Joker Phillips joked before Saturday’s basketball game that he had been vacationing in the Bahamas since taking over the reins of the Kentucky football program.He’ll certainly need one after the work he’s put in the last few weeks.In trying to secure late commitments in the 2010 recruiting class, hiring two new assistant coaches in David Turner and Mike Summers, and transitioning the program from the Rich Brooks era to “Operation Win,” Phillips has been engrossed in a three-week whirlwind. “A friend of mine said that there was nothing you can do to prepare you for what is about to happen,” Phillips said. “He’s right. There is a lot dumped into your lap. I have been out recruiting last week and I come into the office and there are six players lined up. There is an operational guy lined up to see you and a secretary lined up to see you. There is nothing that can prepare you for it. The thing you have to do is relax and take it one day at a time. It gets slower every day.”Phillips described his new role as head coach as “fast-paced,” adding that he could use a few more hours in the day to adjust to the job.”It’s a fun gig,” Phillips said. “There’s no question about that. The reason why it’s so fun is because I’m doing something at a place I want to be at.”The former UK assistant and player has been on the recruiting trail for most of his first few weeks trying to wrap up the 2010 recruiting class before National Signing Day on Feb. 3. Phillips said his move to the big office has been met well with the current players in the locker room and the prospective student-athletes on the recruiting trail. However, Phillips admitted his coaching staff is in a unique situation because they still have scholarships available.”We’re very active,” Phillips said. “We have three, maybe four more spots that we’ll try to fill. Those three or four spots, they’ve got to be the right three or four guys. We’re not going to take guys just to take guys. We want to take better than what we have.”Phillips said there are a couple of players they’ve targeted to fill some of the need roles the Cats have, specifically at the defensive line position, which Turner will now head.”We always need defensive linemen,” Phillips said. “We have to find guys that can compete at this level and a high level. That high level is the SEC. We have to get guys that can control the line of scrimmage, and you can never have enough of them. So if there’s a guy out there that we have targeted and tried to get to say yes, we have to keep them. We have been in this business a long time and what we haven’t had is scholarships at this time of the year. We usually are not able to wait on people. This time we have a chance to wait on some really good football players and defensive linemen.”Phillips is hopeful that the newly hired Turner will help in that department, injecting an extra edge of physicality to the defensive line.”You have to play hard, because it’s a tough league,” Turner said. “This is a grown man’s league. There is only one league better than ours and that is the NFL. I would like to think that my guys show a physical nature during the game in the way it’s played up front. I’m a big believer in keeping things simple. We will be fundamentally sound and simple, guys will know what to do and we will have fun. It’s a game of emotions and the guys need to go out there and have fun, but also play hard, fast and physical.”And make no mistake about it, Phillips is counting on both Turner and Summers to make an immediate impact on recruiting as the time ticks down to Signing Day. One of the main reasons Phillips brought in the two new assistant coaches was because of their recruiting reputations.”They better (make an impact),” Phillips said. “If we didn’t think they would impact recruiting we would have waited until after recruiting to fill those spots. I’ve been at home with both of them this past week and they do an unbelievable job. They are great salespeople, which is what you have to be. They have a passion for this place and that is what is important to us.”