Notes and Observations From Kentucky Football's Fan Day Spring Practice
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Due to the ongoing turf replacement at Kroger Field, Kentucky football won't have a spring game to highlight the first look for many at the 2023 roster.
Instead, Big Blue Nation had to settle for an open "Fan Day" practice. It was a beautiful day in the Bluegrass — if you discount the excruciating wind that kept the goal posts at the practice field next to the Joe Craft Center shaking to and fro while fans had to put a strong foot forward in order to not get blown back to the parking lot.
Frankly, the conditions did a number on some, putting just about everything in favor of the defense. Most passes that went deep were impacted, while Chance Poore and the rest of the kickers had to watch their attempts knuckle around the air like a scuffed Wiffle Ball.
Advantage = defense.
"Pretty tough day to see exactly what we have with that wind blowing the way it was," head coach Mark Stoops said following the practice. "That makes it difficult to get the ball down the field, get some completions."
Take it all with a grain of salt, but here are some notes and observations from the day as spring ball continues to chug along in Lexington:
Tough Day at the Office for the Big Blue Wall
Offensive coordinator Liam Coen and offensive line coach Zach Yenser are doing their best to try and re-tool the UK o-line. We've seen movement, as Jager Burton appears to be the new answer at center, moving over from guard. Northern Illinois transfer Marques Cox moves into the left tackle spot and is someone that everyone around the program is very high on.
There was a very important piece missing, though, as sixth-year left guard and team captain Kenneth Horsey was not participating. That was evident in both pass and run protection. The beefy defensive line made its presence felt, denying quarterback Devin Leary time in the pocket while also stymying Ray Davis and other tailbacks from getting anything going on the ground.
Right tackle Jeremy Flax, who started last season and is competing for the starting RT gig in 2023, didn't mince words when speaking to reporters about areas that needed to improve:
"Right now, as a whole, we feel like we are not performing in the run game at all, or anywhere near to our full abilities," he said. "I will say we are watching the film, definitely seeing what we are doing wrong and stuff like that. But that's really our main goal. Just getting our run game, being able to run that ball and open up the whole offense. That's what we gotta do."
The Big Blue Wall was also without the usual blocking help of the top tight ends on the roster, as Josh Kattus, Jordan Dingle and Brenden Bates remain inactive for the spring. There wasn't much resistance for the likes of Deone Walker and Keeshawn Silver.
"We're gonna make them pass it," junior DL Tre'vonn Rybka said. "Good backs, we try to hold them to a certain amount. We got a standard. You don't run it between the tackles."
After the abysmal string of performances Kentucky's o-line put out in 2022, extra attention will continue to be placed on growth in the trenches. Iron sharpens iron, they say...
Key Players Emerging in the Secondary
We've seen this story before with defensive coordinator Brad White's secondaries. Important players leave the program to pursue professional careers, leaving seemingly holes at cornerback, safety and the like.
A big question mark is placed on the area, but is then quickly removed as new pieces emerge, removing any doubt. So far, that looks to be the case once again. Carrington Valentine and Keidron Smith are off to try and get drafted to the NFL; Vito Tisdale — someone who was expected to play major snaps in 2023 — was dismissed from the team. So who steps up?
Sophomore Maxwell Hairston has made rumblings already this spring and only boosted his stock with a good day on Saturday. Same for RS sophomore Jordan Robinson, while Cincinnati transfer JQ Hardaway appears to be a fine fit for a starting CB position.
Down at nickel, it looks to be Andru Phillips' gig, as he made multiple big plays, getting in the backfield and tipping passes. The junior started four games in 2022 but seems to be ready to make that pivotal next step.
That level of improvement is also expected from Kentucky native Jordan Lovett at safety. The North Hardin High School product had to make 11 starts as a freshman a season ago due to a season-ending injury to veteran starter Jalen Geiger. Lovett was second on the team in tackles with 62 tackles and also had two interceptions. He was the lone defender to pick off Leary on Saturday, jumping a route and catching a pass that was intended for wide receiver Dane Key.
"We really brought an edge today," Lovett said. "We talked before practice that we all needed to bring a hit, bring something when we're tackling. Tackle with aggression, so we definitely came out strong."
Devin Leary Lore Grows
It wasn't all bad for the Kentucky offense. Defense is often ahead at this point in the spring, but there've been nothing but raving reviews about the Wildcats' new slinger to this point.
Media already had one chance to view practice before Saturday, getting a first glimpse at Leary's touted accuracy. Since then, notes of his welcomed soft touch have brought smiles to the faces of Key, Tayvion Robinson and Barion Brown — who did not participate on Saturday and is "day-to-day," per Stoops.
Safety Zion Childress has likened Leary's accuracy to that of Drew Brees.
Everyone got another look at what all the hype is about on Saturday. The conditions weren't ideal, and Coen responded with plenty of run-pass option plays, but the NC State transfer did complete a beautiful deep ball to Key, the highlight of the day:
"It was a really good throw. Me and Devin have been working on that for a while," Key said.
Leary has had plenty of opportunities to work on fitting passes into tight windows against Kentucky's defense, especially with Saturday's conditions and the shoddy play from the o-line. Sound familiar?
Other Notes
- Linebacker D'Eryk Jackson was also not participating, highlighting the current lack of depth in that room, something White has previously harped on this spring, calling upon guys like Martez Thrower and Luke Fulton to try and step up into the roles that Jackson and Trevin Wallace were in a season ago.
- Running back/wide receiver Dee Beckwith was arguably as impressive as anyone. His 6-foot-5, 236-pound gladiator frame makes it impossible not to believe that he'll have some sort of impact on the field at some point. He caught the lone TD of the day on a pass from Destin Wade.
- Kaiya Sheron ran the second-string operation at quarterback.
Devin Leary discusses his decision to transfer to Kentucky HERE.
More from Kentucky's NFL Pro Day HERE.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.
