Another Kentucky football player to miss extended time with preseason injury
Kentucky’s inexperienced group of receivers will be without one of its more veteran presences for a while.
Isaiah Epps, a junior who played in all 13 games last season, is expected to miss about six weeks due to a small fracture in his left foot. If he’s out the full six weeks, Epps would be unavailable for UK’s season opener against Toledo as well as its home game against Eastern Michigan the following week.
Head coach Mark Stoops revealed Saturday that Epps suffered a foot injury on the first day of fall camp. Offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said Tuesday that doctors put a screw in Epps’ left foot and that the surgery went well.
Epps caught eight passes for 76 yards last year. He’s the second member of the team who will miss significant time with an injury sustained in the preseason; UK lost Davonte Robinson, a safety, to a season-ending leg injury the week before fall practice started.
Bryce Oliver, a redshirt freshman who turned in an impressive performance during the spring game, has been taking first-team reps since Epps went down.
“He has to (step up),” Gran said. “Coach (Stoops) always talks about next man up. He’s got a great opportunity right now. We’ve got to have some guys to step up and get into that role, and so far he’s done a nice job.”
Oliver has not yet appeared in a game for the Wildcats. He totaled 105 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions in the Blue-White game, the most notable performance among unknown players on the field back in April.
He said it’s his job to make plays in Epps’ absence. Oliver is eager to carve out a role but wants the upperclassman back on the field as soon as possible.
“I don’t wish injury upon Isaiah or no man,” Oliver said. “So bless up Isaiah and get healthy. … Now’s my opportunity to step up.”
Sawyer on the move
Lafayette graduate Walker Wood, the most tenured quarterback on UK’s roster, continues to receive second-team reps in practice but graduate transfer Sawyer Smith is getting more of them each day, Gran said Tuesday.
“Sawyer, for his first five days here, I’m really pleased,” Gran said. “It’s amazing what he brings to the table. He’s really understanding it and studying it.”
Wood, a junior who has been on campus since Jan. 2017, has dealt with multiple injuries while at UK and has not been able to get on the field. Coach Darrin Hinshaw said Wood has progressed well but has struggled with turnovers in practice.
Would the coaching staff try to deploy Wood — who was a terrific runner at the high school level — at a different position as Smith creeps up the depth chart?
“I don’t know anything about that,” Gran said.
This story was originally published August 6, 2019 at 12:57 PM.
