LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Matt Smith has been moved to center in order to bolster that position, Coach Rich Brooks announced Sunday.
Smith, a freshman from Louisville, Ky., had been working at defensive tackle during his first week as a Wildcat. That move was prompted by a need for additional players at the position after backup center Jake Lanefski sustained a broken hand on Saturday.
“First day, he (Smith) looked like he knew what he was doing. I think that will be a much better spot for him, moving forward, on the offensive side of the ball,” Brooks said. “Marcus Davis is doing some good things (at center). It looks like he is going to be in the mix.”
Brooks announced another position change, sophomore Chris Goode moving from defensive end to the offensive line. The coach noted that Goode is following a similar path as Eric Scott, last year’s starting center. Goode, like Scott, began his collegiate career as a tight end and defensive end before finding his niche as an offensive lineman. Goode is getting his first look in the O-Line as a tackle.
Brooks also announced that offensive tackle Justin Jeffries, who missed a couple of days with a shoulder injury, returned to practice on Sunday. However, offensive tackle James Alexander exited with a sprained ankle, the extent of which is not yet known.
The Wildcats practiced for two hours and 40 minutes Sunday afternoon at the Nutter Training Center, yielding mixed results according to the coach.
“It was good in portions of the practice and not good enough in others,” said Brooks, who noted that the team scrimmaged for approximately 20 minutes at the end of the workout.
The Wildcats resume practice on Monday.