Four new Kentucky Wildcat freshman football players, defensive back Trevard Lindley, linebacker Mikhail Mabry, defensive lineman Myron Pryor, and linebacker Johnny Williams, along with junior-college offensive lineman Fatu Turituri, have enrolled at the UK, Coach Rich Brooks has announced.
Lindley, Mabry, Pryor, and Williams signed with UK in Feb. 2004 but delayed enrollment until now, a process known as ?grayshirting.? All four players will be able to participate in spring practice and play in the fall. They will have five years to complete their four seasons of eligibility. Turituri signed in December and has two years of eligibility.
The five new Wildcats will count on the limit of 25 initial scholarships. Signing day for the remainder of the new class is Feb. 2.
The following are their biographies:
Trevard Lindley
Cornerback, 6-0, 175, Fr-HS
Hiram, Ga. (Hiram)
High School: Three-year starter at cornerback and a two-year regular at running back at Hiram (Ga.) HS ? Missed most of his senior season because of a dislocated kneecap, but showed plenty to catch the eyes of college coaches ? Played only three games, but posted some gaudy numbers during that time ? Made three interceptions and had 22 tackles ? Rushed 10 times for 109 yards, a phenomenal 10.9-yard average, and two touchdowns ? Caught two passes for 63 yards and a TD ? Returned two kickoffs for 96 yards, including one return for a TD ? The injury healed fully, as returned to the basketball and track teams ? Ran for approximately 960 yards as a junior, scoring eight touchdowns ? Made three interceptions and returned a kickoff for a TD ? The No. 38 prospect in Georgia, according to SuperPrep magazine ? Coached by Lynn Rowe ? ?Trevard is very fast, yet he runs so smoothly that he makes it look effortless,? Coach Rowe said. ?He has a very unassuming personality and he does everything so naturally that you don?t realize how much he?s done until you look at the stats after the game.? ? Three-year letterman in basketball ? Although just six feet tall, his athletic ability enabled him to play a post position ? Helped his team advance to the state tournament his junior year ? Four-year letterman in track, competing in the triple jump, 100- and 200-meter dashes, and the 4×100-meter relay ? Won the regional meet in the 200 as a junior and competed in the state meet in the 100 and 200 ? Honor roll student ? Chose Kentucky over North Carolina and Southern Mississippi.
Personal: Name is pronounced ?tre-VARD? ? Born in Litha Springs, Ga. ? Son of Terry Lindley, Sr. and Stephanie Lindley ? His brother, Terry, is a freshman football player at Tennessee-Chattanooga ? Plans a major in design engineering.
Mikhail Mabry
Linebacker, 6-2, 230, Fr-HS
Mililani, Haw. (Mililani)
High School: First-team all-state as a senior as chosen by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin ? Described as a ?6-foot-2, 225-pound mentally focused tank? by the Star-Bulletin ? Three-year letterman and two-year starter at Mililani (Haw.) HS ? Played defensive end his sophomore season, then moved to linebacker for his final two years ? Made 304 tackles in his career, including 23 quarterback sacks ? Helped lead his team to a 9-3 record and state playoff berth as a senior ? Made 88 tackles, including eight sacks, during his senior year and earned Western Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors by the Honolulu Advertiser ? Also named the player of the week by the Advertiser four times during his senior season ? Played for the winning team in the Goodwill Classic All-Star Game in December after his senior year ? Honorable-mention all-conference as a junior ? Coached by James Millwood ? Two-year letterman in basketball ? Helped his team place fourth in the state tournament in his senior season ? Honor-roll student ? Participated in the Leo Club, a community service organization.
Personal: Born in San Angelo, Tex. ? Son of Isaac and Rhodesia Mabry ? Member of a military family, he was born in Texas and also lived in Germany, California, Georgia, and Mississippi before moving to Hawaii ? Most of his relatives live in the South ? Plans a major in biochemistry.
Myron Pryor
Defensive Lineman, 6-1, 295, Fr-HS
Louisville, Ky. (Eastern)
High School: Explosive defensive lineman who has been likened to former Wildcat and first-round NFL draft choice Dewayne Robertson ? Three-year starter at offensive tackle and in the defensive line at Eastern HS in Louisville, Ky. ? First-team all-state by the Louisville Courier-Journal and second-team all-state by The Associated Press as a senior ? Named to the Lexington Herald-Leader ?Class of the Commonwealth? list of the top-22 seniors in Kentucky ? Selected All-Metro Louisville by the Voice-Tribune ? Given the Republic Bank Award for the top defensive lineman in Louisville ? Eastern?s recipient of the Unitas Scholarship Award ? Senior year defensive stats feature approximately 30 tackles, with 10 tackles for loss and five fumble recoveries ? Also played running back in some short-yardage situations and scored one touchdown ? Second-team all-state as a junior by the Courier-Journal ? Helped Eastern to a 9-3 record as a junior, advancing to the second round of the state playoffs ? Two-year member of the all-district team ? Strength is noted by his top lifts, 390 pounds in the bench press, 585 in the squat, 270 in the power clean, and a state-record 690 in the dead lift ? An All-South Region selection by PrepStar ? The No. 7 prospect in Kentucky as named by Rivals.com and SuperPrep ? Coached by Lance Dudley ? ?Myron is a naturally strong and gifted athlete,? Dudley said. ?He runs very well for his size and has surprising agility. One of his strengths is his football instincts; he knows how to find the football. He also takes pride in his technique? ? Two-year letterman on the wrestling and track and field teams ? Competed in the shot put and discus throw ? Member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes ? Selected Kentucky over Indiana, Louisville, and Cincinnati.
Personal: Born in Louisville, Ky. ? Son of Marylin Pryor ? Major is undecided.
Fatu Turituri
Offensive Lineman, 6-2, 290, Jr-JC
Long Beach, Calif. (Sataitua HS/Los Angeles. Harbor College)
Junior College: Offensive lineman known for his athleticism and technique ? Two-year starter at offensive tackle at Los Angeles Harbor College ? First-team All-South Division of the Western States Conference during his sophomore season ? Posted a blocking grade of 89 percent for the season and was credited with 20 pancake blocks ? Helped L. A. Harbor win the 2004 South Division championship, the school?s first title since joining the league in 1988 ? Member of a 16-team conference, L. A. Harbor led the league in rushing and placed fourth in total offense ? The 2004 team rewrote the school records for rushing ? Seahawk running back Joe Harris ran for a school-record 1,562 yards and placed second in the state in rushing yardage … Junior college head coach was Steve Schmitz ? Assistant coach Andy Alvillar said of Tutituri, ?We?re a school known for producing offensive linemen and Fatu is one of the top linemen we?ve had. He has good feet and exceptional technique. He has long arms and a good punch? ? Chose Kentucky over New Mexico.
High School: Attended Sataitua High School in American Samoa ? Played three years as an offensive and defensive lineman in high school, helping Sataitua win Samoan championships during his sophomore and junior seasons ? Coached by Pooth Taase ? Also played volleyball and basketball ? Name is pronounced ?FAH-tu TUR-ee-TUR-ee.?
Johnny Williams
Linebacker, 6-3, 235, Fr-HS
Jacksonville, Fla. (Fletcher)
High School: Second-team all-state as a senior in the highly competitive Florida Class AAAAA ranks ? Helped lead Fletcher HS of Neptune Beach, Fla., to a 12-2 record and a trip to the state semifinals, the finest season in school history ? Accumulated 89 tackles from his defensive end post, adding 15 quarterback sacks and three fumble recoveries ? Named All-First Coast, All-Metro Jacksonville, all-conference, and all-district ? Came on strong in his senior year after missing all but two games of his junior campaign because of injury ? Started at defensive end as a freshman and sophomore at Ribault HS in Jacksonville ? Projects as a linebacker on the collegiate level ? Coached at Fletcher by Joe Reynolds ? ?Johnny is relentless,? Reynolds said. ?He was a great pass rusher for us, a fierce tackler, handles double-team blocking, and also runs well.? ? A two-year letterman on the track and field team, competing in the shot put and discus ? Honor-roll student who was awarded the Ace Scholarship ? His recruiting finalists included Kentucky, Central Florida, Bowling Green, Clemson, and Georgia Tech.
Personal: Born in Tampa, Fla. ? Son of Johnny Lee Williams Sr. and Antoinette Williams ? Plans a major in biology.
Sweet Pea to Play in Gridiron Classic: Wildcat defensive end Vincent ?Sweet Pea? Burns will play in The Villages Gridiron Classic All-Star Game on Sat. Jan. 15.
The game will be played in a North vs. South format with Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer and Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel serving as head coaches. Burns has been assigned to the North team and will wear his familiar uniform number 98. The game will be played at Polo Stadium in The Villages, Fla. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. and the game will be televised by ESPN2.
Slowed by knee and ankle injuries this season, Burns made 31 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss, caused two fumbles, recovered a fumble, had an interception, and broke up one pass. His best season came as a junior in 2003 when he led the Southeastern Conference with 18 tackles for loss and was a first-team All-SEC selection.
Burns is the eighth Wildcat to participate in the Gridiron Classic. The most recent UK participants were running back Derek Homer, cornerback Eric Kelly, defensive end Matt Layow, and linebacker Marlon McCree following the 2000 season.
Coaches Return from Convention, Players Back in School: The Kentucky coaching staff attended the American Football Coaches Association convention in Louisville this week. After this week?s ?dead period? in recruiting, the coaches will return to the road next week for the last two weeks of off-campus recruiting. Signing day is Feb. 2.
The Wildcat players have returned to campus and will resume strength and conditioning workouts under the guidance of Strength Coach Marc Hill.