By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
The return of Liam Coen and the addition of transfer quarterback Devin Leary has put the Kentucky offense in the spotlight, but Kentucky coach Mark Stoops also doesn’t want his team’s defense to be forgotten.
Stoops likes the consistency the Wildcats have played with under the direction of defensive coordinator Brad White. He also lauded the team’s continuity on the defensive side.
“That puts a big smile on my face, obviously being a defensive coach and defensive-minded person,” Stoops said. “I just greatly appreciate that, the defensive coaches and our players, the way they do things and the way they work and the consistency that they do have.”
White brought versatality to the staff and began working with the team’s linebackers before moving on to become the team’s chief defensive boss.
“When I hired him out of the NFL, we had some fantastic, young offensive or outside linebackers, and I wanted them developed at the highest level,” Stoops recalled. “Josh Allen went on to be the Defensive Player of the Year, and Brad had the ability to do that, but he also had the ability big picture to slide in and be the next coordinator.
“That’s what I’m looking for on the defensive side of the ball, in particular. You would like it on all sides, but in particular on defense because you see so many varieties of offenses in college football that you have to have at least two, maybe three guys that are capable of being a coordinator and have big-picture ideas.”
Kentucky’s defensive players, including J.J. Weaver, said the Wildcats have plenty of room to grow defensively, and beconing more consistent in all phases is a top priority gping into the season.
“I’m going back to … being consistent with making tackles, don’t miss no assignment, know every assignment,” he said. “But coach White did a good job with that, game planning, really simple and easy for us. Our defense is not that hard to understand.”
He added that taking care of business from start to finish on every play also will be the main focus on defense.
“(We need to) just finish the play,” he said. “Even when the whistle blow, keep going, driving, putting your hands on somebody, tackle whoever got the ball. Just being that force, bringing back that powerful UK. We can’t take no days off, no relax day. We just got to be consistent, hit everything hard.”
Stoops likes the conistency his team has played with defensively, especially against two-time national champion Georgia during the past years, but added “close isn’t good enough.”
“I am proud of the way they competed on that side,” the Kentucky coach said. “Now we need to put it all together and bottom line is try to win the game. But again, I give them a lot of credit because I think they are — I don’t think it’s talked about enough. They recruit at a high level, and they are talented, but they are very well-coached.”