Hello HOB. Greetings from a beautiful, sun-splashed 70-degree Saturday in Lexington. The Cats are wrapping up spring practice No. 6 of 15 today, and we’ll have Mark Stoops joining us to talk about their progress at approx 2 ET. Stay tuned for the latest news and notes…
MARK STOOPS Q&A:
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QB BROCK VANDAGRIFF:
* Offense moving faster. A bunch of no-huddle. Getting lined up fast. Good to see how they're handling that.
* On the change at OC with him coming in... As long as they weren't going to triple-option (laughs) he was good with it because he trusted Stoops and liked all the talent they had on the offensive side of the ball.
* Really likes the new offense. Respects Hamdan a lot. He tells you directly what he wants.
* WRs really getting open, and protection has been great. All he's had to do is get it to them. Anthony Brown-Stephens has been doing really well, had a great day today. Makes my job a lot easier.
* On what fans will notice with the pace of play... Thinks fans will see a big difference. Eli Cox told him the other day that it felt almost too fast. Brock told him, man, this is just normal no-huddle. (laughs) Some of UK's vets may have just gotten used to that snail's pace.
* Helmet communicator has been "sweet." Likes it a lot. Nice not to have to look over to the sidelines constantly for signals and all the decoy stuff.
* On entering a spring/summer as the likely starting QB... Doesn't feel too different. You had to work hard at UGA, even if you weren't expected to be the starter. He's used to it. Only so much time you get in the spring, so you have to work hard and take advantage of it.
* On the TEs he's working with now after having elite TEs at UGA... Good room. rotating a bunch. Big and physical. Doing great in blocking and catching.
* On the RBs... Did some simulated 3rd down stuff today where they actually got in the huddle and said it's 3rd and 2, gotta get it, run power, and they converted. Good to see. O-Line is moving people up front.
* Asked if Hamdan's offense is similar to what he ran at Georgia or what Liam was going to run... Similar to UGA, he says. Everyone has a lot of the same concepts. Not a huge transition. Easy to grasp. Only thing that sucked was studying Liam's playbook pretty deep, then having it all change. "I coulda been doing a lot of other stuff." (laughs) But if he's fortunate enough to play in the league someday, he'll have some of that additional background.
*****
CB MAXWELL HAIRSTON:
* On the WR group and what he sees from them... Getting better every day. Loves going against them because they help him improve his game. Everyone knows Barion Brown and Dane Key, but Fred Farrior has been a nice addition. Really runs good routes.
* On young corners getting thrust into action late in the season and building off of that... Having some bad things in your mouth can push you to work even harder that next season. That's what he's seen happening. Likes what he's seeing from Jantzen Dunn. He's bringing great energy.
* Brock Vandagriff is going to put the ball in some places you didn't think he can.
* On the no-huddle pace the offense is using... Could help them prepare for people they face during the season who run a lot of high-tempo offense.
* Enjoys being in more of a leadership/mentor role to the younger guys like guys did for him when he first got to UK.
* Loves seeing what Dru Phillips did at the NFL Combine and Pro Day. Put in the work, and it's paying off. Turning heads. He's getting what he deserves.
* On how a 7-win season doesn't feel satisfying here anymore... Want to build off last season. The stuff that prevented them from winning more than 7 last year, they've really focused on in the off-season. The margin for error is so small in the SEC. You have to stay composed and finish.
MARK STOOPS Q&A:
- Likes where they’re at. Really putting in a lot of good work two weeks into it. Appreciate it as a head coach. Attitude is great, taking coaching well. Told the team after today’s workout that 90% of their issues last season came down to fundamental things at critical times.
- There's a fine line in the spring when you're working with a new OC once again and need to put stuff in. Likes the window dressing that Bush Hamdan and the offense has thrown at them. Makes it hard for the defense. Stronger up front. Definitely have playmakers.
- Looking for refinement over the last 2+ weeks they have remaining.
- Some depth challenges up front on D. Sounds like maybe a couple of injuries they’re dealing with and off-season surgeries where guys aren't available.
- We've got some really good players, just need to put it all together.
- Very enthusiastic, confident bunch. Have the leadership and culture aspects in place, and those guys are helping the new guys understand what it's all about. It’s been fun to see as a coach.
- Farrior is a productive guy. They needed that kind of depth in the WR room. Pleased with how he's playing.
- Night and day with tempo compared to last year. No comparison. Much more efficient, even though they're learning new terminology.
- On downhill running… Have to practice that way to be more physical. Really haven't changed that over the years, but you have to stress it. Wolf is bringing some juice to that. Had one guy say Wolf is wearing us out. (laughs)
- More consistency, maturity from Barion Brown, the little details. Getting the ball downfield a lot more this spring, and he's a big part of that. Stoops likes that, but not so much as a defensive coach. Ha. Taking coaching well, attention to detail. Those are the things, when you're as talented as he is, that wind up making the difference.
- Gadson progressing well on DL. Getting important reps with depth challenged. Fellow RSFr DL Gilbert not full go from off-season surgery yet. But we're going to need both of those guys. Expecting big things from them. Gadson is a guy who's got all the tools, just needs the work.
- DB Avery Stuart still learning, needs those reps. A lot of moving pieces in that position, trying to get those needed reps and get up to speed.
QB BROCK VANDAGRIFF:
* Offense moving faster. A bunch of no-huddle. Getting lined up fast. Good to see how they're handling that.
* On the change at OC with him coming in... As long as they weren't going to triple-option (laughs) he was good with it because he trusted Stoops and liked all the talent they had on the offensive side of the ball.
* Really likes the new offense. Respects Hamdan a lot. He tells you directly what he wants.
* WRs really getting open, and protection has been great. All he's had to do is get it to them. Anthony Brown-Stephens has been doing really well, had a great day today. Makes my job a lot easier.
* On what fans will notice with the pace of play... Thinks fans will see a big difference. Eli Cox told him the other day that it felt almost too fast. Brock told him, man, this is just normal no-huddle. (laughs) Some of UK's vets may have just gotten used to that snail's pace.
* Helmet communicator has been "sweet." Likes it a lot. Nice not to have to look over to the sidelines constantly for signals and all the decoy stuff.
* On entering a spring/summer as the likely starting QB... Doesn't feel too different. You had to work hard at UGA, even if you weren't expected to be the starter. He's used to it. Only so much time you get in the spring, so you have to work hard and take advantage of it.
* On the TEs he's working with now after having elite TEs at UGA... Good room. rotating a bunch. Big and physical. Doing great in blocking and catching.
* On the RBs... Did some simulated 3rd down stuff today where they actually got in the huddle and said it's 3rd and 2, gotta get it, run power, and they converted. Good to see. O-Line is moving people up front.
* Asked if Hamdan's offense is similar to what he ran at Georgia or what Liam was going to run... Similar to UGA, he says. Everyone has a lot of the same concepts. Not a huge transition. Easy to grasp. Only thing that sucked was studying Liam's playbook pretty deep, then having it all change. "I coulda been doing a lot of other stuff." (laughs) But if he's fortunate enough to play in the league someday, he'll have some of that additional background.
*****
CB MAXWELL HAIRSTON:
* On the WR group and what he sees from them... Getting better every day. Loves going against them because they help him improve his game. Everyone knows Barion Brown and Dane Key, but Fred Farrior has been a nice addition. Really runs good routes.
* On young corners getting thrust into action late in the season and building off of that... Having some bad things in your mouth can push you to work even harder that next season. That's what he's seen happening. Likes what he's seeing from Jantzen Dunn. He's bringing great energy.
* Brock Vandagriff is going to put the ball in some places you didn't think he can.
* On the no-huddle pace the offense is using... Could help them prepare for people they face during the season who run a lot of high-tempo offense.
* Enjoys being in more of a leadership/mentor role to the younger guys like guys did for him when he first got to UK.
* Loves seeing what Dru Phillips did at the NFL Combine and Pro Day. Put in the work, and it's paying off. Turning heads. He's getting what he deserves.
* On how a 7-win season doesn't feel satisfying here anymore... Want to build off last season. The stuff that prevented them from winning more than 7 last year, they've really focused on in the off-season. The margin for error is so small in the SEC. You have to stay composed and finish.
