Good morning, HOB. Back over at the JCFTC today for Day 2 of UK football spring practice. We’ll have DC Brad White and a few select players from that side of the ball joining us today. Practice wraps up at approx 10 ET, so stay tuned for news and notes here…
BRAD WHITE Q&A:
* Love the energy, White said. Older guys are bringing along the young guys, and there’s a bunch of youth. Good thing is, young guys are eager and energetic.
* Want to keep super seniors sharp, but it’s a bigger time for youth development this spring. Just want to keep the older guys sharp. They’re almost like extra coaches out there.
* On D’Eryk Jackson getting momentum at the end of last season… Needed him in those last two games desperately, and it was a testament to his work ethic that he was able to get back that soon.
* On Wright and Weaver being healthy…. You felt the difference when both of them were on the field together. It’s huge.
* “We’ve got a chance to be really good at that (LB) level.”
* Dru Phillips has flashed the first two days at CB. Big progression year for him.
* Mixing and matching a lot in the secondary. Moving guys to different spots, seeing what they can do. (Vito at CB a bit.)
* Exciting time for D-Line with Bully and Paschal moving on. The younger guys kinda sense it’s their time. There’s an energy there because they know they have to play.
* On the early enrollees… It’s fast for them, they’re swimming a bit, but they’re trying. Eager to go. You have to know as a coach it isn’t always going to be clean or right, but it’s going to be fast.
* On Mike Stoops joining the staff… Ton of experience. Getting used to UK terminology. It’s been a smooth transition.
* On Weaver being 100% - The confidence level is sky-high right now. Playing much faster. Talking more. In the past, he would defer to the older guys on the 1s a bit more. He’s more vocal and hyping them up now.
* On the nose… Rodgers and Hayes are main two. Dinkins in there. But Rodgers and Hayes have played a lot of football for the Cats, so it’s good that they have experience under their belt.
* Geiger is brimming with confidence coming off last year, becoming more of a leader. A little odd to look out there and not see/hear Corker, White said, but nice to have Ajian back as super senior in that regard.
DEANDRE SQUARE Q&A:
* On the old guys being coaches on the field... Fun experience. Feels like he's done that for a couple of years now, so it's not new to him. He enjoys helping the young guys try to elevate their game. "They're taking it in like sponges."
* On the Citrus Bowl being a great moment for him and deciding to come back to UK... Thought coming back had "way more pros than cons."
* Asked about looking at the D-Line and not seeing familiar faces like Josh and Bully in front of him... "Definitely different." But it's fun, Square said, because you get to see the next group of talent come on and get their opportunity.
* Mike Stoops is very knowledgeable, Square said. Feels like he can learn a lot from him. The fact that he's worked with both DBs and LBs in the past can help his game grow.
* On the LB room depth... Feels like they can have a good rotation this year. Starters won't have to carry the full load. "In order to win the SEC, you have to have valuable backups and guys who can play a decent amount of snaps."
* Square feels like he gets a lot of respect from the younger players, they really follow his lead.
* On young guys who may jump out at him this spring... Square said it's early, but guys like Wallace and Thrower are close to him in his group, so he's eager to see them grow.
* On the new offense... Similar to the one they had last year, a few wrinkles. After practice, Square said he was going to go watch some San Francisco film to learn more about it. "They throw a lot of stuff at you to try and violate your eyes."
JACQUEZ JONES Q&A:
* Mike Stoops is a mastermind of defense, Jones says. Getting adjusted to UK's communication terms, but has a wealth of knowledge.
* On his decision to come back... A lot left in the tank before he takes it to the next level. Wants to showcase more of his overall game. Never felt like he could play as fast as he wanted to last year. Wants to build on his pass coverage, which improved last season.
* This is a good offense to work on his pass coverage against, Jones said. The tight ends and backs put a lot of pressure on you. "These last two days are the best I've played in coverage by far." But noted it's not easy. TE Keaton Upshaw is back healthy and hard to handle. "He looked like a WR out there." Upshaw beat him on one play, and Jones just had to dap him up. "That's a BIG guy." Said he won't likely face too many TEs that big.
* Big emphasis this spring is getting guys on the D-Line comfortable and ready to contribute. Mentioned Saunders, Anaele, Rodgers, Hayes. "We got you behind it, just hold up so we can make plays. Don't think too much."
* Anaele's name has come up a bit today. Jones said he's seen some good things from him early this spring.
BRAD WHITE Q&A:
* Love the energy, White said. Older guys are bringing along the young guys, and there’s a bunch of youth. Good thing is, young guys are eager and energetic.
* Want to keep super seniors sharp, but it’s a bigger time for youth development this spring. Just want to keep the older guys sharp. They’re almost like extra coaches out there.
* On D’Eryk Jackson getting momentum at the end of last season… Needed him in those last two games desperately, and it was a testament to his work ethic that he was able to get back that soon.
* On Wright and Weaver being healthy…. You felt the difference when both of them were on the field together. It’s huge.
* “We’ve got a chance to be really good at that (LB) level.”
* Dru Phillips has flashed the first two days at CB. Big progression year for him.
* Mixing and matching a lot in the secondary. Moving guys to different spots, seeing what they can do. (Vito at CB a bit.)
* Exciting time for D-Line with Bully and Paschal moving on. The younger guys kinda sense it’s their time. There’s an energy there because they know they have to play.
* On the early enrollees… It’s fast for them, they’re swimming a bit, but they’re trying. Eager to go. You have to know as a coach it isn’t always going to be clean or right, but it’s going to be fast.
* On Mike Stoops joining the staff… Ton of experience. Getting used to UK terminology. It’s been a smooth transition.
* On Weaver being 100% - The confidence level is sky-high right now. Playing much faster. Talking more. In the past, he would defer to the older guys on the 1s a bit more. He’s more vocal and hyping them up now.
* On the nose… Rodgers and Hayes are main two. Dinkins in there. But Rodgers and Hayes have played a lot of football for the Cats, so it’s good that they have experience under their belt.
* Geiger is brimming with confidence coming off last year, becoming more of a leader. A little odd to look out there and not see/hear Corker, White said, but nice to have Ajian back as super senior in that regard.
DEANDRE SQUARE Q&A:
* On the old guys being coaches on the field... Fun experience. Feels like he's done that for a couple of years now, so it's not new to him. He enjoys helping the young guys try to elevate their game. "They're taking it in like sponges."
* On the Citrus Bowl being a great moment for him and deciding to come back to UK... Thought coming back had "way more pros than cons."
* Asked about looking at the D-Line and not seeing familiar faces like Josh and Bully in front of him... "Definitely different." But it's fun, Square said, because you get to see the next group of talent come on and get their opportunity.
* Mike Stoops is very knowledgeable, Square said. Feels like he can learn a lot from him. The fact that he's worked with both DBs and LBs in the past can help his game grow.
* On the LB room depth... Feels like they can have a good rotation this year. Starters won't have to carry the full load. "In order to win the SEC, you have to have valuable backups and guys who can play a decent amount of snaps."
* Square feels like he gets a lot of respect from the younger players, they really follow his lead.
* On young guys who may jump out at him this spring... Square said it's early, but guys like Wallace and Thrower are close to him in his group, so he's eager to see them grow.
* On the new offense... Similar to the one they had last year, a few wrinkles. After practice, Square said he was going to go watch some San Francisco film to learn more about it. "They throw a lot of stuff at you to try and violate your eyes."
JACQUEZ JONES Q&A:
* Mike Stoops is a mastermind of defense, Jones says. Getting adjusted to UK's communication terms, but has a wealth of knowledge.
* On his decision to come back... A lot left in the tank before he takes it to the next level. Wants to showcase more of his overall game. Never felt like he could play as fast as he wanted to last year. Wants to build on his pass coverage, which improved last season.
* This is a good offense to work on his pass coverage against, Jones said. The tight ends and backs put a lot of pressure on you. "These last two days are the best I've played in coverage by far." But noted it's not easy. TE Keaton Upshaw is back healthy and hard to handle. "He looked like a WR out there." Upshaw beat him on one play, and Jones just had to dap him up. "That's a BIG guy." Said he won't likely face too many TEs that big.
* Big emphasis this spring is getting guys on the D-Line comfortable and ready to contribute. Mentioned Saunders, Anaele, Rodgers, Hayes. "We got you behind it, just hold up so we can make plays. Don't think too much."
* Anaele's name has come up a bit today. Jones said he's seen some good things from him early this spring.
