Spring football is a time for movement. The depth chart is never more fluid than it is during spring. With the graduation of key starters, players will wage battles over the next four weeks to find time on the field. The wars will certainly influence the lineup by the time the season starts in the fall.Here is an extensive look at some of the most important positions that could shape the 2010 football team:
Phillips hopes to find QB leader: As a freshman, quarterback Morgan Newton took over the starting position when Mike Hartline went down with a knee injury and never relinquished the job.Newton performed admirably under less than favorable circumstances in the Southeastern Conference, passing for 706 yards and six touchdowns in eight starts. Newton, however, struggled to throw the ball down the field, which head coach Joker Phillips took some of the blame for Wednesday.”I had a lot to do with it, just feeling comfortable with him at times,” Phillips said. “I will admit that. As well as we were running the ball, the thing that I didn’t do enough of was throw hard play action to try to get the ball down the field.”Phillips, however, is confident in the future of Newton, comparing him favorably with some of the top freshman quarterbacks around the nation.”I think Morgan is right on the schedule,” Phillips said. “The things that he did last year were amazing. And let’s say this: I did try to protect him.”Even if Newton can develop a better downfield game, it’s far from certain that he’ll be the starting quarterback in the fall. “The one thing that we have to do offensively is come out of this spring where we’re comfortable throwing the football,” Phillips said. “We’ve got to put a huge emphasis on being more efficient in the passing game. That’s going to require finding who our quarterback is this spring.”Senior Mike Hartline has returned to 100 percent from his knee injury and Phillips is hopeful that freshman Ryan Mossakowski is fully over a shoulder injury that forced him to redshirt his first season.”From what we hear, and that’s all we can talk about is what we hear because we don’t know, physically in the weight room (Mossakowski) is doing well and the drills he’s done well,” Phillips said. “But as far as us being able to see and feel, all we can go on is what we hear, and what we hear is he’s doing well. He’s a really sharp kid, which I think gives you a chance at that position.”Hartline, who has the edge in terms of experience with 2,502 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career, and Newton, currently sit atop the spring football depth chart with Mossakowski close behind. Phillips said he would love to name a starter or at least trim it down to a two-man race by the end of spring, but Phillips would not commit to naming a starter by the summer.”I would love to,” Phillips said. “If that separation is not huge, then I think we need to carry it on throughout the fall. I would love to do that, to go ahead and name a quarterback so he could take you through the offseason.”Phillips was asked what he is looking for from each player, something that could potentially separate the battle.”Who who can get us in the end zone,” Phillips said. “Who can manage the team, but also who can get us in the end zone. That’s the thing that a quarterback is measured on.”Rebuilding the O-line: One of the most interesting positions during former coach Rich Brooks’ tenure was the offensive line. Brooks repeatedly prophesized that the O-line would be a strength season after season, but injuries and inexperience usually prevented the line from meeting expectations.Then, in 2009, when the line’s expectations flew under the radar, a veteran group turned out to be one of the best lines of the decade. Behind a veteran offensive line, UK rushed for 2,698 yards per game, 21st in the nation.With the graduation of four seniors, that line is all but gone. Junior Stuart Hines, a third-team All-SEC selection, is the only starter left.”I’m anxious to see how the competition is up front,” Phillips said. “We lost four guys up front, but the thing that’s happened up front offensively is we’ve been able to redshirt a lot of guys.”After redshirting, Phillips didn’t want some of those linemen to sit for two and sometimes three years straight, so he put them in the rotation. That means for guys like senior right tackle Brad Durham, although he didn’t get plenty of starts, he has enough experience to continue last year’s progress.”We rotated Brad Durham with Justin Jeffries,” Phillips said. “We were able to play (sophomore right guard) Larry Warford every other series (or) three series, which gave him a chance to get some reps. The thing we’re trying to do is build for the future.”Highly touted centers Matt Smith and Sam Simpson will battle for the starting center position while Marcus Davis, who started the Miami (Ohio) game, will try to recover from last year’s season-ending injury. Junior Billy Joe Murphy will head into the spring with the early lead at left tackle, but keep a close eye on junior Chandler Burden, who will switch to the offensive line after two seasons at defensive end.”We’ve got some options,” Phillips said. “Now I’m just looking forward to seeing those guys compete up front.”
Calling all tacklers: Linebacker has been a staple of stability over the last four or five years.The line of great UK linebackers started with Wesley Woodyard and Johnny Williams, moved on to Braxton Kelley and Micah Johnson, and was joined by Sam Maxell last season.None of those guys roam the middle of the UK defense anymore. Questions abound the linebacking unit heading into the fall.”That’s a position that there probably is not as much depth,” Phillips said. “There’s bodies, but there hasn’t been guys that went into games.”Junior linebacker Danny Trevathan returns as the lone linebacker with significant experience. The Will linebacker (weakside), long called a potential star by the coaching staff, posted 82 tackles, five tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and one fumble forced.Junior Ronnie Sneed, who filled in for Johnson last year when he was hurt, will compete with redshirt freshman Qua Huzzie at the middle linebacker position. Huzzie was making a strong move to be the backup middle linebacker as a true freshman last season until a shoulder injury sidelined him for the year.”We thought that Qua Huzzie might be a guy like Larry Warford that you play a series here or a series there because the talents that he had,” Phillips said. “We feel good about him.”Senior Jacob Dufrene will get the nod at Sam linebacker (strongside) to start the spring, but sophomore Ridge Wilson and junior Matt Lentz, who is moving from safety, are expected to push him for time.Although the linebackers aren’t blessed with depth and experience, Phillips doesn’t foresee it as a problem because of the change in defense most teams are currently undergoing.”You don’t see a lot of three linebacker sets nowadays because the spread (offenses),” Phillips said. “That Sam linebacker, it really gets about 10-15 snaps a game when teams are in two back.” Last year, UK often took out Trevathan at Will linebacker and moved Sam Maxwell over to Trevathan’s position. Expect to see Trevathan get a lot more snaps this season.