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Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008

UK's Cobb might be needed at QB

It looks as if Randall Cobb could eventually be a serious factor in the quarterback race.

UK Coach Rich Brooks said Saturday after the team's first practice in full pads that Cobb would spend 90 percent of his practice time at quarterback leading up to the season opener at Louisville.

The original plan was for Cobb to split his practice repetitions between quarterback and wide receiver, which is a serious area of need for the UK offense.

But Curtis Pulley's dismissal, combined with Cobb's impressive showing at QB during the first week of practice, has led the staff to determine that they need to get Cobb ready to contribute under center.

Brooks said that Cobb could still contribute at receiver if need be.

“He's smart enough and can retain enough that we can put some limited things in for him at receiver,” Brooks said.

Brooks said Cobb looked as good in full pads Saturday as he did in helmets, shorts and shoulder pads early in the week.

“He didn't look flustered; he stood in there and made the good throws, made a run or two, and caught some balls,” Brooks said. “He looked very good.”

Lanefski breaks hand, Fields pulls hamstring.

The Wildcats did have a couple of injuries of note in their first day in pads. Redshirt freshman center Jake Lanefski suffered a broken hand, while freshman receiver E.J. Fields pulled a hamstring.

Brooks said Lanefski broke his hand when he slammed his fist on the ground in frustration after missing a block. Lanefski, who was running second-team at center behind Jorge Gonzalez, will eventually be able to play in a cast but he'll have to move from center to guard since the broken hand is the one he snaps with. Sophomore Marcus Davis is next on the depth chart at center, and Brooks said that true freshmen Osaze Idumwonyi and Dave Ulinksi will get a look.

Impressive freshmen

Brooks singled out three true freshmen who have stood out in the first week of camp: defensive end Chandler Burden, linebacker Danny Trevathan and cornerback Cartier Rice.

Of Burden, Brooks said, “He's been very impressive, we just need to get him to understand more about what he's doing, but physically he's a force out there,”

Brooks said Rice could get in the mix at corner, while Trevathan has been impressive in the middle. Brooks said Trevathan also could move outside if the staff feels he's a better fit there.

Mossakowski commits, will also play baseball

Kentucky pulled off one of its biggest out-of-state recruiting coups in years when they received a commitment from four-star quarterback Ryan Mossakowski on Friday. The 6-foot-4, 201-pound Mossakowski picked the Cats over Texas A&M and Alabama and is ranked as the fifth-best pro-style quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com. Rivals.com also ranked Mossakowski's arm as the country's second strongest. Mossakowski threw for 2,963 yards and 19 TDs as a junior.

Mossakowski admitted that his commitment caught some people in his home state of Texas off guard, as many assumed he'd end up at A&M. And while he realizes he still may be getting calls from schools, he said his commitment is firm.

“It's going to stick,” he said. “If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have committed right now.”

Mossakowski said he was intrigued by UK's pro-style offense, a chance to work with quarterbacks coach Randy Sanders and the opportunity to compete for playing time as a true freshman.

“Knowing I could compete next year helped a lot,” Mossakowski said. “All I want is a shot.”

Mossakowski is also a top-notch baseball prospect who could get drafted next spring. But Mossakowski said he plans on being at Kentucky next fall and has already gotten clearance from Brooks to play baseball.

“It's a great opportunity to play both sports at the highest level,” he said. “Coach Brooks has a history of letting his players play two sports, and he was real open to it when we talked. That played a big part in my decision.”

QB Newton still high on UK

Carmel (Ind.) quarterback Morgan Newton said Kentucky remains on his list despite Mossakowski's commitment. Newton, who's a four-star prospect and ranked as the nation's No. 7 prep quarterback by Scout.com, recently narrowed his list to six schools: UK, Indiana, Purdue, Florida, Clemson, and Illinois.

“It doesn't really change how I view Kentucky,” Newton said of Mossakowski's commitment. “If you go anywhere, you're going to have to compete. That doesn't really bother me. I'll be ready to compete wherever I go.”

Cats get another from LaGrange

UK got a commitment this week from LaGrange (Ga.) defensive end Tristan Johnson. Johnson, a 6-3, 222-pound defensive end, is listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and also received interest from Southern Miss, East Carolina, Troy and UAB. Johnson is the second player from LaGrange to commit to UK this summer, joining linebacker Qua Huzzie. The Wildcats also have three LaGrange players on their current roster: linebacker Braxton Kelley, receiver DeMoreo Ford and cornerback Randall Burden.

The Wildcats have also shown interest in two other LaGrange seniors-to-be: linebacker Demetri Merritt and defensive end Kobina Essandoh.

‘The Daily Dicky'

Be sure to check out Dicky Lyons Jr. on “The Daily Dicky,” a segment on UKathletics.com that provides a daily interview with the always-entertaining receiver. Lyons will provide a behind-the-scenes look into what goes on at the Nutter Training Center on and off the field as the Wildcats prepare for their season opener at Louisville on Aug. 31.

Projections

Another round of college football projections came out this week, and they didn't think much of Kentucky's chances this season. Collegefootballnews.com picked UK to go 5-7 with a 2-6 record in the SEC, while Sports Illustrated's college football preview forecasts a 4-8, 1-7 season for the Cats.