More interviews after practice today

Tom Leach has interviews with Joker Phillips and Danny Trevathan which give some great insight into spring practice. Joker feels consistency is the key for the quarterback competition and feels the defense has a lot of speed. Based on Joker's comments, Chandler Burden is making a good impression at offensive tackle. According to Trevathan, the Cats are running more 3-4 schemes and he feels it will allow guys to step up and make more plays.

Tee Martin happy to be a Cat

Larry Vaught has a nice article on Tee Martin and his relationship with Randy Sanders. Martin is working with the receivers and happy to be a Cat. It will be interesting to see how Martin is received in Knoxville this fall when the Cats take on the Vols this year.

Recruiting insight

Larry Vaught has a great article with quotes from Chuck Smith on recruiting during spring practice. The article also points Morgan Newton, Randall Cobb and Qua Huzzie have been great recruiters for the program.

West meeting with UK staff today

Zach West (2011-OL) informed me he is meeting with Joker Phillips and Chuck Smith today. Could the Cats finally be extending an offer? West also informed me Ohio has offered his a scholarship to play football. Stay tuned.

**Update at 4:25pm**

West has just informed me the Cats have extended an offer. He is not ready to commit.

Photo Gallery of today's practice

Courtesy of our friends at Kentucky Ink. Go CATS!

Can Joker take UK to the next level?

The AJC has a great article on Joker Phillips trying to take the Cats to the next level. Tony Barnhart wrote the article and has some great quotes from Joker Phillips. As the article points out, the Cats have a shot to start 4-0 if they can win against Louisville. I've stated UK's 5th consecutive bowl runs through Louisville. The Cats can't afford to lose against the Cards. First off it's a statement game, but second it sets the tone for becoming bowl eligible. I truly wish they would move this game to the end of the season like most other rivalries.

Keante Minor has offer from Cats

Per the article from Illinois HQ, Keante Minor (2011-WR) has an offer from Kentucky among others. We know the Cats want to sign a couple of receivers in 2011, so they are making a hard push for several key recruits. The article points out Minor wanted to play college basketball. Maybe Coach Cal would let him walk-on the basketball team?

Top 10 Georgia Prospects

The Bleacher Report has an overview of their top 10 players from the state of Georgia. In the article, the report names four players UK has extended offers to for 2011. However, the article doesn't mention Kentucky. It includes excerpts on Ray Drew, CJ Uzomah, Quan Bray and Damian Swann.

The Future of UK Football

Who said surfing the internet is a useless endeavor? While surfing, I noticed that Tony B has an article on Joker Phillips succeeding former Head Football Coach Rich Brooks at UK. The article asks the question of whether or not Joker can take the CATS to the next level. In the article, Tony points out many milestones which the program has overcome in the last 7 years, it is a very good read for the Blue Nation.

Alex Smith working out at UK?

According to our friends over at Visual Boxscore Alex Smith is now in Lexington. Reportedly, he is getting ready to start working out on campus and get a job. He is also looking to start classes in June, this should put him a couple of months ahead of his incoming peers of the 2010 recruiting class.

Pat Martin (2011-Safety) Update

Tonight I spoke to Pat Martin (Greenville, SC) regarding his football recruitment. Pat currently has several offers from major programs and is expecting more soon. His offer list includes LSU, Cincinnati, Duke, Maryland, Miss State, Arkansas and UCLA.

Last night he spoke with UK's Tee Martin, who told him the Cats were going to send him an offer. He is also feels Cal could extend an offer soon. Pat told me, "Kentucky is a good school. I visited them last summer and would really consider going there." He has already taken the SAT and will take the ACT soon. Currently Pat is listed at 6' and 207 lbs and runs a 4.6 forty-yard dash time. All schools are recruiting him to play safety in college.

SEC Quarterback Breakdown

Mr. SEC gives their conference quarterback breakdown by team. The article doesn't say much about Kentucky, but compares the Cats situation to Georgia's. It's a good read to keep up with the other schools as well as UK's.

KJ Brent (2011-WR) Update

Per Palmetto Sports:

USC is one of several offers for WR KJ Brent (6-4 185) of Waxhaw, NC. Brent also has offers from North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, NC State, East Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Wisconsin and West Virginia according to his coach. Brent attended junior days at USC, North Carolina and NC State. Brent's coach said he's listening to all the schools which are interested but is taking a hard look, in particular, at Kentucky and West Virginia. Last season Brent had 47 catches for 747 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Miller visits UF this weekend

Scout is reporting that Braxton Miller a 5*, recruit is visiting the Gators in Gainseville this weekend. The 6 ft 4 in QB is from Huber Heights OH and has an offer from UK as well as at least 20 other schools. He is rated the #1 QB for the 2011 class and some have him rated as the #1 player overall. In addition to QB, Braxton also plays Safety.

Chuck Smith Interview

Larry Vaught has a quick interview (video) with UK Assistant Chuck Smith. He talks about spring practice and gives some insight into the linebackers for 2010. This group of linebackers could be the fastest to come through UK, but they need reps to clean up the mistakes. Click on the link to see the video.

Collins Moore (2011-WR) Update

Collins Moore (2011-WR) from Alabama informed me last night he will be visit UK this Saturday. Currently UK is his only offer, but he is receiving interest from other SEC programs and Tulane could offer soon.

Spring Practice Video No 4

Spring Practice Videos: No 4

Tom Leach has interviews with Joker, Summers and DeQuinn Evans. Click on the link to be redirected.

Also, Kentucky Ink has interviews. Click on their link to be redirected to their site.

Spring Practice Photo Gallery: Day 4

Courtesy of our friends at Kentucky Ink. Enjoy!

ESPN breaksdown NC Combine

Click on the link to read the full article by ESPN on the VTO Combine in Charlotte, NC this weekend. Both Pat Martin and Desmond Floyd are considering UK. Per the article, Floyd has UK in his top three, but Duke has the edge. Martin is receiving a ton of interest and UK was on him before a lot of other schools. His recruitment will be an interesting one to watch going forward.

Bengals work out former Cats

Based on reports, the Cincinnati Bengals were at UK today working out both Sam Maxwell and Micah Johnson. Both guys should be playing on Sunday's. I continue to hear Micah will be drafted and Sam will likely receive an invite and free agent deal.

Kris Harley (2011-DT) commits to Va. Tech

Per ESPN, Kris Harley has committed to Virgina Tech for the 2011 class. Harley is from Indianaplis, IN and UK had extended an offer to him. This is one position the staff must address in the 2011 class. If Harley is off the board, who do they offer next? Cody Robinson or Tony Gillespie (Juco)? Granted we are a long way from next signing day so things could change. Hopefully the Cats continue to recruit Harley.

Spring Football Practice Update

Click here to read the outline Jeff Drummond put together on Kentucky Ink. Below are the highlights:

UK had two recruits attend practice in Jon Davis (commit) and Lamar Dawson (LB). Both are key recruits for 2011.

DeQuinn Evans knee appears to be fine and the staff will take it easy with him over the next couple of days.

Special Teams play was solid in practice from the defensive standpoint. The defense managed to block a few field goals.

The guys got after it more today and the staff had to separate Brian Adams and Martavious Neloms. That's a good thing in my opinion, it just shows they are competitive.

Sam Simpson is being cross trained to play guard as well as center. Should be no surprise.

It sounds like Justin Henderson is making a case for playing time. He will be miles ahead of the freshmen who report in the summer.

Dawson takes in spring practice at UK

Lamar Dawson (2011-LB) attended UK's spring football practice today. Hope to have more info later today, but he is a key recruit for the 2011 class. While I expect Dawson to take visits to other schools, in my opinion he is UK's to lose at this point. He has an established relationship with Joker Phillips and Chuck Smith.

**Update** 12:55 pm

Dawson tells me the visit went well. The tempo was upbeat and they treated him like family. "I like it up there."

Evans' knee just a scare

DeQuinn Evans was back at practice today and it appears his knee injury was just a scare. He should be a major factor on UK's defensive front this year so the Cats can't afford to lose him. Stay tuned!

Q & A with UK's Josh Gibbs

Larry Vaught has a great interview with Josh Gibbs, one of UK's early signee's in the 2010 class. Based on the article, the Cats may have found another "under-the-radar" recruit as he was played out of position in high school. Hopefully, he will insert himself into the mix for playing time this spring.

2010 Recruting Rewind: Jerrell Preister

Jerrell Priester (ATH) could be the most versatile player UK signed in the entire class. Most schools recruited Priester to play Cornerback while UK sold him on playing on special teams, in the “Wildcat” and cornerback. Priester is very fast and in 2009 finished second in the 100 meters in South Carolina. He has legit 4.3 forty-yard dash speed. Expect Priester to line up all over the field. He is one of the incoming freshmen who could have an impact in 2010.

Practice like first Christmas for Huzzie

Larry Vaught has an article on Qua Huzzie and how the linebacker is excited to be practicing again. Did you know Huzzie is the all time leader in tackles at La Grange High School? I didn't, but that is impressive considering the players who have played there. No doubt, Huzzie is going to be a big time player at UK.

Marcoreyon Tandy (2011-WR) Recruit Update

Just spoke to Marcoreyon "Bubba" Tandy this afternoon regarding his recruitment. He told me he has one offer from Western Kentucky and will visit the Hilltoppers next weekend. He has spoken to Joker in the past and will be at UK on May 30th to work out for the staff. Chuck Smith is now handling his recruitment for UK. Marcoreyon is also receiving interest from Cincinnati, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ball State, Army and Navy.

Currently Marcoreyon is 6'1" and 185lbs. He runs a 4.5 forty yard dash time. He said UK was recruiting him to play slot receiver and WKU was looking at him for either receiver or defensive back. He told me he wasn't concerned with playing time as his work ethic will earn him an opportunity. In a perfect world he would like to make a decision this summer before his senior season starts.

Video: Quarterback's throwing in practice

Make sure you check out the photo gallery from Kentucky Ink. I have posted threads for each on the main page.

Also, click here to be redirected to Vaughts Views to see the video of the quarterbacks throwing in practice. It appears the Cats are working a fast pace, especially during the positional drills. Things slow down just a bit when everyone is brought together.

Huzzie pushing for starting spot

Bret Dawson has a nice article on Qua Huzzie with comments from the player and coaches. We knew last year Huzzie was special, we just didn't get to see it on the field. Currently he is competing with Ronnie Sneed for the starting middle linebacker spot. Click on the link to read the article.

Spring Practice No 3 Video

Spring Practice Photo Gallery No 3

Again, courtesy of our friends from Kentucky Ink. Enjoy!

Still no separation among UK QB's

Larry Vaught has an article with comments from Joker Phillips regarding the quarterback situation and thoughts on UK's practice today. The Cats were in full gear for the first time today so typically that is when you start to see some separation. Joker also praised Tristian Johnson's effort in practice today.

Willis signs with Juco College

Tyrrell Willis (2010 Louisville Commitment) signed with Coffeyville Community College instead of the the Cards. Willis was unable to qualify academically with Louisville and had to opt for a Junior College instead. Coffeyville is the same Juco school UK's Mark Crawford attended. The Cats are also showing interest in Tony Gillespie who currently plays for Coffeyville. Click on the link to read Jody Demling's article.

Who's visiting where this weekend?

Here is a quick update of recruits and schools they are visiting this weekend. Please feel free to email me or let me know of any other recruits I missed for this weekend.

Zach West continues to receive offers and take visits to other schools. Zack will be at UK's practice tomorrow and hopefully the staff offers soon. Just this week he visited Louisville again and Tennessee.

Zack Templin will visit Western Kentucky this weekend for spring practice and plans to visit UK next Saturday. Another really big and strong offensive lineman.

Cody Robinson will visit Illinois for Junior Day tomorrow. Here is another offensive lineman who continues to rack up offers, however the Cats have yet to offer. Cody plans to visit UK next weekend as well. Remember hid dad played with Randy Sanders at Tennessee.

Hakeem Flowers is visiting Oregon this weekend. Just because people continue to email me about Flowers I thought I would update his status. Again, UK is a LONG shot in his recruitment.

Nick Vannett is visiting Purdue this weekend. He is a big tight end who is being recruited by a ton of Big 10 schools as well as UK.

Nick Temple visited Louisville (Friday) and has an offer from the Cards. He holds several offers, but the Cats haven't offered yet. He was suppose to visit UK for Junior day, but the weather caused a delay in his visit.

Kiaro Holts visited Louisville (Friday) and holds several offers. He holds a ton of offers and is one of the top linemen in the 2011 class.

DeAnthony Arnett is visiting The Ohio State University today. He is one of UK's primary recruiting targets for 2011.

Jared Boyd is visiting Miami University ("The U") this weekend. I haven't confirmed directly with Boyd, but in talking two his teammates, he holds an offer from the Cats.

Zack Templin (2011-OL) Recruit Update

Yesterday afternoon I had the opportunity to interview Zack Templin (East Jessamine High School, KY) regarding his football recruitment. He told me, "Things are great, I'm just working out and visiting schools." Currently Zack has no offers, but is being recruited by Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky, Marshall and Illinois.

Zack has already visited Western Kentucky and will visit them again today. Along with the Hilltoppers, Zach has visited Eastern Kentucky, Cincinnati, Illinois and Louisville. He will visit UK next Saturday and Marshall on April 24th. Of the schools mentioned, Zack feels Eastern Kentucky is recruiting him the hardest. His coach went to Eastern and Zack has developed a good relationship with their staff.

Kentucky really intrigues Zack as the Cats are the closes school to him now. Ideally, he would like to play close to home, but offers could determine the final destination. Also, Zack grew up a UK fan saying, "I've always been a fan of Kentucky living down the street and being so close to the fans."

This summer Zack plans to camp at Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky and UK. He will try to work in a couple of other camps as well. He recently attended a Nike combine (Ohio) and was invited to attend another on May 1st.

Most schools are recruiting Zack to play offensive line as he is 6'5" and 297 lbs. His max on the bench press is 325 lbs and 585 lbs on squat. He absolutely has the size and strength to play guard at the next level.

Zack feels his senior season will be a good one. His team hasn't produced a winning record during his career, but he feels that will change with close to 18 returning seniors. As he stated, "We have never had a winning season and are hungry."

Ju'Juan Story is a hot commodity

ESPN has a great article on Ju'Juan Story (2011-WR) from Florida. The Cats have offered along with most of the major schools in the south. The key with Story is his athletic ability combined with his size (6'3"/192lbs). Based on the article, both Florida State and Rutgers have made a big impression on the wide receiver already. Hopefully the Cats can get him on campus for a visit.

Notre Dame recruit James dies after fall

Reports are coming out that Notre Dame signee, Matt Jones, died today after an apparent fall from a balcony in Florida. This is another very tragic story and our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Click on the title for the link.

Locke underrated?

Chris Lowe of ESPN is reporting that Derrick Locke might just be in the Top 5 RBs in the SEC. Chris says that M Ingram of BAMA is the #1 back and then does a quick run down of the several others. Lowe winds up hinting that Locke might be in at #5 in the SEC.

Walls to play football at UK?

The Atlanta Journal and Constitution has reported that Avery Walls, a 3-Star Safety from Georgia received an offer from UK. The 5 ft 11 in. Union Grove player is now up to 27 offers and visited LSU this past weekend. He has numerous offers from PAC-10 and SEC schools. He has stated that distance is not an issue and that he has several family members on the Left Coast, Interestingly, neither UGA, nor Ga Tech have offered him a scholarship.

Video's from Practice No 2

Click here to be redirected to Tom Leach's site to see video's from today's practice.

Here are some notes from the videos:

Derrick Locke wants to take his game to the next level and isn't satisfied with last years performance. He is learning how to study film and trying to get an edge against opponents. He seems to enjoy the new speed of practice.

Randy Sanders likes where the QB's are mentally. Feels Hartline understands how to prepare better than Newton and Mossakowski at this point in his career. He acknowledges the team has changed a few things on offense. The staff hasn't decided who will be in the booth (Joker or Sanders) or who will call plays.

Joker Phillips feels the team is understanding how to practice and they are moving faster. The team is communicating well. Joker likes how the coaches are coaching with "juice" (being vocal). He is very happy Brian Adams is back on the field and having fun considering what he has been through. Joker acknowledges Corey Peters will be the toughest player to replace on defense. It sounds like Cobble could be the guy to receive the opportunity. The team will have a light scrimmage tomorrow (10 mins). Joker wants to stretch the field on offense and take shots down field.

Communication key for Joker

Larry Vaught gives us an update on the second spring practice for UK today. The article provides some great insight into the coaching philosophy and what fans should expect in 2010. It sounds like the team is communicating well in terms of audibles and the quarterbacks are taking some shots down field. As Joker states in the article, the team has big receivers and they need to let them make plays.

Aumiller starting over at tight end

Larry Vaught has another good article on Jordan Aumiller, who moved from linebacker to tight end just before spring practice started. Aumiller spent the 2009 season working as a linebacker on the scout team. He will need to catch on fast or he could find himself buried on the depth chart. Currently, Anthony Kendrick, Ryan Wallace and Nick Melillo are ahead of him on the depth chart. Also, Alex Smith and Ronnie Shields will join the competition in June as true freshmen.

Spring Practice Photo Gallery No 2

Courtesy of our friends at Kentucky Ink.

Joker takes charge

Don't know how I missed this one yesterday, but click here to read Chip Cosby's article on Joker Phillips' first practice as head coach. There are a lot of good quotes from players on the difference in coaching styles of Joker and Rich Brooks. It all seems very positive.

2010 Spring Preview: Offensive Line

Players Lost: Zipp Duncan, Justin Jeffries, Jorge Gonzalez, Christian Johnson

Players Returning: Stuart Hines, Jake Lanefski, Matt Smith, Larry Warford, Sam Simpson, Billy Joe Murphy, Osaze Idumwonyi, Sean Stackhouse, Brad Durham, Chandler Burden, Dave Ulinski, Trevino Woods, Kevin Mitchell

Incoming Freshmen: Tim McAdoo, Teven Eatmon

Overview

It’s no secret, UK returns one starter from their offensive line last season in Stuart Hines. The offensive line is a major concern for many Big Blue fans. Let’s face it, games are won and lost at the line of scrimmage. However, the Cats have players who can compete in the SEC and return some experience.

Most people expect Brad Durham and Billy Joe Murphy to start at Tackle, however I would not rule out Dave Ulinski and even Chandler Burden. The coaches have raved about Ulinksi’s run blocking ability and Burden was immediately placed at No 2 on the depth chart this spring (after moving from defensive end). With Jake Lanefski missing spring (recovering from injury) it opens the door for Sam Simpson and Matt Smith to earn a starting job. Most expect one of them to be the starting center while the other plays guard opposite of Larry Warford.

Everyone has heard the staff and players rave about Larry Warford’s ability as an offensive lineman. Corey Peters went as far to tell me that Larry was the best freshman he had played against in college. The biggest issue for the Cats in 2010 will be depth. UK only signed two players who project to play on the offensive line (McAdoo and Eatmon). Some suggest McAdoo will never make it to campus and Eatmon will need a redshirt year to get stronger.

The 2010 offensive line has talent and some experience. This group must learn to work as a unit in order for UK to make it’s 5th bowl game in as many years. Mike Summers’ hands will be full this spring trying to develop a starting unit. 2011 will be a big year for UK recruiting and the offensive line is a priority. Look for the Cats to sign at least two prospects in this class.

Zack Templin (2011-OL) Recruit

Nice article on East Jessamine's Zack Templin (2011-OL) recruit. Based on the article, Templin is receiving interest from Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Cincinnati and Kentucky. I recently contacted Zack and we are scheduled to do an interview tomorrow. Click on the title for the link.

Eilar Hardy (2011-CB) Recruit Update

The Bleacher Report breaks down the top 10 cornerbacks in the 2011 class and UK has a couple of targets mentioned. The Cats are recruiting both Eilar Hardy (Pickerington, OH) and Damian Swann (Grady, GA) who are mentioned in the article. As the article states, Hardy visited UK (Junior Day) and the Cats are in the mix. Click on the link to read the article and see the rest of their list.

Some other key names to watch for 2011: Alex Dixon (Countryside, FL), Jared Boyd (Stephenson HS, GA), David Stevenson (Stephenson HS, GA), Flo Hardin (Ballard, KY), Ken Mullen (Bishop Luers, IN), Pat Martin (Greenville, SC), Ronnie Harris (Westlake HS, GA)

Ray Drew (2011-DE) Recruit Update

Last night I interviewed Ray Drew (Thomas County Central HS, GA) regarding his football recruitment. Per Drew, "Things are going well. I can't complain." Currently he has 23 scholarship offers and hasn't narrowed his list of schools. When asked who was recruiting him the hardest he offered this, "Based on the amount of mail I get, I would say Tennessee, Georgia Tech, LSU and Florida."

Drew has already taken visits to Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida and Florida State. He plans to visit South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee and Auburn next week while on spring break. He wants to major in communications so he will take a hard look at each school's program. After academics, he wants to make sure he has a good relationship with the coaching staff. He told me, "I don't want any surprises. I want to make sure what I'm seeing is what I'm going to get." He also told me he is pretty big on fan support and tradition.

Drew plans to wait and decide on a college after his senior season. As far as Kentucky is concerned, Drew views the Cats as an up and coming program and the Cats are recruiting him. If the Cats are going to land Drew, they must get him on campus for a visit. Currently Drew is 6'5" and 248 lbs. He runs a 4.65 forty-yard dash. Most schools are recruiting him to play defensive end.

Raymond Sanders Interview

Last night I had the opportunity to interview Raymond Sanders who signed with UK in the 2010 recruiting class. UK fans should be very excited about watching Sanders contribute over the next four years. He plans to room with current teammate Ronnie Shields and arrive at UK on June 5th. He is also planning to major in computer engineering.

We chatted about his recruitment and he told me he finished with 28 scholarship offers from schools. He said, “UK was the best fit for me. They do a good job of developing athletes into men. Once I made up my mind and committed, I wasn’t going to change.”

I asked Raymond about his role and he said, “I want to get on the field and help my team, whether it’s returning a punt or going down field on a kick-off.” He told me he is up to 188 lbs and running faster than ever. His fastest forty-yard dash time is 4.35 and feels he can improve. He said the staff wants him to get around 195 lbs to handle the pounding of the SEC.

When asked about his overall game he said, “I consider myself a versatile back. I can catch the ball out of the backfield.” He compares his game to Dion Lewis (Pitt) and LaMichael James (Oregon). He likes to make himself small and give the defense a hard target to hit.

I asked Raymond about his teammates Jabari Johnson and Ronnie Shields’ game and he said, “Ronnie is a big target who can go and get the ball. He can come in and block, split out and run good routes. Jabari is a good linebacker who can go and get it. Both are great athletes and I’m glad I get to play with them another four years.” He also confirmed he is tugging some of the current underclassmen at Stephenson High School to consider the Cats.

Finally I asked Raymond what he wanted fans to know about him and he said, “Just know that every play and every minute I’m giving 110% and glad to be a Wildcat. I want to have fun and make a difference in the SEC.”