UK’s Landon Young back from torn ACL. Here’s his plan to be better (and bigger) than ever.

Kentucky football is not only looking forward to getting Landon Young back at left tackle after missing a season because of knee surgery, they’re looking to get a bigger, stronger version of the redshirt junior.

“He’s really looking good. He’s battling,” offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said after the team’s spring practice Tuesday morning. “It doesn’t look like he’s missed a beat. He looks stronger.”

Young, listed on the spring roster at 6-foot-7, 324 pounds, 19 pounds heavier than the Lafayette product has been recorded on earlier charts, said he feels stronger as well. He’s been cleared for all activities after the injury ahead of last season, although the team might limit his reps in next month’s Blue-White Spring Game.

“A lot of guys have a redshirt year when they first come into college, and it just happens that mine’s split down the middle,” Young said. “But now I see the importance of a redshirt year. Where as I was still pretty athletic and pretty strong (as a younger player), this year let me catch up with guys that were going more elite.”

The extra time in the weight room has translated into the ability to do more reps on the 225-pound bench press — from an average of 20 to averages in the high 20s, he said.

“It shows a lot on the field when you wrap up with a guy now,” he said. “I can control him a lot better than having to struggle and worry strictly on technique. Now I have my strength to back up my technique.”

As for the knee, Young says, there are always some tricky situations on the field that are different from rehab, but he just has to trust the work he’s put in to get it ready.

He’s more focused on creating a harmony with an offensive line that will be without departing standout seniors Bunchy Stallings and George Asafo-Adjei. UK also lost sophomore offensive tackle E.J. Price, who decided to leave the team despite getting 11 starts in 13 games.

The Cats return two 13-game starters in center Drake Jackson and right guard Logan Stenberg, and have experience back with Austin Dotson, Mason Wolfe, Naasir Watkins, Luke Fortner and Darian Kinnard.

While Young said he can’t replace the season he lost playing alongside his teammates, he has been able to gain perspective on the game watching from the outside.

“I get to see the defensive side of it,” Young said of his time out. “I get to see how other guys, how their technique effects defensive rushes, how different schools use different kinds of rushes. So, I learned more about the whole game in itself rather than my position and what my guys are doing.”

He’s also observed how his teammates relate to each other and feels like he’s been better able to help them with their strengths and weaknesses.

“I learned a lot about chemistry between guys,” he said. “I see who works well with who. I see where some guys may be closer. I see where some guys may do combos good, but they might not do solo blocks well.”

Young expects the new line to meet its run-blocking and pass-protection challenges.

“I don’t think that there’s going to be a big step down at all,” Young said. “I think it’s going to be a continuation, and we’re going to get even better. We’re missing that harmony from those guys and those guys were true leaders, but we’ve got guys that have stepped right into those positions. And we’ve got some young guys that are really coming in and showing what they are capable of.”

That includes maybe opening holes for another 1,000-yard rusher, whoever that might be.

“Our coaches say it shouldn’t be the running back who dictates whether we run the ball 40 times a game,” he said. “If we do our job, we’re going to be able to run it just as much as we want to any time.”

Blue-White Spring Game

When: April 12, 6 p.m.

Where: Kroger Field

Admission: Free

TV: SEC Network

This story was originally published March 19, 2019 at 2:42 PM.