Spring Notebook: J.J. Weaver, Jordan Wright make 'big difference'

On Thursday, Kentucky had its second spring practice in 2022 as Mark Stoops is preparing his 10th team at Kentucky for battle. The media was allowed into the Joe Craft Football Training Facility to pepper some of the defensive personnel with questions.

After speaking with defensive coordinator Brad White and a pair of super senior linebackers, it’s clear that some things are changing back to normal for the Kentucky defense.

KSR’s spring notebook is here to go over everything addressed on Thursday after the offense went first on Tuesday.

3-4 base defense is making a return

At this time last season, J.J. Weaver was less than four months into rehab for an ACL injury suffered on Thanksgiving Saturday. Due to that, Kentucky had to prepare a base look without two edge defenders being on the field.

Defensive coordinator Brad White adjusted by shifting to a 3-3-5 look that included an extra safety in the box that played as a hybrid Sam linebacker and nickel defender. In that role, both Davonte Robinson and Vito Tisdale did some good things. However, that medium package given to that spot by the Kentucky staff might not be needed as much.

Both Weaver and Jordan Wright are healthy for spring practice after dealing with injuries last season. That has been a breath of fresh air for White after two practices.

“You felt the difference when the both of them were on the field together,” White told reporters on Thursday. “For me as a coordinator, you can feel it when you play with two really big edge defenders. Last year, we were so light at outside linebacker.”

Depth is still a concern as expected reserves Tyreese Fearbry and Keaten Wade will not arrive on campus until the summer. However, Kentucky has their two dudes to set the edge and rush the passer. That will allow the Wildcats to get back to their bread and butter.

“We play base more than most,” said White. “So to have those two makes a big difference.”

Andru Phillips is making a move

Offensive tackle is getting a ton of attention, but the need at cornerback might be a bigger worry. The Wildcats return starter Carrington Valentine but has no one on the roster who has played significant snaps in an SEC game. Currently, there are six cornerbacks on the roster, and four of them are freshmen.

That is creating a huge opportunity for redshirt sophomore Andru Phillips. The Mauldin (S.C.) High product and legacy player is starting to make a move.

“I think Dru Phillips over the first two days has flashed”, said White. “Which is good, and he needs to continue to progress. When you think about some of those guys, he’s really — essentially — this is like his second year even though it’s his third year. This is a big progression year, but he’s done some good things here in the first two days.

Phillips was one of the players involved in the off-campus fight that forced six guys to miss multiple games last season. Now the redshirt sophomore is getting a chance to earn a spot, and he appears ready for his opportunity.

A transfer portal addition is highly likely as the summer approaches, but having Phillips ready to contribute will be essential for the Kentucky defense this fall.

Mike Stoops is adjusting to Kentucky’s terminology

New inside linebackers coach Mike Stoops has come to Lexington with a plethora of experience. The 60-year-old coach was the defensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic last season, but before that, he served as the head coach at Arizona from 2004-11 and had two long stints as the defensive play-caller at Oklahoma.

The head coach’s older brother has seen a lot of football, but the spring is serving as a time for Stoops to adjust to how Kentucky runs their defensive operation.

“Coach Stoops, he’s like a mastermind of defense. I think the real adjustment is the communication,” said super senior Jacquez Jones. “Him coming from FAU, he’s used to their communication, and he’s just getting adjusted to our communication.”

However, Stoops is “learning the defense fast” according to DeAndre Square but the veteran has had to adjust his name on the field. With brother Mark getting the “Coach Stoops” title and Mike going by “Coach Mike”.

“We gotta remind him he’s at Kentucky now,” jokingly said Jones.

Jamarius Dinkins has moved positions

At nose tackle, Kentucky has lost Marquan McCall one season after replacing Quinton Bohanna. However, the defense seems to be in good hands with Josaih Hayes and Justin Rogers platooning at the spot, but depth is always needed.

After one season in the program, redshirt freshman Jamarius Dinkins has slid inside and is currently getting reps as a zero technique.

“He’s a taller, longer nose for us right now,” White said about Dinkins. “He creates all kinds of problems kind of like Q [Quinton Bohanna] did — you can get on the center so quickly with your hands. He’s so heavy, he’s got heavy hands, he’s got a heavy sort of dense body that he’s hard to move out of there.

The Columbus (Ohio) Walnut Ridge product was listed at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds last season as he played in three games as a rookie. Weight will need to be added, but the second-year player is a big body with a massive frame and great length. Moving him inside gives Kentucky some vertical size as the developmental player looks for a full-time home this spring.

Expect a healthy rotation at linebacker

Last season, both Jacquez Jones and DeAndre Square had to battle injuries throughout the season. In the Citrus Bowl, Kentucky played a lot of snaps without the two primary starters. However, depth is no longer an issue.

Trevin Wallace is ready for a jump after his sophomore season, and redshirt sophomore D’Eryk Jackson shined at the end of the 2021 season after returning from an Achilles injury. UK has a ton of depth at off-ball linebacker and is planning to use it in the fall after establishing roles during spring practice.

“That’s what we were planning to have — a nice rotation so starters aren’t taking that much of a load like we did last year. If you want to win the SEC, you’ve got to have valuable backups and people that can play a decent amount of snaps and be just as good as the starters,” said Square. “I feel like we have that at the linebacker position.”

Expect multiple bodies to play big snaps at both Mike and Will.