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**Due to outside circumstances, the live audio and video feed from UK head football coach Rich Brooks press conference was not available at 3:00. Likely due to storm damage in the area on Tuesday night, connectivity could not be established from the press conference site. Both the audio and video feed from the press conference will be available through Extreme Access as soon as possible.

Wednesday marked the first official day that Division I schools could sign players for the 2008 football season. Click the links above for extensive coverage of 2008 Signing Day.

PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES – FEB. 6

Head Coach Rich Brooks

Opening statement ?

?So has anybody ever heard of somebody saying that they had a bad class on signing day? I didn?t think so. (laughter from the audience) I?m very pleased, obviously. We were able to get maybe one of the most athletic and fastest recruiting classes that we?ve signed since I?ve been here. As you know, five years ago one of my greatest statements was that what our team needed was speed. This class has a lot of that in it. We also have some good linemen that are faster than a lot of our linemen that we?ve brought in before. They are also in the athletic category. There are a lot of guys who play defensive and offensive line at the high school level. Some of them have five-flat or under speed that are big men. That?s a step forward for us as well.

?At one point or another there are five players in this class who have played quarterback this year for various reasons. It speaks volumes about the athletic ability of those particular players. I think this is also the first class that has not included a mid-year player, whether it be a grayshirt guy from last year or a junior college player. All of them are freshmen, where there may be one or two placed. There could be one or two grayshirted. We will work that as we go forward and complete the senior year. We will see how it all shakes out at the end.

?The bottom line is, I am very, very pleased with this group. I think it continues to bring us to SEC levels in speed and athletic ability at a variety of positions. We were able to bring in some people who will immediately challenge for playing time as freshmen, with the understanding that the transition is a big one. When you come out as a high school senior and come in and try to play in the SEC as a true freshman, some players adjust more quickly and some take longer to understand the level of intensity, commitment and effort and then learning what they are supposed to do without thinking about it too much. So, you don?t slow down their natural athletic abilities.

?If you?ve covered us over the last five years, you?ve seen different freshmen come in. Some were highly touted who struggled with that transition. Some of them were less highly touted and made that transition very smoothly. When we talk about the star rankings on recruits, I never get very carried away with that. If you look at the guys that we just lost in our senior class, a lot of the guys playing at an All-SEC type of level on our team now there weren?t a lot of four- and five-star guys in there either. But, they played like four and five stars, and I think that is the key to being able to compete, not only in this league but nationally.?

On signing a lot of guys who have experience playing quarterback ?

?The numbers crunch (at quarterback) will take care of itself. Some of them will perform better at practice than others, and then the others will move to whatever position we can get them on the field the fastest, whether that be receiver or defensive back.?

On the comparisons to Keenan Burton, who was a quarterback coming out of high school ?

?I think there are some (who compare to Burton), but then there are some who throw it a lot better than Keenan did. Keenan wouldn?t like to hear me say that. Some of these guys can throw it very, very well. Randall Cobb has a great arm, I think. He?s just short for a quarterback.?

On E.J. Fields and the advantages of being a local talent ?

?I am really anxious to see him on the field. He, to me, is a lot like Keenan Burton. He doesn?t have the illusion that he?s going to be a college quarterback. He knows that he has receiver talents. He has DB (defensive back) talents. Because of our most pressing need right now for the upcoming season, we will start him at receiver. I think that he could be a guy who could be in the mix, if he can make that transition. I think that the local guys might have an easier time making the transition, because they can be around our program a little bit in the spring. I know that a lot of them are doing some other sports, but they can come over and watch practice and see the tempo and see what is going on. Most of them will be in summer school, and will be able to work out with our players over the summer. That has been a very positive change that happened two years ago in the sport of football. I am looking forward to seeing E.J. Fields. If you want to talk about an athlete, this guy runs the 400 meters, he also plays basketball. I think he is just one of many very intriguing, athletic guys that are going to come in and shake some things up. When I first got here, we talked about wanting a guy who could run the 40- under 4.5 seconds. Well, there?s a whole bunch of them in this class who can already run under 4.5. That?s a very, very encouraging thing.?

On Aaron Boyd?s decision at a press conference earlier today ?

?You know how the saying goes, it ain?t over until the fat lady sings. I was concerned, but you are always concerned. I?m concerned when a guy commits to us and hasn?t signed too. Those things happen in the recruiting process. I just felt all along that if it came down to us and Oregon (for Aaron Boyd), although they have spectacular facilities and a great program, that?s a long, long way for a guy who has a pretty close family ties and a lot of friends close here. I?m not saying I felt great about it, but I felt good about it. He has the ability to, again, get in that mix (of players who can contribute immediately). Now, the transition of what he needs to do at this level, he?s got to work hard. He has the tools, but he?s going to have to work hard. We?ll see how that all plays out. I know how a lot of people put pressure on these four-star recruits, talking about how this guy is going to be an immediate impact; I don?t like to do that to anybody. He clearly has an opportunity. The people who are going to lineup at receiver in this freshman class have the biggest opportunity to help out our team in the fall because we have a hole there. We have a need there. That doesn?t mean some players who are currently on our roster aren?t going to fill that hole, because some of them have that same opportunity. They will have a head start because they will have the whole off-season, spring practice, summer and then going into fall to jump ahead of some of these (freshman) guys who clearly have talent enough to be a factor, and now it?s just a matter of who makes the transition the smoothest. Who is going to go the extra mile and have the extra work ethic to get on the field for us next fall? I am certain that there will probably be at least one and maybe two of these freshmen who will factor at the receiving corps next fall.?

On if Kentucky recruiting athletes at the quarterback position might make the offensive system change to a spread offense ?

?We?ve always wanted guys who are athletic at quarterback. Let?s not lose sight of the fact that you have to throw the ball well if you want to win in the SEC. Now, Andre? (Woodson) was capable of running. He didn?t choose to run, and didn?t like to run as much. But, he was athletic as well. That was one of the things, he could move around in the pocket and move the pocket with him. These guys, and the two guys going into the lead into spring practice on our roster now, can move a lot better than Andre? could. But, we still want to throw that ball. We don?t want our offensive system to be flip-flopping all the time and just let our quarterback get right down there and run in a spread offense and not take advantage of the system that we have in place to get the ball down the field. In one sense, an athletic quarterback who can run it on occasion or even more than a little more than on occasion, can go along way in helping the passing game.?

On the reason the staff was able to recruit players from Tennessee ?

?I think hard work. We went in early, except for one late signee (Collins Ukwu) we got early evaluations and I think good evaluations, and we got in the door early. We?ve got to keep working hard, and keep showing them love. I think the fact that what we?ve been able to do the last two years (winning) has opened some recruits? eyes that normally would go elsewhere. But, instead they chose to come and continue to build what we?ve started here.?

On signing Collins Ukwu late ?

?He is a very athletic guy. I think he is a guy who we didn?t do enough of hard work on as we probably should have early on. We had one commitment that we felt pretty good about at that position (defensive end) that went another direction. When we revisited that, you kind of look at each other and say ?wow.? This kid is athletic. He can run. He can do all of the things the other guys we were recruiting can do. I think he?s got great upside as an athlete. He?s playing basketball; he?s a long-armed guy. He can run like a deer. He will hit you. He made a lot of plays. He didn?t play his whole senior season, he got a little hurt, but I think he is a guy who can come in and add to our competition at the defensive end spot for us. I think in the defensive front, I think our tackle position is a little stouter depth-wise than our end position. I just felt that we needed one more guy, and fortunately he was welcome to it and it happened.?

On keeping Lexington kids at Kentucky ?

?There have been a couple of high-profile guys I?ve seen come out of Lexington in the five years that I?ve been here, but not two of them in the same year. They (Aaron Boyd and Winston Guy) are very athletic guys, and very talented guys. I think it speaks volumes of our effort in recruiting and trying to do the right things. The up-grading of the facilities, the improvement on the field that both of these players were able to turn (down) other SEC schools and as well as other schools nationally that are prominent schools is significant. This will do a lot in helping us continue to climb the ladder in the SEC, and I think this is a significant step. It?s a significant step that in-state, we were able to get quite a few top players that we wanted to get. I think that is a significant thing.?

On the linemen out of Louisville (Matt Smith and Dave Ulinski ?

?It?s (Louisville) one of the biggest populations of the state. There are a lot of good athletes in that town, in that vicinity. We have to have a presence there if we want to be a viable team in the SEC. We have to be able to go in there and compete for any recruit. You know that you aren?t going to get them all, but the fact that we were able to go in there and get what I consider to be very, very talented and big SEC-looking linemen, I?m very excited about those two guys. I?m excited about the fact that they want to be at Kentucky. I think that will help us in continuing to get better.?

On how success on the field has helped with recruiting ?

?I?ve never felt that two bowl game wins would turn Kentucky into a top-10 recruiting class. For the most part, I don?t believe in the top-10 recruiting class rankings nationally. We have beaten in the last two years, two-three-four teams who have top-10 recruiting classes almost every year. We haven?t even sniffed the top-10 (in recruiting rankings). The bowl wins have shown that if you come to Kentucky it?s not going to be hopeless. So, by winning we?ve eliminated some of the negatives said about our program. This was the smallest recruiting class, other than the ones during our probationary years, because we have been retaining players and developing players. I think that the bowl game success has clearly helped us recruit, but it doesn?t automatically vault you into the upper-echelon of the SEC, because those teams have been going to bowl games and been doing a good job for a very long time. Now, if we continue this process and continue to do well then maybe some of those doors not only open a little bit, but maybe we can actually walk in and get some of those players who we believe can help us and not just because they are four-or-five stars.?

On Eric Adeyemi ?

?He is a very, very, fast, explosive guy. He can return (kicks). He can catch, and he can break short plays into long plays.?

On Aaron Boyd ?

?He has the size, and the athletic skills. He has great hands to be a big-time receiver in the SEC. He will create match-up problems for a lot of corners in this league.?

On Chandler Burden ?

?He is athletic. He played defense as well as offense. He could play defense here possibly. He is very athletic, and a very physical guy.?

On Randall Cobb ?

?He really is one of the more gifted athletes that I?ve seen in quite a few years at the high school level. Let?s be honest, the guy beat me at ping-pong in my own house. How can it be better than that? (laughter from audience) The guy is a tremendous athlete and leader. He throws the ball much better than what I had anticipated. I?m extremely impressed with him.?

On E.J. Fields ?

?He?s fast with great size. He?s very competitive and very serious and he plays hard, and he plays smart.?

On Winston Guy ?

?He?s an explosive player. He plays both ways. This guy could be a wide receiver as well. He made huge plays in high school. He can play safety. He could play linebacker. He could play receiver. He has tremendous speed and playmaking ability, and has done some return stuff as well.?

On Osaze Idumwonyi ?

?He is a very athletic guy. He played defense as well. He is rated as a center, which is probably a pretty good projection for him. He played guard most of his senior year. He is a very explosive guy. He?s also a very athletic player.?

On William Johnson ?

?This guy could be one of the biggest sleepers in this class. He is a play-making fool. He runs all over the field. He is also very athletic, very physical and will knock you into next week. I?m really excited about him.?

On DeAunte Mason ?

?He is another guy who is just a tremendous, tremendous athlete. He is also a great leader. You go into that high school and you talk to the principal, the guidance counselor, the janitor, everybody sings nothing but praise for this young man and his leadership, his great smile, his personality. Those two (Johnson and Mason) played high school football together.?

On Gene McCaskill ?

?He is a very explosive receiver. He comes out of breaks extremely quick. He is kind of like Keenan Burton where he can create separation on the break. Then he goes back his senior year and nobody can throw him the ball, so he plays quarterback. He runs around and throws it and he had a heck of a year at quarterback.?

On Cartier Rice ?

?He is a very, very talented corner. He can cover extremely well. He plays in a great program. He is extremely well coached. He is a guy who can considerably bring competition to our team as a freshman at corner.?

On Matt Roark ?

?Wow, he?s 6-6 and 190 pounds. Most people recruited him as a receiver out of high school. Again, he is a very talented guy who was recruited by programs all over the country. He?s a guy who we will give a look at quarterback. He?s extremely athletic. He knows that if it doesn?t work at quarterback that he?s not the kind of guy we want sitting on the sideline, we will work him possibly some at receiver too.?

On Donte Rumph ?

?He is a very explosive defensive lineman. He?s very fast, very physical. He already possesses good size for a defensive end. He could get bigger and go inside as well.?

On Matt Smith ?

?He played virtually his entire career on defense. He runs under five-flat. He is extremely tough, and coachable. He?s smart, and I love his attitude.?

On Sean Stackhouse ?

?He is a big tight end. He doesn?t have the speed to stretch the field like a Jacob Tamme. But, he has great hands. He makes good catches, and does things with the ball under his arm. He obviously has the size to be blocker, which we could also use at our tight end spot.?

On Danny Trevathan ?

?This is another athletic guy. This guy played halfback, he?s very fast. He could be an under-4.5 linebacker. He has good size, and he?s a playmaker. He can flat-out run. He is all over the field. He?s a great blitzer.?

On Collins Ukwu ?

?He?s the late-comer signee. He?s explosive. He runs a 4.7 or under. He is athletic, and has a great work ethic. He plays hard from snap to whistle. He has long arms, and great size potential.?

On Dave Ulinski ?

?He is a man already. He?s one of those guys who looks the part already. He looked the part as a junior. We?ve been on him for a long time. This year he played center. He played defense early in his high school career. He played a little at guard and tackle, and then he was full-time starter at center. He is extremely athletic for a lineman.?

On Trevino Woods ?

?He?s only played two years of high school football. This is one of the better-looking guys that I?ve recruited in the five years since I?ve been here. He?s very athletic, and he?s very smart. He?s raw, but he doesn?t have a lot of bad mistakes to correct because he?s only played football for two years. I think he has the potential to be a big-time player.?

On Taylor Wyndham ?

?He?s another guy who is a linebacker or a defensive end. He?s very fast, he runs under 4.7. He plays basketball, so he?s a good athlete. He also has good size potential. He?ll be a great pass rusher for us.?