Impressions of the Kentucky Defense During Spring Practice

Today the KSR crew was one of a dozen or so media members that attended spring practice No. 7 for the Kentucky Wildcats. While Adam Luckett kept his focus on the offense, my eyes were all on the defense during full team portions of practice. Rich Scangarello was visibly upset with the way the offense performed, so it’s safe to say the defense brought its A-game today.

Turnover Time

The source of Scangarello’s ire was in ball security. Mark Stoops had two different team periods in today’s practice. The defense opened the second one with an interception. A pass to the flat was contested by Andru Phillips and tipped into the air. Jalen Geiger came barreling down from free safety, picking off the pass that presumably would have resulted in a pick six. Geiger was an important rotational piece last fall. With Yusuf Corker out, he’ll step in at free safety and move around throughout the secondary at times to fill spots of need around the secondary.

A few plays later a talented homegrown underclassman made an impressive move. North Hardin product Jordan Lovett busted up a pass deep downfield that Ty Ajian swiped over to intercept. Entering his second season, Lovett is putting himself in position to play a significant role on the defense in 2022. He has the right size and athleticism to make plays at strong safety this fall. No. 25 is one to keep an eye on during the Blue-White Game.

Familiar Faces in Different Places on Defense

Figuring out who is playing where on defense is difficult right now. In the spring numbers are always thin. After all, an entire senior class has departed, only replaced by about half of the newcomers while incoming freshmen conclude their high school careers. Adding to that equation, Jordan Wright is staying on the sideline throughout spring break and today nickel-back Joel Williams was absent from the action. Just to play a base 3-4, DeAndre Square kicked out to Sam linebacker, the position previously held by Boogie Watson.

As Brad White recently said, “That’s the beauty of spring, it’s not fourth and one.” Even though the Cats are thin on defense, right now it doesn’t really matter. It really just gives guys an opportunity to play positions they normally would not see during the regular season.

Solid Defensive Line

This might be the best two-deep on the UK defensive line I can ever recall. From the ones to the twos, there’s no significant drop in production at either of the three positions. Josaih Hayes is going to make Justin Rogers so much better because they’re so close in so many different areas of their game. Tre’vonn Rybka is bigger than Darrion Henry-Young, but I think the Ohio State transfer brings a lot of juice to the table. A summer in the weight room will serve him well.

Depth is not a problem, but you will not see the same star-power from this group. There’s no obvious game wrecker in the crew. Octavious Oxendine has the most potential in pass rush situations. Despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in the LSU game, the other former North Hardin star is explosive out of his stance. He was wearing a red, non-contact jersey, but in individual drills you can still see the pop he brings to the line of scrimmage. By the time Ox’s career concludes, he could be the best defensive tackle to play the three-technique for Stoops.

Impressive Body Transformations

If football doesn’t work out for Trevin Wallace, he could win all of the Olympic gold medals. The dude looks like a decathlete. He’s always been chiseled, but this offseason he’s added some much needed weight to help with potential future durability issues that are seemingly inevitable at inside linebacker. Speaking of, Jacquez Jones appears to have bulked up some too. Even if a few extra lbs. slightly slows them down, being healthy enough to play is much more important.

Another impressive looking talent is Jamarius Dinkins. Simply known by his teammates as “Spider,” the second year defensive lineman shed some weight and tightened up. He’s hitting some early checkpoints that point to a promising career.

Random Notes from the Defense

— Mike Stoops is a visor guy. Today was my first day watching Mike Stoops operate at a Kentucky football practice. Never too far from Brad White, it makes sense that he rocks a visor. The dude has the best hair of all the Stoops brothers. He can’t hide it under a hat.

— Sam Anaele just wiped out the offensive line on one play. The former four-star recruit was running with the twos when a running play fell flat. The left side of the offensive line completely collapsed. Anaele was the first to emerge from the big pile-up.

— Consistency will be key for Dru Phillips. The cornerback is playing catch up for some lost time in 2021. He flashed throughout the practice, using physicality to break up contested catches. In between those positive moments were some missed assignments that are the result of a lack of reps. This spring is significant for his development and the future of the secondary.