Football

AndruPhillips

  • position Defensive Back
  • height 5-11
  • Weight 180
  • class Redshirt Sophomore
  • Hometown Mauldin, S.C.
  • High school Mauldin

Career
• Declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season in 2023
• Three-year letterwinner who played in 38 career games with 16 starts for the Wildcats
• Totaled 82 career tackles along with 10 pass breakups and 3.0 tackles for loss

2023 – Junior
• Invited to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and participate in the NFL Combine
• Started in 12 games played
• Did not see action vs. Alabama with injury
• Had 47 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups (second on the team)
• Had a career-high seven tackles vs. Tennessee
• Totaled five tackles, which were a team-high five solo tackles, adding one tackle for loss (1 yard) and one pass breakup in the win over Vanderbilt … Also took the ball 49 yards down the field after D’Eryk Jackson intercepted and then tossed him the ball, setting UK up for its fourth touchdown drive of the game

2022 – Sophomore
• Played in all 13 games with four starting assignments
• Totaled 31 tackles, 1.5 TFL and five PBUs (tied for second on the team)
• Earned his first career start and had five tackles and a pass break up in the win over Miami (Ohio) in the season opener
• Had four tackles and a career-high two PBUs against No. 3 Tennessee
• Totaled a career-best six tackles in the win over Missouri, including his first career TFL (1.5) and a PBU
• Named to SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

2021 – r-Freshman
• Played in nine games and had three tackles (one each vs. Georgia, New Mexico State and Iowa)

2020 – Freshman
• Mid-year enrollee
• Redshirt season
• Saw his first collegiate action vs. Mississippi State and also played vs. Vanderbilt, Florida and South Carolina
• Got his first career tackle vs. the Gamecocks

Community Cats
• Volunteered to read to students at Yates Elementary on four different occasions (2022)

High School
• Three-star recruit who has been rated the No. 8 overall player in South Carolina by 247Sports and Rivals
• As a senior, had 38 total tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and a fumble recovery under head coach Harris Cabaniss
• Earned 5A first-team All-State by the South Carolina Football Coaches Association
• Selected to the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas
• Also a three-year letter winner in track and field as a triple jumper, ranking No. 1 nationally in 2020
• Two-time All-State and three-time All-Region selection for the triple jump
• Won the 2019 spring state championship title with a jump of 49’4″
• Picked Kentucky over Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Louisville, N.C. State and Georgia

Community Cats
• Volunteered at Catholic Action Center (2020)
• Volunteered to pack food at God’s Pantry (2020)
• Participated in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Men’s Conference at Southland Christian (2020)

Personal
• Born in Birmingham, Alabama
• Son of Carlos and LaTonya Phillips
• Siblings are C.J., Ben and Shelby
• Comes from a family of athletes as father, Carlos, played linebacker at Kentucky under Jerry Claiborne; mom, LaTonya, was a standout athlete at Danville High School; brother, C.J., played football at Morehead State in 2015
• Originally from Louisville, Kentucky
• Graduated in December of ’23 with a degree in integrated strategic communication

Andru Says
• His nickname is “Dru”
• He chose Kentucky because it’s felt like home
• One word to describe him on the field is “explosive”
• When he played football as a kid, he pretended to be Tyrann Mathieu
• The thing he looks forward to the most this season is making plays

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