Kentucky football's offense looking to pick up the pace in 2024

you know felt good about operationally I thought those guys did a really nice job again anytime you're in that first live situation in the stadium uh a lot of what we're looking for is what does that look like from the standpoint of getting able to get aligned uh efficient communication please there uh certainly uh like the explosiveness some of the big plays um but just consistency it's always going to come down to that being the most consistent offense we can be to talk about after the scrimmage using the helmet communication you just may talk about being able to use that for the third time yeah it was great it really was I mean I think there's just a certain level of comfort where uh you're at least connected to to the main guy down there on the field and uh there's certainly some things we've learned from it some things that we feel we can utilize with it um but again we are practicing uh 75% of the time like we have it and about 25% of the time that we don't we think that's important Bush Brock just seen him 11 11 in game setting just what your overall impressions of how he performs yeah extremely steady um he's a guy that that knows what he wants to do uh is really playing a consistent brand of football uh certainly things we want to take the next steps on with him uh but he has been a guy since we've got here that just keeps getting better and better so uh I think he's got a really good grasp of this thing we're excited to cut him loose we think of those scrimmages kind of moving day for guys the right anybody who stood out Saturday who take some more notice of now yeah I think uh you know certainly certainly a couple guys jumped out to us um you know Hardley Gilmore had an extremely good scrimmage uh guy that that that obviously we've been high on uh since we since we got here jamarian Wilcox did a really nice job at running back and some of those other young running backs really did got some opportunities uh to do some good things uh you know was pleased with with both farmer and miny on the right side of the line and and the line in in general and how they protected uh so again as you guys know it's it's a constant moving a guy here to the left side to the right side trying to make the best lineups you can but there's certainly some guys really coming on how you doing on exp really high onx coming into this last year we didn't hear much about him in the refriger we didn't hear much about him in the spring what's the biggest difference you know there there's always been a level of toughness with him and there's always been of all the backs he he's got that explosive play potential that we just mentioned you know so now it just comes down to again the scheme uh knowing what to do on every play not just some of those plays for him and and playing a little bit overall more consistent in general how are they coming along picking up your offensive scheme uh they've done a tremendous job I've said this all along here about this program uh the these guys want to be here you know they're excited to be here there's something about the culture here and and so they they are all in 1,00% you know I think for us uh from an installation standpoint we're throwing a lot at them we are you know and we're still in that phase of introduction introduction introduction and then here in about 3 4 days we'll kind of start to get this thing locked in but but uh it's an eager group it's a good group that wants to work hard and and I've been super appreciative to that and on those explosive coach how you doing overall across the board getting them executed uh you know always always room for improvement but uh again there's there's big play potential in this offense there is uh we think both schematically but also the players that we have uh you know we often talk about it you never know when that play is going to come but it's you get one shot at it you know so you got to be ready we got to trust landmarks we got to make big play and and obviously we got to keep working towards that well you talked about the tight end room there's obviously experience coming back how was that room coming along with Josh ctis specifically he has some big plays but he could be a threaten passing game too what you seen yeah steady and I know I've said that kind of a couple times but that's a group that's been extremely steady I think uh you know those top three guys are as solid as any group we probably have on the team um and again put a lot on those guys we're a team that's going to play in in a lot of different Personnel groupings and their ability to know what to do in different spots will be critical you talk about will standing out to Stoops on Saturday say it's going be kind of like a group effort from the running backs is that kind of how you see it going forward I I do I do I think uh we have three or four guys that that can all do good things uh much like in a lot of ways we say our wide receiver room we think we're building uh five six different guys that all have certain traits that can help us and so uh we all know it these great teams have got to be extremely unselfish buy into whatever their role is and get it done and uh uh we really feel like we've got the Personnel to do that would you build a new system you know you got Dan and Barry on who have obviously two years of experience here but when that's a new system everyone's kind of brand new have Dan and barion helped in that room with the experience have they helped the newer guys or is everyone just kind of on of fres I think those veteran players although everybody's learning the new system um I think those the the experience that they have of playing college football never leaves you you know and so I think for those guys for them to realize hey maybe last year we called it this this year we called it that um but just little things you know we get into a two-minute situation uh what to do with the ball what do we do off certain checks and so on and so forth I think all those veteran type guys probably starting with a guy like Eli Cox you know is who we've relied on uh when it comes to football 101 if you will nonspecific stuff to just our offense push when you go 11 on 11 tackle to the ground does that allow you to get a better look or feel for how the Run game is operating and then did that surprise you one way or the other or impress you what what not when you saw you all able to run when you're tack one to the ground I think it absolutely does you know because certainly player safety in non-life situations is first and foremost I think there's a little bit of the surprise Factor as well uh just initially I think we threw a long pass and they were bringing Dane down and I was almost like man I I forgot that they got to bring them to the ground now you know so a lot of times a couple more explosives happen that way again it's that fine balance of um being able to uh you know make sure that you're you got player safety but getting the work in you need to get in what have you seen from Dane as far as the film that you saw when you first got here and now he's playing at a a bigger size and has that extra musle yeah I I always think this I think everybody looks you know for these top end The Flash The Flash The Flash uh he can certainly run but he has been a guy where if you throw it you know anywhere around him been coming down with it and I think it's uh from a quarterback standpoint it changes your mindset a little bit too on where to place certain balls where it's not always maybe trying to lead a guy but it's like give him a chance to get up and go make plays and I think that's the biggest thing they can say that though it's all good you know it's always a friendly competition we all love each other at the end of the day so it it be days where they win and offense win you know so that's it's all funny game so jam Mo how is that um connection with you and Brock coming along it's coming along great man I like I said I miss spring uh so now I'm just getting back in a lot of reps with him just thinking about what he's thinking U on a bunch of uh routes and his timing and uh we've been connecting pretty well lately so could you speak about the wide receiver room in general and how you guys are coming along dogs man we got a bunch of dogs in that room we got a lot of different players man we got a speed guy and barion we got a taller guy uh Dan and you got like a more versatile shorter guy and me uh we got a bunch of other guys that can step up as well AB um Harley uh Fred like just we all just push each other every day to be better than that's I'm excited for this room a and barion obviously you know here for a couple years you guys are all kind of on a fresh late a new off has their experience kind of helped have they helped you guys or is everyone just kind of on a fresh slate everybody's on a fresh slate man and I kind of came from this type of offense I you know uh played with bush my first few years in missou so I everything that I know he expects like I already know what it is so I'm just trying to help those guys out and you know we all starting fresh so we hear so much about we hear so much about Hardley J what makes him special for a young guy he's just really talented man like a lot of the his skill set is just like it's unmatched a freshman you know what I'm saying and uh just I'm just trying to push him to be more mature and uh just stay in his Playbook make sure he's eating right and uh doing all the things outside of football cuz on the football field he has it you know so you got to stay on him as an older guy try to tell him like man you can't be doing this you can't be doing that you got to do this you got I'm like I'm like a parent at this point so that's what I'm just trying to help him out what's he got to get more mature with um I probably say just being just probably just how he treats his body probably the biggest thing how he eats uh cuz he's like a kid man he's freaking 17 18 so he want to eat cereal in the morning before practice and now he's out here tired I'm like brother you got to eat something to fuel your body so you can get out here and uh finish these long practices it's Camp so you know it's he's a freshman so he's getting he's getting used to everything by next year he'll be he'll be he'll be really good so you don't like cereal I love cereal man but I a him I don't know how he does it either the bowl of cereal and comes out here and just do everything right I'm like bro he's always tired about in the practice I'm like cuz you don't eat right you know so I'll be H him about that how's the install coming along for you guys H it's it's pretty easy it's pretty well um we all getting it down packed man I just feel like we just gota uh stick to the basics and do the little things over and over again and just continue to work is that something you have to help the younger guys with just taking in that amount of information and kind of a time oh yeah most definitely they they see a lot of the things that me Dane and barion do and they come come to us and ask questions so uh we just got to be able to help them how's it been with Coach shes and just kind of what's it like being able to learn from someone that's been in your shoes before he's he's he he pushes us man he he holds us to a high standard every day um and then some of those days we don't even you know we don't live up to that standard but that's that's he does well uh as coach as a coach is correcting us and uh we love him obviously defense has something to say about it but how much does this offense will we see explosive big plays a lot of them if we can get a lot of them on our defense we can get them on anybody our defensive line our our DBS they're really good and our coach our defensive coordinator they're all pretty good so we we if we feel like we can get plays off on there we get plays off on anybody speaking on our defense who's the who's your favorite guy to go up against on that defense oh gosh my favorite guy to go up against is probably Max I like going against Max but Christian story talks the most to me I don't even I don't I'll just be walking off like JM you suck and I'm like what I do to you you know but I like going against all our guys man I like to make them better I treat myself every day like a pro so I just go out there and go go against those guys and help them out told us today that uh with Dane they're just telling the quarterbacks put it give him a chance he's coming down Demi it's all coming along for you guys man it's coming along great man everybody's getting along and you know just just picking things up really fast and as you can see we're moving as one unit every day uh of practice you know so it's coming along great how different is it from this year to last year last year I feel like we got a lot more Playmakers you know like there's guys all over the field where we could put a receiver in the back field we could put a tit end in the back field put me out that receiver you know what I'm saying so it's just the versatility last year we had versatility but now it's like expanded even more you know with that transer portal and just picking guys up and young guys developing and you know taking on new roles it kind of sounds like you were made for Bush's system man like it's almost a dream come true you know so it's like with my versatility is just It just fits so well you know and then the player that I am I'm not uh you know uh one trick pony you know what I'm saying so like I don't really get frustrated with being a starting guy or being a second guy I like to you know play my role or whatever you want to call it you know so get all the guys involved yeah yeah yeah that's the most important part you know just getting everybody involved last year it was kind of hard to do that you know so this year we're putting the emphasis on that you know getting more guys involved in the game how much is Pace just moving faster as an offense have to you think do with that man last year we was a huddle offense this year you know we're Tempo things up so conditioning this summer has been a little brutal you know but but the the Sun and and the weather that's something that we got to be used to you know what I'm saying and we're getting used to it you know what I'm saying a lot of guys are used to it already and some guys from up North you know that's used to the cold and you know what I'm saying so just the tempo things is like we we we we pretty used to it now coming from the offseason in the spring you know getting used to the new OC's game plan so I would say we're we're getting comfortable with with it play like you and your Versa you know you played some the slot last year is that you know that something where maybe we can see you out there this year and when you're a player like that are you bouncing back and forth between as a as an offense you know you as a veteran get out and play you know a real game like setting like you have on Saturday did anything really impress you um unit maybe one player or just as you all operating as a unit there's a couple players uh especially in the running back room man like the Freshman jamaran Willcox and Jason Patterson man them kids man they they working so hard especially with just being like well jamaran is a sophomore now and uh JP he just a freshman uh but yeah like the work they've been putting in and their growth I seen it firsthand you know just being with them understanding who they are and and seeing where they started from and as far as understanding The Playbook and football as a whole period you know what I'm saying I seen it on Saturday like these kids can break tackles these kids can you know catch they can they can do a whole bunch of lot you know what I'm saying but guy on the defensive side of the ball that you know having been around last season and watching them now that you've seen really progress It's man jump I like JQ Hardway number six yeah and uh I like Teran the corner number 20 freshman yeah I like I like those two yeah yeah and DJ Waller too yeah how nice is it for running backs when you'all get to play 11 on 11 and then like the tackle of the ground happens you it's not just studing you can actually man I've been waiting for that man I've been waiting for that man we we we ain't been you know we've been thuing up you know that's just normal but like I haven't felt the ground in like a long time until that scrimmage you know what I'm saying so that was definitely exciting for me personally like I really like to be physical you know what I'm saying that's another part of my game that I really like so Saturday that was like a real fun exciting moment for me I just wanted to see what I could do myself you know what I'm saying and yall seen that yeah me you mentioned J on there what about him has changed the most from last year this year as far as just like progressing into the Playbook you know what I'm saying so like Mar he's always going to have the talent he's always going to have the speed you know what I'm saying and it's just just just getting deeper into the Playbook and understanding football you know I'm saying as a whole football player you know so freshman year was that was a freshman year to just you know what I'm saying be on the scout team and just understand things from you know the backseat you know what I'm saying so now he's starting to starting to drive a little more now you know what I'm saying so really his mindset I would say his mindset I should grow in his mindset how's that chemistry been um been building with Brock and what have you seen from him so far Brock that's my guy man it was it was a couple plays from the scrimage that just showed me how the season going to go like just as far as like chemistry um it was a play where I wasn't even supposed to get the ball or you know what I'm saying I'm not a receiver so I can't go downfield and block that' be a flag so I just turned around Brock G's the ball you know what I'm saying I'm going to always catch it for him and you know what I'm saying we're laughing about little things like that after after the scrimmage and things like that so I definitely I definitely am like looking forward to playing with him just this whole season what's the number one thing that kind of stands out about him to you man his faith his faith in God um like he's so he's so like I want to say holy or something like that like he don't even cuss like he he he shortens his cuss words like you say she or like fudge or you know what I'm saying just different things like that so that's just pretty cool about it you know what I'm saying so he's pretty pure I would say yeah down to earth teammates laugh yeah yeah like a lot of guys don't realize you know I'm I'm there a few guys who uh peev it but you know yeah that's just Brock but