First year defensive backs coach took time to participate in a live chat on ukathletics.com Tuesday. A complete archive of his responses is below.
Captain Kirk : Will E.J. Adams, Shomari, Moore, and AJ Grigsby get more playing time this year and what schools were you at before Kentucky
David Lockwood : Yes, we are counting on all three of them to make a huge contribution to the team this year. With as many spread offenses as we see, there will be times when we’ll play with five to seven DBs. I have also worked at Delaware, James Madison, Memphis, Wyoming, West Virginia, Notre Dame and Minnesota.
Brad Roby : What are the expectations you have for your players this season? Do you think the secondary could rank top 3 in the SEC in terms of passing yards allowed?
David Lockwood : First and foremost, I expect our players to go to class and get their education. As far as football, I expect them to give 110 percent and, if they do those two things, everything takes care of itself. With hard work and eliminating the big play, we will have a chance to be among the top in the SEC.
Tyler : How well is Trevard Lindley and Paul Warford coming along? I saw where Trevard Lindley made the Sporting News Spring Football Practice winners.
David Lockwood : Trevard and Paul are coming along as planned. With some hard work and dedication this summer, they should pick up where they left off this spring.
Tyler : How well is Trevard Lindley and Paul Warford coming along? I saw where Trevard Lindley made the Sporting News Spring Football Practice winners.
David Lockwood : Trevard and Paul are coming along as planned. With some hard work and dedication this summer, they should pick up where they left off this spring.
Matt Gillispie : If you go to a school that has been good in the past but thay are down this year and your the stud reciver / def back how do You get noticed by colleges
David Lockwood : I would make a highlight tape of myself along with one or two early games this season and send it to the schools that you are interested in.
Austin : Hey David i know your going to make the defense great this year but how far do you think thier skill will actually take us?
David Lockwood : As long as they continue to work hard and believe in themselves, their teammates and coaches, the sky is the limit.
Steve R : How do you judge our speed in comparison with the SEC receivers? Can we make plays against those players? Can technique help?
David Lockwood : I think we have good players, but with this being my first year in the league, that is a difficult question to evaluate at this time. Technique can help very much. It doesn’t matter how big or how fast you are, if you don’t use the proper technique, you limit yourself the opportunity to make plays.
Adam : What did you like most about the spring game with your young unit?
David Lockwood : We got some turnovers! That’s one of the big things that we stress on defense – forcing turnovers. That gives our offense another opportunity to score points. I was happy to see the unit perform the way that they did in the spring game.
Jason : Coach Lockwood, glad to have you in Lexington. I have a couple of questions. First how difficult is the move from D-Coordinator to DB coach? Also we all know what Trevard Lindley can do, but are there any other names that we should look for to man the other CB position or in the nickleback situations.
David Lockwood : The transition from coordinator to DB coach is not hard at all. I’m not an ego guy and I’ll do whatever it takes to win. I think one day, I’ll get the opportunity to be a coordinator again. Other players that we will see are Paul Warford, E.J. Adams, Ahmad Grigsby and Shomari Moore.
Mike : who was your greatest influneces growing up to make you the coach you are today
David Lockwood : I’d say that my father was my greatest influence. Even though he was a basketball coach, I decided early on that I wanted to be a ball coach, whether it be basketball or football. I chose football. It is an opportunity to give student-athletes a chance to do something that they want to do – get an education and play big-time football.
Brian from Owensboro : Good morning coach. Welcome to Big Blue Nation! Will we see more blitzing by the DBs this year? Thanks and GO Cats!!!
David Lockwood : We will blitz whoever we think our best blitzers are. That could come from our linebackers and obviously our secondary. We will do whatever it takes to get pressure on the quarterback.
Crazy ’bout the Cats : Hi coach and welcome to UK! Will Michael Schwindel be moving to linebacker this year?
David Lockwood : Yes. With the numbers at linebacker, we looked at the guys in the secondary who would fit the mold to move to linebacker. He is one guy that really fits that mold. That was decided very late in the spring and he will start practicing at linebacker in the fall.
Grasscat : Welcome to the next new dominant football program. We’re glad you’re a wildcat now. From what I’ve seen, the secondary could be VERY special with existing talent and the addition of Grigsby and Adams and the talent coming with the next class. What has been the biggest surprise that you have encountered with the program at UK? Thanks and GBB!!!
David Lockwood : Coming to UK has been everything that I expected and more. We have a great staff, great facilities, great kids and we are coming off a great year. I haven’t really been surprised by anything.
Brad Roby : We all know about Trevard Lindley’s abilities, but who else do you think could have a tremendous impact on the successes (we hope) of next season’s secondary?
David Lockwood : Calvin Harrison had a pretty good spring. He became more of a swing guy for us. He played both safety positions, which I think in the long run will help us out. Having already been here, Coach Brooks said that several other players are much improved from a year ago.
matt : Welcome to UK coach Lockwood proud to have you here. Why exactally did you decided to come to UK? How good do you think are secondary could be this year and what your expecting from them?
David Lockwood : Coach Phillips and I have worked together at Notre Dame and had known each other for a while and have always talked about getting the opportunity to work together again. UK is one of the up and rising programs in the country. Coach Brooks is a great guy to work for and we have a great staff here at UK. Our secondary has a chance to be good this year if we continue to work hard.
Luke : Coach, Trevard Lindley was great last year, has he developed at all or made any strides? Thanks
David Lockwood : Yes, he’s making strides more and more every day. He finished the spring in very good shape, he actually had two picks in the spring game in the first two series.
alphacat93 : Hey Coach! Welcome to UK. With Trevard Lindley at one CB slot, who has the inside track to be his running mate? Also, do you see Roger Williams and Marcus McClinton as one of the best safety duos in the SEC?
David Lockwood : As far as the other running mate, Paul Warford and E.J. Adams finished the spring in the lead. With their experience, we are expecting both of them to be among the top two safeties in the conference.
ukathletics.com : Thanks to Coach Lockwood for his time in answering questions today. Next week’s live chat will be with Jimmy Heggins.
David Lockwood : Thanks to everyone who has written in today. Thanks for all of your support and I am looking forward to a great season!
