Having trouble getting registered or subscribing? Email us at info@kysportsreport.com or Private Message CitizenBBN and we'll get you set up!

  • Mark Stoops Press Conference

    Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops
    March 15, 2021
    Zoom News Conference, Joe Craft Football Training Facility, Lexington, Ky.


    Opening statement …
    “It’s good to be back with you all. I hope everyone is doing well. It feels like it’s been a minute (since we were last together), so I’m excited to get going with spring ball. Just had a team meeting this morning with our players. They all have done a really good job. I’m proud of them. They’ve really had a good winter. Hit the weight room extremely hard. Our staff does a remarkable job in there in developing these players physically and mentally. The guys really look good and they’re excited to get going. We’ll be on the field tomorrow morning and excited about that. Guys, again, have done work in the weight room but also with some of our individual walkthroughs and workouts with our coaches. They’ve really looked good and excited to get rolling.

    “You probably saw the addition of John Settle as our running backs coach. He will be running backs coach and co-special teams coordinator. He will co-(coach) with Coach Frank Buffano. You know we have Louie Matsakis who really coaches our coaches. He’s an analyst. He’s in an off-the-field role, but Louie does all of our film work and breakdowns and coaches the coaches and puts our guys in position. Between the three of them and our guys that normally work with them will be there continuing the role they always have. Coach (Jon) Sumrall does an active job, Coach Steve Clinkscale, those guys will continue to work with them.

    “A few other updates. I got an update this morning from Kem (Gamble, his mother). Chris Oats is continuing to get better. She showed me a picture this morning and talked with her. He looks stronger. He looks like he’s doing well. I continue to ask for your prayers for Chris and continue to support them with the Go Fund Me and all those areas. We appreciate that. Also, I would like to recognize Coach John Schlarman and LeeAnne accepting that award on John’s behalf, to win the Broyles as the assistant coach of the year. Congrats to John and LeeAnne for that award.

    “This spring, I’m really excited. As a I mentioned to the team, it just feels like we are so much deeper than we have ever been, and I think that has a lot to do with the six guys coming back for their sixth year and then the addition of 11 newcomers. So, it really puts us at a pretty full roster for the spring. So, that’s the first time we’ve ever had that many. We have 17 guys that generally would not be there, so I feel like we’re pretty deep and anxious to get going. With that, I’ll open it up there to questions.”

    On what the process will be for offensive coordinator Liam Coen implementing the offense and what he hopes to see offensively after the spring …

    “There’s so much, Jon (Hale), to install. Obviously, we’ve had the opportunity to meet with our players and have walkthroughs, so we’ve already implemented some things for them, but there is a great deal to go through. Everything is going to be new obviously from terminology to formations to the operation. From getting under center, different tempos, different cadences, there’s a lot. There’s a lot to go into it, so we really have to use these practices wisely. The nice thing with the way our schedule is, it’s taxing on our players and our coaches, but we go for five weeks, so we have a long time. So, we spread it out, we can take our time, have quality meetings in between our practices and use our time wisely. We have five weeks to get a lot better. I challenged our team and our players with that this morning, that we really have to be dialed in and be more skilled overall. The scheme is fancy for media, for our team, for our players and everything, but it’s still a fundamental game and that’s what you can’t get away from. Obviously, there is so much big-picture things to get in and to get done and to install, but you also fundamentally always got to get better every time you take the field. There’s a lot to do but it’s an exciting time.”

    On if going against the new offense will help the pass rush get back to where it was a couple of years ago …

    “Yeah, I think we have an opportunity to get better. We have some experienced guys up there. I don’t know what the difference would be offensively. Defensively they have their own issues and things that we have to work on and that’s just normal. Every position, each guy that takes the field this spring has to take it upon themselves to get better each and every day. So, I don’t know how to correlate that question to the offensive installment. Defensively, they’ve just got to get better. The pass rush is going to be no different, so to directly answer your question, fundamentally we have to get better. The scheme is not going to affect how they pass rush.”

    On how vital it was to get that win in the bowl game to spring forward after everything they went through last year …

    “I think it was very important. As we talked about leading up to that game and the decision and the invite and all those things, it was really important. Again, I was very proud of our players and the investment they made to go to the bowl game, to practice and to compete in that game to win. We came away with the victory. It definitely helped us. And some time off, as you mentioned, they needed it. After the bowl game they had an opportunity to get some time off. And then I was really encouraged with the way they came back and their attitude to this point. I felt like we had a really strong winter. Those guys have hit the weight room. They’re bigger, their stronger. And mentally I think we’re in a really good place, so I think we’re all really excited to get going here for spring.”

    On the weight room staff having a hand in players’ development …

    “Yeah, I think that’s a great question Lonny (Demaree). What do we have Susan (Lax) in the invite to the (NFL) Combine? Nine? Seven? We have seven which is top 10, right? So, I appreciate that question. It’s true. Again, this year we have seven guys invited, which is in the top 10 in the country that got an official invite to the combine. It says a lot about Coach Ed (Corey Edmond). It says a lot about our whole staff, but Coach Edmond and Coach Mark Hill, the two lead guys in the weight room. I think what separates them is really their personality. They’re obviously very knowledgeable. But it’s just like my philosophy, and Coach Ed is very disciplined and very tough, but he also has a great relationship with the players and I think that’s super important, especially in that room. Because really, Coach Ed and Coach Mark Hill and that group, they see the players really more than we do. Normal years when you hit the road recruiting, you’re gone for a month at a time, sometimes they’re the ones who are constantly with them all year round. They have to have a good pulse of the team. They have to have the respect of the team, and they also have to discipline when necessary. So, it takes some talented people to run that room. I’m very grateful for those two and all of the guys in our weight room.”

    On tightening things back up so COVID doesn’t force a pause during spring practice …

    “I think we’ve been working on that with our players. You are correct, and we’ve talked about it in the past two or three weeks, about continuing to stay disciplined and make sacrifices. I feel like the guys have, yes. There’s a tendency when they have a little more free time to get a little looser and socially start to do some things. So, we’ve talked about it. We’ve addressed it. Overall, we still have very good control of the situation here. I guess, as much as you can, as far as the COVID related issues and things of that nature. The guys seem like they’re doing a very good job.”

    On position groups he’s keying in on development-wise this spring …

    “I think it’s fair to say that the wide receiver position is always a position that we feel that we have to continue to grow. Obviously, the quarterback position is always important. On the defensive side of the ball, we’re thin at linebacker but also I want to see – I feel like we have quite a few bodies but I want to take it another step on the defensive line as well.”

    On the defensive line and the expectations of the 2020 signing class …

    “Well, I’m not really worried about the expectations. I am worried about day-to-day. Each of those players, challenging themselves to get better each and every day. I think they all have a very good work ethic. I think they’re very talented. Talking about the defensive line in general, you look at Marquan (McCall) to this point, I’m really excited about the way Marquan has come back and just his attitude and what he’s done this winter, academically, what he’s doing in the weight room. I really like his mindset right now and if he continues to grow, he has an opportunity to be an impact guy. I just want to encourage him to stay consistent with what he’s doing because he’s off to a really good start. Then you’ve got Josh Paschal who kind of leads the whole team, just with his mindset, his leadership, his dedication to his teammates and this program. Josh is a special player and has an opportunity to be really impactful defensive player this year. You’ve got Octavious (Oxendine). You’ve got Isaiah Gibson, Justin Rogers, Tre’Vonn Rybka, Sam Anaele – all of those guys. Josaih Hayes. (They’re) All talented guys, individually they need to concentrate on themselves and get better day by day. There’s no magic formula. You’ve just got to go out each and every day and get better. It’s a fundamental game. The closer you get to the line of scrimmage the more fundamental it becomes. So, offensive line, defensive line, it’s really a technique game. Those guys really have to hone in on their craft and what they’re doing and pay attention, and fundamentally get better each day.”

    On what pushing the program forward looks like over the next 15 spring practices …

    “Just getting better. I mean, again, there’s no magic formula. There’s no magic wand. It takes a plan, but it also takes dedication on a lot of people’s part. So, we all have to do our part and just get better day by day. I’m really excited. I’ve mentioned it. I’ve said it before. I feel really good about where we’re at, but we have to put in the time. We have to put in the work, and it’s day by day. You can’t get out ahead of yourself. I know that’s boring to talk about, but it’s so true. We’re in there right now. We start in the morning and it’s the same way tomorrow. We’re up and at it early. I’m really excited about attacking each day and getting better. It’s a fun time for me personally. It’s a fun time for our program because I’m excited about just getting better and putting a good team out there next year. We have a lot of work to do today.”

    On if feels almost like a tryout for the players with all of the new staff changes …

    “It definitely is. It definitely is. There are some things that are different, philosophy-wise, schematically. It’s wide open. You have to go out and prove it every day. Obviously, we have some guys that we feel really good about who have proved themselves for a long time. We expect them to be a really good player no matter what system they’re in. But there’s also a bunch of guys that we’re looking at that need to take it to another level.”

    On the plan for the quarterbacks …

    “We’re looking forward to those guys getting better just like all of the other guys. I’m not going to get into that (snap counts) and tip my hand and do all of those things. You know that. You know what I’m going to say. It’s a competition just like every other position out there. We’ll see how it moves forward.”

    On John Settle …

    “I think John is going to step on here afterwards and talk with you all a little bit. But, John, just look at his résumé and where he’s been and the places he’s coached. Then visiting with him and talking with him, it was kind of a no-brainer for me to be honest with you. He’s a guy that comes from a great program at Wisconsin, two different stays there. He has NFL experience. Just his personality, his background, his work ethic, the knowledge that he has. What I liked about John was, not only was he a great running backs coach – you could look at the running backs at Wisconsin and you look at the running backs at Kentucky and feel pretty good about it over the last four, five, six years. So, John’s done a remarkable job at Wisconsin and the other places that he’s been, but also big picture. He’s a guy with quite a bit experience that could help with big picture, could help with special teams with the ‘co’ title. So, he brings an awful lot of experience and stability to that room.”

    On advice he gives Liam Coen on the local media …

    “I didn’t give him really any advice about that, and really don’t feel the need to. You’re the first person that’s mentioned it. If that tells you where my head is at John (Huang), really no offense to anybody or anything, but I have no clue what goes on outside of people come to me when I need to know something. But outside of that I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t listen to it. I don’t know. As long as – usually it’s no news is good news for me whether it’s my players or staff or anything. So, you’re the first person that’s brought it to my attention. I have no clue what he’s done and not done. I just know him personally and I know our staff personally and the way they handle themselves and who they are. You don’t get to get to these positions without being able to handle yourself. It doesn’t mean any of us are perfect. We all know we’re not. We’re going to make mistakes, but I don’t worry about that with Liam or John, who is going to come up here next, or any of our guys. I really don’t. I think you know that I’m not that type of control freak.”
    Comments 3 Comments
    1. Terry Blue's Avatar
      Terry Blue -
      Thanks Darrell
    1. Catfan73's Avatar
      Catfan73 -
      I am fired up! Thanks Darrell!
    1. Darrell KSR's Avatar
      Darrell KSR -
      I am looking forward to a great 2021-22, starting.... NOW.
  • KSR Twitter Feed

  • Recent Forum Posts

    Harlow

    Re: Oakland v UK hall of fame

    See ya next guys with a new coach

    Harlow 03-22-2024, 08:36 AM Go to last post
    Darrell KSR

    Re: Oakland v UK hall of fame

    I'll grade the first point. I wonder who had Oakland winning?

    I kid, kid. Since I made the post, I guess the least I can do is go ahead and

    Darrell KSR 03-21-2024, 09:18 PM Go to last post
    DanISSELisdaman

    Re: Oakland v UK hall of fame

    UK by 19
    Reeves 26
    320
    21
    41%

    DanISSELisdaman 03-21-2024, 06:25 PM Go to last post
    Harlow

    Re: Oakland v UK hall of fame

    No problem buddy

    Harlow 03-21-2024, 05:08 PM Go to last post
    Darrell KSR

    Re: Oakland v UK hall of fame

    Thanks, Harlow--I corrected it to 22. No idea, of course, and watch 18 be the right answer lol. Anyway, I appreciate the heads up.

    Darrell KSR 03-21-2024, 04:30 PM Go to last post