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Spring Practice Notes: 3/29/22

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Kentucky Wide Receiver, Tayvion Robinson (Photo by Jacob Noger | UK Athletics)

Earlier today, Kentucky Football allowed the media, for the first time this season, to watch the Wildcats on the practice field at Nutter Field House. Stoops and Co. practiced for about an hour and a half and included individual sessions, special teams work, 7-on-7, and 11-on-11’s.

Let’s take a closer look.

The Defense Bested the Offense Today

In today’s post-practice press conference, offensive coordinator, Rich Scangarello, was quick to say that “today was a little rough.” Notably, three interceptions were thrown by Will Levis (two of which Scangerello believed to be controllable), a grounded snap, and a mistimed toss back, which collectively accumulated to a sloppy performance.

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While displeased with the performance, Scangarello went on to say, “Those are the things when you have five or six running backs, four different quarterbacks, three centers over the course of practice they happen, but there are no excuses and they can’t happen.”

All this to say, don’t take anything away from the defense. While they had their fair share of mistakes, they won practice today. The defensive line looked strong as the pass rush looked solid and Justin Rogers even broke through the Big Blue Wall during 11 on 11s.

The lack of cornerback depth is a real issue, but players are stepping up.

As mentioned, the secondary had a big day today and was able to pull in three interceptions, by Ty Ajian, Jordan Lovett, and Jalen Geiger. When wide receiver, DeMarcus Harris, was asked who has impressed him the most in the secondary he called out Carrington Valentine, Ty Ajian, Andru Phillips, Taj Dodson, and Jalen Geiger.

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I still expect that Stoops and Co. will reach out and find a DB or two in the transfer portal, but it is good to hear players are stepping up and developing.

The Offense Is Adjusting

With a new offensive coordinator comes some growing pains, and that was seen today. However, I do not believe it is anything to be alarmed about, and neither does Rich Scangarello, calmly saying, “Honestly, until you watch the film, you don’t know fully what happened. But as long as we take care of the football, the other stuff we can always fix schematically.”

In his press conference, Scangarello also noted that he is still working through each player right now to find out what each guy is capable of, but also adjusting back to college football from the NFL.

As for the players, they are playing for a starting position, while also building on top of the offense that Coen left behind. It is a learning process.

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With that said, there are some very talented pieces on this offense and there is the potential for this to be one of the highest-powered offenses in recent UK history.

Receivers Room Is Promising

While Kentucky has had talented individual receivers such as Wan’Dale Robinson and Lynn Bowden, it has been a struggle to have multiple reliable options at receiver.

Since winning the Citrus Bowl in January, the Cats have lost their top three receiving options and the 3,000 yards of offensive production that they were responsible for last season, but bring in several talented wideouts via recruiting and the transfer portal. Of that group, two notable receivers jumped out today at practice, Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson and true freshman Dane Key.

Robinson, a former top-500 recruit, transfers from Virginia Tech where he played three seasons and accumulated 113 receptions for 1,555 yards and nine touchdowns.

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Kentucky brought in Robinson to aid in the replacement of the other Robinson, Wandale. That was seen as he worked primarily from the slot today, showing that they will use him in a similar fashion. Levis and Robinson seem to have formed chemistry quickly, as he already looked to be the primary target.

Key, a four-star legacy recruit from Frederick Douglass (Lexington, KY), has lived up to the expectations in spring practice. Standing at 6-foot-3, he is an attractive option for Levis, and as the X receiver, they connected on several plays through practice, making it look fluid and effortless.

As a freshman, Key will have some learning to do, but I expect him to play and make an impact this fall.

Other Notes

  • If you closed your eyes, you may not be able to distinguish the difference between Mike Stoops are Mark Stoops. They sound nearly identical.
  • There are a lot of players, specifically on offense, that are currently working in different positions.
  • Players are want the Big Blue Wall and it’s history to “stay forever, ever, and ever”, and show that to incoming players by showing by example.
  • Mark Stoops cannot wait for his new facility.
  • Walk-on and Iowa transfer, Duece Hogan, has a cannon.

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Football

Jamon Dumas-Johnson: A NFL Draft Steal

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Kentucky Wildcats linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson (2) makes the sign of the cross while taking a knee before the game.
Carter Skaggs | Imagn

Before he transferred to Kentucky, Jamon Dumas-Johnson was an All-American at Georgia, with waves to at least test the NFL draft after winning a National Championship. However, with the decision to play his last collegiate season as a Wildcat, Dumas-Johnson was a cornerstone piece for the Kentucky defense, finishing the season with 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks during his 11 starts for the team. 

His athleticism spoke volumes at Kentucky football’s NFL pro day, where current NFL draft boards now list the linebacker as one of the best athletes at the position and has earned himself a “top 10” feel ahead of the draft. Before pro day, publications such as Bleacher Report had him listed as No. 13 at his position. 

Dumas-Johnson proved himself with the highest vertical jump (37.5) and the longest broad jump (10.60) out of the Wildcats who competed in said events, and ran an impressive best 4.50 40-yard dash. At 245 pounds, he also managed to press 16 reps of 225, which could technically be “better” compared to NFL standards, but is impressive nonetheless in hindsight.

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At 23 years old, this linebacker exploits explosiveness, agility and can hawk down any playmaker on the field. Out the 31 NFL teams that attended the event (a Cleveland Browns representative did not attend), one will be getting a prize steal of the draft with Dumas-Johnson. 

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Alex Raynor: A Rare Gem In This Year’s NFL Draft

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Kentucky Wildcats place kicker Alex Raynor (16) lines up a kick.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Alex Raynor had an illustrious season for Kentucky last year, being named to First-Team All-SEC, as a finalist for the Lou Groza award and as SEC Special Teams Player of the Year.

As the record holder for the longest field goal in program history, and arguably one of, if not the, most consistent kickers to ever be a Wildcat, Raynor now looks to the NFL Draft in the next chapter of his book. 

Recently, at Kentucky football’s NFL Pro Day on Tuesday, March 11, Raynor kicked off the event with his workout. 

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Although he would miss a routine kick for him inside of the 45, he would continue to move back, nailing a 55-yard kick and nearly making a 60-yard kick. 

The best moments of his workout came when Raynor would line up behind the UK logo inside of Nutter Field House and would nail a 65-yard field goal.

That, although it’s an indoor kick and is not faced with the NFL pressure, would be one of the longest field goals in NFL history. 

Historically, it’s extremely rare for kickers to be drafted any higher than the 6th, more commonly going in the late rounds on the third day. 

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However, Raynor would hold as one of the rare occasions to go higher than projected, due to his historic year as a Wildcat.

Wherever the young man from Georgia ends up in the pros, don’t be surprised if you hear his name every reoccurring Sunday.

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The State of Kentucky Football

Following their worst season in nearly a decade, Kentucky Football faces a steep rebuild and rising expectations.

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops has been linked to the Texas A&M job.
Chet White | UK Athletics

After charting a 4-8 record in the 2023-24 season, including a 1-7, second-to-last finish in the SEC, Kentucky Football looks lost for the first time in a long time.

It can be argued that the program never really broke through to the “higher echelon” of college football in the first place, but even then, they’ve been consistently better than they were historically known to be. Until now.

With that aforementioned .333 record, the Cats weren’t able to earn a bowl game. That marks the first time since the 2015 season that Kentucky Football won’t appear in postseason competition, and, excluding the 2020 season (for COVID-related reasons,) it’s also the only time the Wildcats have finished under .500 since then.

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What about the last time the team had less than five wins? 2013, in Stoops’ first season. The deeper you dig, the worse it appears.

Losing to Louisville in blowout fashion at the end of last month felt like the straw that broke the Cats’ back. It was clear that whatever would happen next wouldn’t be simply transitional, and thus far, the early offseason has evidenced that.

The Big Move

It began with an exodus. Star wideout Barion Brown elected to transfer to LSU for his senior season. His receiver running mate, Dane Key, left for Nebraska. In addition to the team’s two primary deep threats, Chip Trayanum, the promising back and former Buckeye who spent much of this year battling injuries, took his talents to Toledo.

In total, the Cats have lost nearly two dozen players to the transfer portal, and that’s not even counting the guys headed to the NFL draft (like Deone Walker and Maxwell Hairston,) as well as the graduates.

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To put it bluntly, next year’s team will share little more with the players from this past season than the blue and white on their jerseys. It’s a brutal overhaul, though one Coach Stoops and his staff are trying to get the jump on, to their credit.

Fresh Faces

Among a growing list of incoming transfers, a few names in particular stand out. Chief among them is Zach Calzada, a quarterback whose upcoming season at Kentucky will mark his fifth year playing football in his third different jersey.

The journeyman spent this past season at Incarnate Word, where he threw for 35 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. He completed 344 passes on the year, almost doubling that of his previous two. 

Before his two-year stint at IW, Calzada spent the beginnings of his college career at Texas A&M where, among a mixture of steadily improving statistics, he led the Aggies to an impressive home win over the still Saban-led Alabama Crimson Tide. Whether or not his recent success in the Southland Conference will translate back to the SEC is yet to be seen, but, at least on paper, this pickup makes sense for Kentucky following a year of unsparing QB play across the board.

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Along with Calzada, the Cats have hauled in J.J. Hester, a 6 ‘4 senior receiver from Oklahoma, Dante Dowdell, a power back coming off a 12-touchdown season for Nebraska, and Sam Greene, a defensive end transferring in from USC, among a handful of others. We’ll have a team. 

Though, even considering the roster turnover, that wasn’t the question. That still remains, “what will that team do?”

Potential vs. Progress

Kentucky is 18-25 in their last three seasons of football; a steady decline that has been made worse by the fact that the program’s outlier 10-3 finish in the 2021 season has since been disqualified by the NCAA due to a rule violation. All in all, the last half-decade has been, at best, barely getting by.

How long will this trend continue? The only thing we know for sure is that nobody is sure. Answering that question requires the analysis and knowing of many moving parts, not all of which are at widespread disposal.

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But this much is clear: the longtime variable nature of Kentucky Football came to a head this year, and the product we’re about to see is going to have to be radically different from the one we’ve just seen in order to right this ship.

For better or worse, the 2024-25 season will likely go down as the most important yet in the Stoops era at UK.

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