Mark Stoops says he has no offensive leader right now

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops is less than thrilled at this point in spring practice as he’s not seeing an offensive leader step up for his team.

With veteran quarterback Will Levis off to the NFL Draft, Kentucky has a massive leadership void and right now the Kentucky head coach is blunt about the guys he sees filling it.

“I don’t see any right now,” Stoops said Saturday.

Levis helped cure a lot of ills with his dedication and hard work. Now that he’s gone, though, Kentucky has to have other players step up.

Stoops would like to have a team that, with an offensive leader, can hum right along with minimal input from the coaches. Right now that’s not happening, tying his hands.

“I don’t know. Obviously not,” said Stoops, asked if his players are taking charge. “I’d like to be a player-led team, but we’re not. So we’ve got to step in. We as a coaching staff better lead because this group can’t.”

Rather blunt.

But while Kentucky is struggling right now, Stoops did note things can change on a day-by-day basis. It’s possible the Wildcats were simply coming off an awful day of practice or preparation before Stoops met with the media.

The long-time Kentucky coach did admit things are challenging for the players right now, by design.

“It’s day by day, man. We’re right in it,” Stoops said. “We’re in the thick of it, it’s a new team. We’re cultivating our team right now and learning and spring ball is about fundamentals and discipline and toughness and the basics, and we can’t do that.”

Stoops ripped the overall effort level of the players on the offensive side of the ball and essentially said they need to learn to toughen up. An offensive leader has to emerge to speed along that process.

The practices aren’t going to get easier. Nor are the meetings. The film sessions. The extra work outside of designated practices times that is needed to be great.

It’s just flat out time to be better, Stoops said.

“It’s long for us. We’re here pretty long days every day,” he noted. “They are here. And I understand the monotony of it, they’re here at 6 in the morning, 6:30 in the morning. And we have meetings and walk-throughs in the off days, practice, so it’s long for them. Five weeks of the grind isn’t exactly easy, but it’s still no damned excuse. That’s where we’ve got to get better and they’ve got to enjoy that part of it.”