UK Football: Spring Practice Update
Impact Players
Granted, I only got to watch for an hour of practice, but there were some players that stood out to me, and some mentioned by coaches that we can look for to make an impact on the field this year.
#1 A.J. Stamps- Stamps adds depth to the secondary and is already developed, coming from JUCO. Looked good at practice today, last week Stoops called him one of the biggest surprises thus far.
#2 Bud Dupree- Dupree had an excellent season last year and is looking to build on his success. He has put on muscle on the off-season while maintaining his explosiveness. He was very vocal on the field today, when I asked Stoops if he had assumed a leadership role Stoops said he had, “I’ve noticed him being more vocal…He’s been really strong this whole off season and he’s playing very good football right now and he’s put on some good weight too.”
Sept 15, 2012; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats linebacker Alvin Dupree (2) tackles Western Kentucky Hilltoppers wide receiver Kadeem Jones (32) at Commonwealth Stadium. Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
#4 Mikel Horton- listed at 6-1, 236 Horton has excellent size for the SEC. Being an early-enrollee the extra time in the weight room and on the field this semester and over the summer should really benefit him, as well as the extra time he will have in the offense. He had a bit of a rough practice when I was watching, but Stoops did tell us this is their first practice in pads, so this was his first taste at college football. Stoops said, “I loved him without pads…today he was out there running a little bit high and got the ball knocked out of his hands once. He needs to toughen up and he’ll get that through camp.” Neal Brown talked about Horton as well, saying: “Mikel is learning, we threw a lot at him. It’s different for them, these guys are high school seniors and we threw a lot at them in pads for the first day and it wasn’t just come up and tag you, they got hit a little bit so it was a little bit of shock to the system but it’s what we want from an athletic size standpoint.”
#5 Braylon Heard- Heard spent fall 2012 at Nebraska before following Marrow to Kentucky last season where he practiced with the team but was unable to play. He played two seasons with Nebraska rushing 77 times for 452 yards. Players had nothing but good things to say and I can see him emerging as a starter at running back with his experience and quickness. Had a pretty good overall practice that I saw. Brown said, “Braylon is good, he’s a little rusty, you know, he just hasn’t had a ton of live reps since his last fall at Nebraska which I guess was fall ’12 so a little rusty but he adds a speed dimension.”
Sep 15, 2012; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers runner Braylon Heard (5) is tackled by Arkansas State Red Wolves defender Don Jones (5) at Memorial Stadium in the second half. Nebraska won 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
#21 Josh Clemons- following the trend of the new and improved running back core, Josh Clemons is looking to make some noise this season when he makes his anticipated return to the field. He sat out the 2012 season due to knee injury and last season because of an Achilles injury- both of which are hard to come back from. That doesn’t seem to have slowed Clemons down as he was taking reps and making cuts at practice today. He also has good size at 5-10, 216. Neal Brown said: “We’ve got Josh Clemons who’s been a pleasant surprise. Y’all asked about him last Friday and I’m PLEASANTLY surprised and I’m excited for him because he’s going to be able to give us something.” Josh said he thinks he is better now than he was before his injury and he feels better in his movements. “It feels good, I have no pain,” he said.
#69 Ramsey Meyers- Meyers redshirted last season but looked good in practice today. He is listed as 6-4, 305 and was dominating on the O-line today. He has great size and has all of spring and summer to continue to add muscle.
#70 Jordan Swindle- This junior offensive tackle is listed at 6-7, 304. Today, as Stoops mentioned was the first day in pads and the line got into a few scuffles during the media time- Swindle was in both of them. This guy looks more than ready to come out and fight for his spot and ready to battle on the field in SEC play.
#94- Za’Darius Smith- This one is a little obvious, but if you thought Z was big last season just wait. He is now listed at 6-6, 264 but still has all summer to continue to add muscle. He was a pretty vocal guy, along with Dupree today at practice and seems to be taking a bit of a leadership role on the team. I expect him to put up good numbers this season.
Sep 14, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) runs the ball against Kentucky Wildcats defensive end Za