Stoops: Cats Have 'Good Start' to Spring Practice
Kentucky’s spring football drills began on Monday, but the work leading up to the first practice may have been even more important.
UK head coach Mark Stoops met the media following UK’s first practice and he talked about how important the offseason has been for his squad.
“As I told them in the meeting this morning, I felt like we had a really productive, good offseason, weight room, the guys have worked really hard,” Stoops said. “We pushed them a little bit physically and mentally, they’ve handled that well. Took that into practice today and got off to a good start. Obviously, still a ton of work to do.”
Stoops knew that this offseason in particular was important because there were so many new faces on the roster. The UK staff worked with the players on team bonding.
“We have 31 new players out there,” Stoops said. “We’ve worked hard, as an organization and a team, to really bond, to be closer, to really know each other and I love the group. I like them as a whole, I like the way they’re working. We’re a work in progress, we have a lot of work to do, but it’s a good start.”
The ability to do more offseason workouts also gave UK an advantage as spring drills started.
“We are able to do a little more in the offseason, so you get more work with them,” Stoops said. “So, you don’t get out there, day one, where it’s just completely new.”
Now that spring practice is underway, Stoops and the team are embracing the opportunity.
“It’s fun to get out there, day one, spring ball,” Stoops said. “Felt good to get back on the grass with the players. We’re excited about this opportunity, excited about spring. The guys had good juice, good energy.”
One point of emphasis this spring is focus. It’s something that Stoops said cost the Cats at times last season. He’s hoping that a renewed emphasis on focus can make a difference on the field this fall.
“The focus has to be there,” Stoops said. “If you look at the season last year, there are so many critical plays, there’s just no excuse to take any play off. In a game of 160 plays, you don’t know any one play that could make a difference in the game. Practice is the same way. We have to get in good habits, have great intensity, great focus and great discipline through the entire day. There were some good moments today and some we need to build on.”
Stoops was happy to be back on the field with the team on Monday and is looking forward to helping them improve as spring drills continue.
