A.J.Stamps

Graduated from junior college in December and enrolled at Kentucky in January … A cornerback in junior college, he moved to safety in spring practice and was very impressive … Made a number of big plays in practice.

Junior College: Key member of the East Mississippi Community College team that won the 2013 national championship … Led the team’s defensive backs with 51 tackles, including one sack, seven tackles for loss, one fumble forced … Strong pass defender with four interceptions and nine pass breakups … Returned one pickoff for a touchdown and also returned a punt for another TD … Part of the NJCAA’s No. 2-ranked defense, allowing a mere 9.8 points per contest … Earned NJCAA All-Region 23 honors and was honorable-mention All-America … Was a wide receiver in 2012 for EMCC, making nine catches for 73 yards before moving to defensive back for his sophomore season … Head coach at EMCC is Buddy Stephens … Was teammates with current UK defensive end Za’Darius Smith in 2012 at EMCC and was a player at EMCC when current UK defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh was on staff … Chose Kentucky over Ohio State.
High School: Played safety and wide receiver at Vicksburg (Miss.) High School … First-team all-state as a senior by the MAC and second-team all-state by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger … Senior stats included 114 tackles, two pass interceptions and three pass breakups on defense; at receiver he caught 77 passes for 1,289 yards and 19 touchdowns … Was named one of the top individual performances of the 2011 season by MaxPreps.com when he had 19 receptions for 285 yards and five TDs vs. Northwest Rankin … Final two years he totaled 112 receptions for 2,310 years and 29 touchdowns … Had 210 tackles his final two years of high school, including two interceptions, seven pass breakups and two fumble recoveries … Played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game … Coached at Vicksburg by Alonzo Stevens … Also played basketball (guard/forward) and baseball (right field) … Helped the basketball team advance to the state championship game his junior year … Member of the Key Club.
Personal: Born in Vicksburg … Son of Paulette Stamps and Alvin Stamps, Sr. … A.J.’s uncle, Sylvester Stamps, played college football at Jackson State and for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers … Major is undergraduate economics.
A.J. Says … If I could trade places with any athlete, it would be: Deion Sanders … I couldn’t live without my: family … My go-to song to get ready for a game is: I Can Feel It … My favorite part of game day is: the whole day … The coolest thing about being at UK is: the fan support … The celebrity I’d like to be best friends with is: Meagan Good.