to put a finger on things. Maybe guys aren't feeling as good as they were and those running backs take a beating. He's certainly had some feet and ankle issues over the years. Sometimes he appears to be more effective than others, but that's no different than a lot of kids. When you go through a tough season, it's hard to be at your top and when you have other good players that maybe have a little more bounce in their step at the moment, that's who we have to go with.
