How does Kentucky plan to replace Denzil Ware? Coach Mark Stoops explains.
One of Kentucky’s top defensive play makers graduated a week ago and announced on Friday morning that he will play his final season of eligibility at Jacksonville State.
“Just wanted to give a special thanks to @JSUGamecocksFB and special thanks to @Coach_Grass for allowing me to continue my career at Jacksonville State,” Denzil Ware posted on several social media platforms. Can’t wait to see what this season holds.”
Ware surprised many with his announcement last week that he was planning to play his final season somewhere other than Kentucky.
In a sit-down interview with the Herald-Leader on Thursday, Coach Mark Stoops declined to elaborate more on the reasons that Ware opted to part ways with the program.
“Who’s to say what’s the right reason or the wrong reason for each individual to do what’s best for him?” Stoops said of Ware, who played in 37 games during his Kentucky career, starting in 30, recording 156 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback sacks. “We wish him the best.”
Stoops did discuss how UK will go about replacing the senior, who started in seven games last season and did a little bit of everything for the Cats, including 47 tackles, nine for loss and 6.5 quarterback sacks. He also had one interception, two recovered fumbles and two forced fumbles for the Cats.
The most likely scenario — dependent on the scheme UK is playing — will be to move senior Josh Allen from his spot at the “Sam” linebacker spot on the other side of the field to Ware’s spot at “Jack” linebacker. Allen tested the NFL Draft waters before opting to remain at Kentucky. Several mock drafts for next year predict Allen to be a first-round pick.
“He’s probably better suited for Jack just because of the way that Sam spot is played,” Stoops told the Herald-Leader. “The Sam gets so far removed that you’re taking one of your best players and putting them way out in space. So he’s definitely a natural fit for Jack.
“We just did that because Josh was more of a space player than Denzil. So Josh will play the Jack and Boogie (Watson) will play the Sam.”
The coaches are high on Jamar “Boogie” Watson, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound sophomore who played several defensive spots last season as a fill-in.
“For sure,” Stoops said of Watson, who had seven tackles last season, including two for a loss and two sacks as well as a forced fumble. “He’s a natural pass rusher. He’s really good. His instincts are really good.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2018 at 11:43 AM with the headline "How does Kentucky plan to replace Denzil Ware? Coach Mark Stoops explains.."