UK Fans of the Day want Hump Day Afternoon Football Notes

Good afternoon. How is your day? Mine has included a heavy dose of caffeine. I woke up from a nightmare that I was in my dorm on the 21st floor of Kirwin Tower, late to class, and the elevators were broken. That was not an ideal wake-up call at 4:30 am. The Kentucky football freshmen aren’t waking up that early for am lifts, but they are early risers ahead of spring practice.

We’ll get a chance to chat with the newcomers later this month before spring practice begins. While we’re in the middle of no man’s land, let’s talk about the latest around the world of Kentucky football.

Today is National Signing Day

People forget that. The first Wednesday in February used to be the biggest day in the entire offseason. Now it’s a complete afterthought. There might be a few players who sign today, but the hay is in the barn for most rosters. Kentucky has had one addition to the roster since the spring semester began. Tennessee OT Jason Ekperuoh committed to the Cats, but he will begin his career as a walk-on with a chance to earn a scholarship down the road.

Accolades for Two 2025 Kentucky Wildcats

Before he became a four-star talent coveted by Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, Javeon Campbell was filling it up on the hardwood. The 31st-ranked defensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting class scored his 2,000th career point this week. It’s hard to guard the 6-foot-5, 270-pound athlete who is the leading scorer in Western Hills High School history.

Quarterback Stone Saunders is already on campus preparing for spring practice, but he made the trip from Lexington back to Pennsylvania to receive not one, but TWO major awards. Saunders was the Maxwell Football Club’s Pennsylvania Player of the Year and the 40th recipient of the Jim Henry Award, given each year to a player in the tri-state area who excels on the field, in the classroom, and the community.

Meet the New Kentucky Wildcats

They aren’t all new guys, but there are plenty of unfamiliar faces you’ll be introduced to when you watch the 2-minute clip from the Joe Craft Football Training Facility.

Fun facts about the squad. pic.twitter.com/HnhR72OAlx

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) February 4, 2025

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Pad Level is a Problem for Deone

If you’ve watched Deone Walker play football, you’ve seen his head tower over opponents. Throughout his career, it was hard to nit-pick how tall he was coming out of his stance because the results were the results. Nitpicking is basically the entire NFL Draft process and that’s the one big thing that jumped out to the folks at Pro Football Focus during Senior Bowl week.

“Walker’s athleticism at 340 pounds was supposed to give him a chance to dominate this week and potentially push him into first-round consideration in April. His lack of technique didn’t quite match up with his imposing frame,” writes PFF.

“Walker’s primary issue is his pad level coming out of his stance. He needs to play with better leverage at 6-foot-7. That was evident during pass-rush reps, when he was stonewalled by North Carolina’s Willie Lampkin, who falls 9 inches and 70 pounds short of Walker. He may flash his athletic talent at the NFL Combine, but Walker’s play on the field looks more like a mid-to-late Day 2 pick.