Kentucky held its annual fan day last night at Commonwealth Stadium. Several thousand fans showed up to show their support for the Wildcats. I think the weather was a reason a lot of fans decided to stay away from the stadium last night, because it rained hard about halfway through practice.
This is the first time I have been to fan day and the team practiced in full pads. It really gave the fans an idea of what a real practice looks like. The players moved fast from drill to drill, and never really stopped.
Some of the players that really stood out to me were Ryan Timmons, Jeff Badet, Jojo Kemp, Braylon Heard, and Jalen Whitlow. I was really looking forward to watching Za’Darius Smith, but he was in a walking boot after turning his ankle in Thursdays practice. Stoops said it was nothing serious, just taking precautions.
Max Smith and Patrick Towles looked good throwing the ball as well, but Whitlow just continues to impress me. Smith and Towles both had good command of the ball and the receivers were making good catches.
Braylon Heard is a really really good, and could help the Cats this season, but is not eligible due to the transfer rule.
Jeff Badet, Ryann Timmons, and Javess Blue are three receivers that should see plenty of action for Kentucky this season. You could also throw Alex Montgomery into the mix at receiver. He has good hands and some decent speed.
On the defensive side of the ball, the secondary is going to be a real concern, as it seemed they were getting beat on a lot of deep balls. The linebackers look like they are going to be pretty strong with Henderson and Williamson leading the way. Jason Hatcher has a chance to play early this season, he looked good last night. Bud Dupree was as impressive as ever, he is just a beast.
Getting back to the secondary, Marcus McWilson is going to have a chance to start as he looked good last night. One player in the secondary who stood out to me was Ashley Lowery. I know he is coming back from that tragic car accident and we still don’t know what kind of punishment he will get, but I thought he looked like the best player in the secondary last night.
Coach Stoops was impressed with the fan support for last nights event. “It was, once again, very good support,” Stoops said. “To come sign autographs for a couple hours and hang around practice, it’s great to see.”
Stoops was not real pleased with the way the team practiced. “It’s a little different to come out here and sign autographs for a while, go in, get dressed and then come out,” Stoops said. “Doesn’t matter. No excuses. It’s just not acceptable practice and we gotta get better.”
Stoops Thinks the Wildcats are a better now than in the spring. “We’re a lot better right now even though, again, this wasn’t one of our better practices,” Stoops said. “That’s why we practice: We need to get better. But overall we’re executing better than in the spring by far.”
Along with Za’Darius Smith not participating much in practice, defensive tackles Donte Rumph and Mister Cobble were also limited. “We need those guys to be healthy,” Stoops said. “They’ll be out there. They’ve been practicing. They’re good. Nothing major there.”
This Kentucky team is going to have its ups and downs this season, but the future sure does look bright. There was a lot of good young talent on the field last night.
One last note, it sure was good to hear that air raid siren again last night. I look forward to hearing it a lot during the season.
