By: LARRY VAUGHT

Drake Jackson knew the transition to center would not be easy. That's one reason he graduated early from Woodford County High School so he could enroll at UK in January and go through spring practice.

The four-star recruit is running with the third-team offensive line at center.

"I am just playing center right now. Hopefully I will get to the point where I can work some at guard, too," said Jackson. “They’re just working me right now getting me good at one thing before I move on.”

He says playing center is fun even though he rarely played the position in high school.

"It is something I have been waiting for a long time. I have had a lot of work on it in the past. Now that I am doing it full time I am having a lot of fun," he said.

It helps that senior Jon Toth, a potential all-SEC center, is around to help him daily.

"Toth is there for any type of thing that you really don't see. He sees everything. He has been doing this for years. He is one of the best in the country. Any time you have a question, you can ask him. It can be on technique, it can be on pre snap or post snap reads. Anything that happens, you can ask him and he will tell you right away," Jackson said.

He says he's gotten used to making shotgun snaps, but making reads before the snap sometimes has been an issue.

"I have more trouble on a new install day when they are throwing something at you that you have not seen. Nothing too major. Just if I have a question I ask," Jackson said. "But it is going fine."