Kentucky football finishes spring practice, looks toward continued rebuild of program culture
Apr 12, 2025
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW)- Mark Stoops and his Kentucky football team are one step closer to the new season after finishing Spring Practice with the annual showcase in Kroger Field on Saturday.
After a 4-8 season in 2024 the Wildcats are a new-look team. Over 30 new players and dozens of
returners are forging forward with a new, rebuilt culture. Every player and coach who’s spoken to the media during spring ball has said that endeavor has been going well on and off the field.
“I think we’re made great strides,” said Stoops after the showcase. “It’s been intentional. When you’re not winning enough football games the little things creep up and they become big things.”
To combat the slide of last season happening again, accountability from the coaching staff has been preached to newcomers and veterans.
Wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin and cornerback Ty Bryant, who both suited up last year for UK, have had an especially bad taste in their mouths after ending the season with a loss to Louisville in November.
“No one wants to go through what we went through last year,” said Bryant. “Everyone knows that we won four games and it was a bad season for us. That’s what needs to be at the front of our minds. We don’t want to go 4-8 again, we want to flip that.”
Maclin chose to stay and take on more of a leadership role after his first season in Lexington. The Missouri native says that he feels called to mentor younger players and be a role model on the team.
“I think a lot of the guys are just getting comfortable with each other in the locker room. I think that’s the biggest thing,” said Maclin. “You can’t have a good team on the field if you don’t off the field.”
The Wildcats are finished with the on the field portion of the spring, but have three weeks more in the weight room to get stronger before the summer. Another date on the horizon is the transfer portal opening on April 16 to 25. Stoops says there will be some addition and subtraction from his roster in the coming weeks.
Categories: Featured, More Sports, Solid Blue, Sports
Tags: Football, Kentucky, Spring Game, Stoops, Wildcats
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