Hello HOB. Kentucky HC Mark Stoops will be joining us today at approx 10 ET to discuss his new roster going into spring football. Stay tuned for the latest news and notes here…
* Hectic time, Stoops said. Welcoming 31 new players to campus, 20 portal guys, 11 high school guys, had to hit the ground running. Recruiting calendar was different this year, and while we were disappointed we didn’t keep our bowl game streak going, it did give us a chance to really dig in and address this roster.
* The ability to select the right people for your program is vitally important, especially with the portal, because a lot of those guys you are selecting to come in and start or play a lot early.
* Could not be more pleased with the 31 newcomers thus far. Really attacking it in the weight room.
* On player accountability… Without question, you have seen that improve. That was a big priority after what we had last season. We’re establishing that early on, and seeing some good stuff from the players. You want to be player-led.
* On the OL additions… Really stand out. They’re grown men. Some of them have two or three degrees. Some of them are married. Very serious about what they’re doing. They check the boxes athletically. We have depth that we haven’t had in a few years.
* Asked about plans for spring game, Stoops says he wants to do something. There hasn’t been a decision on that yet, but notes that he wants to do something for the fans where they can see the team. They have to think about what that format will be.
* On QB Zach Calzada… You can tell it’s a guy who has played a lot, been around the game for six years. I like the fact that I can put on film and see a ton of reps.
* On the freshman QBs… Feel very good about what they did in HS, but we’ll see.
* On the WRs group… Like the attitude, their toughness. A lot of experience. I think that’s a very good group.
* On the DL… Another spot with good experience and depth that we didn’t have last year.
* Tru Edwards not here yet, working through the NCAA with that. No rhyme or reason sometimes to that approval process.
* On C Evan Wibberley… One of those guys who really developed and matured and developed from high school to where he is now. We got another shot to not miss on him.
* On RB Donte Dowdell… With his size and physical nature, it’s really exciting. I love his maturity.
* On having a second straight year with an OC… Last year was kind of a “what can we do” situation. I think we’ll grow and look different in certain ways. Not going to be a new scheme or anything, but we know more now.
* On TEs… Feel good about who we have, Josh being around for a long time, and the emergence of Willie. Gotta find ways to get them the ball.
* On ILBs… One position that we could use more depth, but we like the quality that we have.
* On revenue sharing… Just working off what we know for a year. We will adapt. We’re in a position to operate for this year (should the judge approve it) and adjust moving forward.
* On staying healthy in spring… We have to protect our players. Had a long talk with S&C team before newcomers reported. Asking a lot of them. We’re pushing it a bit harder this spring.
* We’re gonna get back to being who we are, fundamental and tough.
* I didn’t do a good enough job of teaching and bringing out the leadership a year ago. That will not be the case again.
* On OL Shiyahz Pete… A deep thinker, unique guy. You guys will enjoy getting to know him. Measured in at 6-8 1/4 when he got here. Big dude.
* Last year was not what anyone wanted, and that falls squarely on me. One way or another, it comes back directly on me. There’s a lot of things we need to adapt to. But I could not be more energized and focused and determined to get back to our sustained success that we had. We’re highly motivated. Great energy and juice in the building. Nobody likes the year that we had, but I like where we’re at right now.
* Hectic time, Stoops said. Welcoming 31 new players to campus, 20 portal guys, 11 high school guys, had to hit the ground running. Recruiting calendar was different this year, and while we were disappointed we didn’t keep our bowl game streak going, it did give us a chance to really dig in and address this roster.
* The ability to select the right people for your program is vitally important, especially with the portal, because a lot of those guys you are selecting to come in and start or play a lot early.
* Could not be more pleased with the 31 newcomers thus far. Really attacking it in the weight room.
* On player accountability… Without question, you have seen that improve. That was a big priority after what we had last season. We’re establishing that early on, and seeing some good stuff from the players. You want to be player-led.
* On the OL additions… Really stand out. They’re grown men. Some of them have two or three degrees. Some of them are married. Very serious about what they’re doing. They check the boxes athletically. We have depth that we haven’t had in a few years.
* Asked about plans for spring game, Stoops says he wants to do something. There hasn’t been a decision on that yet, but notes that he wants to do something for the fans where they can see the team. They have to think about what that format will be.
* On QB Zach Calzada… You can tell it’s a guy who has played a lot, been around the game for six years. I like the fact that I can put on film and see a ton of reps.
* On the freshman QBs… Feel very good about what they did in HS, but we’ll see.
* On the WRs group… Like the attitude, their toughness. A lot of experience. I think that’s a very good group.
* On the DL… Another spot with good experience and depth that we didn’t have last year.
* Tru Edwards not here yet, working through the NCAA with that. No rhyme or reason sometimes to that approval process.
* On C Evan Wibberley… One of those guys who really developed and matured and developed from high school to where he is now. We got another shot to not miss on him.
* On RB Donte Dowdell… With his size and physical nature, it’s really exciting. I love his maturity.
* On having a second straight year with an OC… Last year was kind of a “what can we do” situation. I think we’ll grow and look different in certain ways. Not going to be a new scheme or anything, but we know more now.
* On TEs… Feel good about who we have, Josh being around for a long time, and the emergence of Willie. Gotta find ways to get them the ball.
* On ILBs… One position that we could use more depth, but we like the quality that we have.
* On revenue sharing… Just working off what we know for a year. We will adapt. We’re in a position to operate for this year (should the judge approve it) and adjust moving forward.
* On staying healthy in spring… We have to protect our players. Had a long talk with S&C team before newcomers reported. Asking a lot of them. We’re pushing it a bit harder this spring.
* We’re gonna get back to being who we are, fundamental and tough.
* I didn’t do a good enough job of teaching and bringing out the leadership a year ago. That will not be the case again.
* On OL Shiyahz Pete… A deep thinker, unique guy. You guys will enjoy getting to know him. Measured in at 6-8 1/4 when he got here. Big dude.
* Last year was not what anyone wanted, and that falls squarely on me. One way or another, it comes back directly on me. There’s a lot of things we need to adapt to. But I could not be more energized and focused and determined to get back to our sustained success that we had. We’re highly motivated. Great energy and juice in the building. Nobody likes the year that we had, but I like where we’re at right now.
