Stoops Talks Secondary; Freshman Ty Bryant Doing All The Right Things

Mark Stoops had plenty to say at his Labor Day press conference Monday afternoon after reviewing the film from Saturday. Stoops made it clear that he was proud of his team’s effort but disappointed in the execution in Kentucky Football‘s season-opening win over Ball State.

“What we did not play was very clean,” Stoops said in his opening remarks. “We played hard, we played physical. We were not always fundamentally sound.”

Cornerback performance review

Later in the conversation, Stoops addressed specific position groups, including his new set of cornerbacks on the outside. This season, redshirt junior Andru Phillips and redshirt sophomore Maxwell Hairston took over the starting roles from Carrington Valentine (Green Bay Packers) and Keidron Smith (NFL free agent). On Saturday, Phillips and Smith showed why they earned those starting roles with two solid debuts at CB1 and CB2.

Still, the cornerbacks overall have areas to clean up.

“Things we need to do better,” said Stoops. “We need to play stronger and fight through the ball. You know, the long one that I was talking about that they converted down the sideline, we’ve got to play through the ball better. Do things we’re taught to do. Be more competitive at the top of the route… I thought they did some good things at times.”

The play Stoops is likely referring to is when Ball State’s Ty Robinson caught a deep ball over JQ Hardaway, the backup field corner, on third down. A Cincinnati transfer, Hardaway competed in camp with Hairston for the starting job opposite Phillips.

“I thought early, Maxwell (Hairston), you know, it felt like a first-time starter. He’s going to get better and better. Again, those game reps early were like a lot of guys early in the season. He’ll improve, but they did some good things and played very tough at times as well. I thought Dru (Phillips) really pulled the pin and was physical on some and doing his job. He’s an experienced player, can play some nickel, can play corner, and doing some good things.”

Stoops also commended sophomore defensive back Alex Afari for laying the big hit to free up the football, leading to Jalen Geiger‘s 69-yard scoop-and-score.

Freshman Ty Bryant doing all the right things

The youngest defensive back in Kentucky’s two-deep roster, Ty Bryant, was also a topic of conversation when Stoops was asked directly about the freshman safety out of Frederick Douglass High School. An early enrollee from the Class of 2023, Bryant already earned a playing role in Kentucky’s secondary.

“Ty’s been really solid,” Stoops replied. “I really have been impressed overall with Ty, just the way he approaches it. He did come in early. I like the way he’s progressing; I like the way he approaches the game. I like the way he’s very serious about it. He takes pride in it. He’s getting better. He instinctually helps us on special teams. He’s our fourth safety. So, he will play, and I have confidence in him.”

Bryant played 10 snaps at safety against Ball State with 15 special teams appearances.

“He’s just got to continue to just stay the course,” Stoops added. “He’s doing good things. If every freshman approached every workout and every practice and everything the way he does, then they’d be further along. He’s done a good job.”