23
AndruPhillips
- position Defensive Back
- height 6-0
- Weight 190
- class Sophomore
- Hometown Mauldin, S.C.
- High school Mauldin
2021 – r-Freshman
- Played in nine games and had 3 tackles (1 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
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
- Major is pre-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