Aug. 6, 2002

Jared McGowan gets fitted for a helmet Tuesday afternoon. View quotes from some of the newcomers View photos of their trip to the equipment room Newcomers Report: Twenty-four Kentucky newcomers (13 scholarship freshmen, nine new walk-ons and two new scholarship transfers) officially reported to campus on Tuesday for orientation activities, including checking into dormitories, being fitted for equipment, physicals, and compliance meetings.

The list of new walk-ons includes:

Name             Pos.  Ht.   Wt.  Cl-Exp. Hometown (High School/Junior College)Babatunde Agboke  S    5-11  208  Fr-HS   Lexington, Ky. (Tates Creek)Russell Goodwin   DE   6-3   227  Fr-HS   Louisville, Ky. (Manual)Andrew Hopewell   RB   5-10  196  Fr-HS   Danville, Ky. (Danville)Rocco Maragus     QB   6-1   195  Fr-HS   Canton, Ohio (St. Thomas Aquinas)Kurt Myers        TE   6-5   235  Fr-HS   Brandenburg, Ky. (Meade County)Joe Spurlin       FS   6-2   210  So-JC   Redding, Calif. (Foothill/Shasta JC/Bakersfield JC)Manny Thurman     CB   5-11  170  Fr-HS   Lexington, Ky. (Paul Dunbar)Trai Williams     OG   6-4   285  Fr-HS   Franklin, Ky. (Franklin-Simpson)Steve Willrich    RB   5-10  240  Jr-JC   Georgetown, Tex. (Georgetown/Ranger College)

Newcomer Notes: The scholarship freshmen who reported on Tuesday included Michael Aitcheson, Chad Anderson, Arliss Beach, Joe Brady, Randy Driver, Monquantae Gibson, Glenn Holt, Hayden Lane, Jared McGowan, Lamar Mills, Kareem Reid, Travis Slaydon, and Bo Smith … New walk-on Babatunde Agboke is the younger brother of Wildcat senior safety Tayo Agboke … Another new walk-on, Andrew Hopewell, is the younger brother of Wildcat sophomore wide receiver Daniel Hopewell … Joe Spurlin played one season at Shasta College in Redding, Calif., then redshirted last year at Bakersfield (Calif.) College … Steve Willrich played two seasons at Ranger (Tex.) College … The two scholarship transfers are offensive lineman Yancey Reynolds, a transfer from Georgia Military College, and defensive tackle Bennie Mills, a transfer from the University of Florida.

Wildcats to Use Their Driver: Freshman signee Randy Driver originally expected to enter UK in Jan. 2003, but got the call to report now when one of the other Wildcat signees was not eligible to play. Driver is a defensive back from Glasgow (Ky.) HS.”I was happy to get called in right now,” Driver said. “I feel good about being here. I’m ready to play football and I didn’t want to sit out another four months.”

Newcomers Practice Wednesday and Thursday: The Kentucky newcomers will practice Wednesday and Thursday at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Nutter Training Facility. Each of the newcomer practices is expected to last approximately one hour.

Kentucky Football Calendar:

Aug. 6      Newcomers reportAug. 7      Newcomers practice, 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.Aug. 8      Newcomers practice, 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.Aug. 9      Returning players reportAug. 11     Practice, 3 p.m.Aug. 12-17  Practice, 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.Aug. 18     No practiceAug. 19-23  Practice, 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.Aug. 23     Kickoff LuncheonAug. 24     Practice, 9 a.m.            Fans' Day at Commonwealth Stadium, 7 p.m.Aug. 25     No practiceAug. 26-29  Practice, 2 p.m.Aug. 28     Fall classes beginSept. 1     Kentucky at Louisville, 6 p.m., televised by espn2 

– UK –