Kentucky Football Spring Practice Takeaways

Mark Stoops opened the doors of the Joe Craft Football Training Facility to members of the media Saturday afternoon. KSR had all hands on deck for the action. Even though it was only about half of the practice, Nick Roush and Adam Luckett still learned a thing or two about this Kentucky football team.

Brock Vandagriff Looks like an SEC Quarterback 

Roush: The quarterback is the most important position on the football field and we know so very little about the next one taking snaps for the Wildcats. The guy who was a five-star talent in high school is built like an SEC starter. Every bit of 6-foot-3 behind the Big Blue Wall, Brock Vandagriff looks poised and confident in the pocket. Vandagriff has a compact throwing motion, waiting little time to get the ball out of his hands. 

In the abbreviated parts of practice we were able to watch, he delivered the ball to his targets on time. Fred Farrier wasn’t his first option on one play, but the hitch underneath was put in a place where only the wide receiver could haul in the pass. He was not overzealous. That’s a positive in the long run, but let’s be frank, I wanted to see how far he could throw the football. We should get a nice litmus test for how well he can drop bombs down the field in next Saturday’s open practice. 

Jalen Farmer is poised to claim starting spot at guard

Luckett: Kentucky hit the transfer portal again in the offseason to address the offensive line. Florida transfer Jalen Farmer made the move to Lexington after spending two seasons in Gainesville. The former three-star recruit out of Covington (Ga.) Eastside looks the part.

Farmer was spotted getting reps with the ones during spring practice and starting opposite of Jager Burton. New offensive line coach Eric Wolford is looking for more physicality at the point of attack and Farmer could be a player that provides that.

The SEC transfer appears to be a favorite to open the season as a starter on the offensive line when the regular season arrives.

Kentucky Tight Ends Receive Multiple Looks 

Roush: I’m not here to tell you Kentucky is going to throw the ball to the tight ends more. I will share that I was surprised to see so many different players in different positions. Dingle, Anderson, Kattus, all were rolling in and out regularly, lining up in the slot and at split-end, either in a two-point or three-point stance. The Cats like the depth and versatility they have at the position. 

“We feel very confident in that group and we feel like there’s a lot of playmaking ability in that group,” Stoops said Saturday afternoon. 

Jantzen Dunn is playing the Andru Phillips role

Luckett: In a few short weeks, former Kentucky defensive back Andru Phillips should hear his name called on Day 2 at the NFL Draft. Just one year ago, Phillips entered the season as a starter at two positions for Kentucky.

Phillips has moved on, but Jantzen Dunn has filled his shoes.

The former Ohio State transfer is Kentucky’s starting outside cornerback opposite of Maxwell Hariston in base and slides inside to slot cornerback in nickel. The CB2 battle is still ongoing, but it’s clear that Dunn will have a big role in year two at Kentucky.

Spring Practice is Punching Walls

Roush: Spring football is all about development and fundamentals. You’ve heard it plenty of times before, but what does it look like? For the defensive line, it’s punching a wall.

Punching a wall isn’t a metaphor. Anwar Stewart lined up his unit in front of a blue cinderblock wall and instructed his group to get physical and “harden your hands” by striking the wall. If you think it sounds silly, how much different is a cinderblock wall than an SEC offensive lineman? 

Even though there is a practical purpose that pays a questionable amount of dividends, it is the perfect metaphor for spring practice. These guys are banging their bodies against a brick wall to get better without an opponent on the horizon. It’s a grind, one that reaches a crescendo with next Saturday’s open practice at Kroger Field. 

Chip Trayanum looks the part

Luckett: Kentucky was not full contact at practice on Saturday. That means the defense is not tackling to the ground in team periods. When that occurs, it can be difficult to tell what value tailbacks are bringing to the offense. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, Jason Patterson, and Jamarion Wilcox each flashed on Saturday but Chip Trayanum was the one who stood out the most.

The Ohio State transfer is clearly the biggest player in that position room and his physical size does stand out during individual and team periods. Trayanum was the first up in most drills and that indicates that he is Kentucky’s No. 1 right now.

The RB1 battle is also ongoing, but there is no denying that Trayanum looks good coming off the bus and will play a big role for Kentucky this year.

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