Photo by Mark Cornelison
2020 was not the first year of exclusion. Before the coronavirus forced major draft prospects to reconsider the possibility of playing college football one more year, the double word O plagued some college football programs that were played in non-Cape Bowl games. of the Year. The trend started by Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey has never reached Lexington.
Mark Stoops shared Sunday night that turnout was 100% when players returned to campus this weekend.
“She is OK. We have been practicing, ”he said. “In the last two days we have had two good practices. We are 100%. All the boys are practicing, working hard and having fun. “
Of course, that doesn’t include Kelvin Joseph, the cornerback who chose to sit before the end of the regular season, or any player who has entered his name on the transfer portal. Still, it’s impressive that in Stoops ’fifth consecutive bowl, a new school record, players haven’t chosen to skip what some might consider a display game to preserve the potential for stretching. He talks about the culture Stoops has created in Lexington, though he gives all the credit to the players.
“I think it says a lot about the players. First, it speaks to them individually and collectively that we have the right players here, for us, for the University of Kentucky and I think they respond to each other. You’ve heard me talk about it many times, that I want to be a player-led team. I want them to do it the right way. We know we may have fallen short in some areas this year, but we are very proud of the good things they have done for many years. We have a strong leadership, strong players at the top and I think that’s what their commitment to each other is all about, ”he said.
“It makes me proud because it’s very easy to sign up, it’s very easy to give in. I think there’s a lot of talk about them and the character they have and the responsibility they feel for each other.”
Having regained energy since the season ended two weeks ago, players will practice a few more days before Stoops gives them a Christmas break. Instead of spending a week in Florida, they will return to campus on Dec. 27, assigning just a couple of days in Jacksonville before the Gator Bowl begins on Jan. 2.