Emmanuel Mudiay to Announce Later Today and Mark Stoops Deals with Attrition and the Addition of Za’Darius Smith
By Wayne
September 22, 2012; Gainesville FL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Larry Warford (67) and guard Zach West (75) block against the Florida Gators in the second quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
As football season nears, news came out today attrition has come back around to cause Mark Stoops a little discomfort. Not too much though as it is at the Defensive Tackle position and we are stacked there so we’ll manage. Red Shirt Frosh Patrick Graffree and Thomas Champan are both splitting for some nearby-ish universities and can play right away. Thomas Chapman is heading to my alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University while Graffree is plying his trade down at Murray State. Mark Stoops had this to say. *Note: At the time of Stoops’ quote, it wasn’t known about Chapman’s decision so he wasn’t addressed.
"Patrick Graffree and Thomas Chapman seem to be leaving UK for other in-state universities. News about Graffree emerged Friday and was confirmed by coach Mark Stoops, who said he was surprised to learn of his decision to transfer to Eastern Kentucky. “Yeah, I was, but we had a talk with a lot of guys when we got through camp (about) where we were at,” Stoops said. “So he may not have been happy with that. I understand that. I don’t want to get into detail on that, but I do wish him the best.”"
No need to panic though because as Stoops lost a couple to attrition, he gained one of our most important pieces back, DE Za’Darius Smith. He had been recovering from a high ankle sprain. Here are some of Mark Stoops’ comments:
"MARK STOOPS OPENING REMARKS: “We had a good practice. We treated today like a Tuesday practice for Western Kentucky, and very pleased; I thought it was a very good day. It was the first time we went through this format, where we go scouts and then we go against each other for part of the period. So overall, very pleased. Thought it was very good work.” ON GETTING ZA’DARIUS SMITH BACK: “Yeah, Za’Darius was back. Yeah, he was, he looked good. Really good.” ON HOW FAR BEHIND SMITH IS: “He won’t be far behind. No, he won’t. We’ll get him caught up. He’ll be fine.” ON THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING HIM BACK: “It was, it was good. He looked good. He’s been close. He did have a high-ankle sprain, and those, you all know, are very touchy. Even when you’re feeling good, you get in there and start pushing on people and it’s a little bit hairy. So we feel like he’s made good progress and feels pretty good right now. That’s it on the injury front; nobody else really to speak of.” ON CB CODY QUINN (ANKLE): “I don’t want to discuss it any further. I’ve been very lenient with you guys (grinning), so don’t push it. It’s getting time to start preparing for games.” ON WHETHER SMITH’S ABSENCE GAVE OTHER GUYS A CHANCE TO IMPROVE: “Yeah, we’ve been working a lot of guys. Everybody needs the reps. You know how we’ve been doing reps through camp. We’ve talked about it: everybody’s been getting so many reps, so now that we’re starting to game plan, it’s been good.” ON THE STARTING QB: “We’re working through it.”"
Flipping around to the other side of the ball, news coming out of Detroit is that former Kentucky Wildcat Offensive Guard, Larry Warford is showing he belongs on the line protecting Matthew Stafford’s rear.
"Unable to fill their void at offensive tackle at the top of the draft, the Lions used their third-round pick to bolster the interior of their line, taking guard Larry Warford from Kentucky. Ansah, Slay and Warford should all be in the starting lineup two weeks from Sunday, when the Lions open the season against the Minnesota Vikings. And Thursday, all played a part in whipping the Patriots, something that’s dangerously close to becoming a meaningless preseason Lions tradition. Warford helped keep Stafford mostly clean on a line that might one day soon include Waddle as an edge protector with Fauria flanked out wide."