Chris Rodriguez says Kentucky football had to get rid of the ‘vampires’
Random notes:
▪ On this week’s Pro Football Focus “2 for 1 Drafts” podcast, host Austin Gayle asked Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez about the culture change inside UK’s football program.
“Over the past few years, everybody has started to come together,” Rodriguez said. “At first, we had a lot of people doing it, but we had a lot of people we called vampires, where they just sucked the blood out of the team. Like they don’t really want to practice, like they don’t care to be there. Even if they’re not playing and we’re scout team guys, they were, ‘I don’t like coming to practice. We don’t do nothing.’
“Now, it’s like everybody wants to be there, everybody wants to help make the team get better, because everybody’s trying to get to Atlanta. That’s one of the main things I can really say about the culture.”
▪ As one of PFF’s highest-graded running backs last season, Rodriguez was asked about his goals for 2021.
“My goal is to be the best I can be to help my team win,” Rodriguez said. “Whether that’s catching the ball out of the backfield or making long runs.”
Key phrase: Catching the ball out of the backfield.
▪ UK head coach Mark Stoops says Izayah Cummings’ move from wide receiver to tight end has been “surprisingly natural.” Said offensive coordinator Liam Coen, “He’s a super kid.”
▪ I know that Penn State transfer Will Levis is probably the favorite to be UK’s starting quarterback for the Sept. 4 opener against Louisiana Monroe, but I wouldn’t count out Joey Gatewood. The Auburn transfer had a 15-practice head start heading into the competition.
▪ I’m betting UK plays at least two quarterbacks in the opener at Kroger Field.
▪ One of the best sights at last Saturday’s open practice was J.J. Weaver moving around. UK’s junior outside linebacker — with star potential — is coming off a torn ACL. The sooner he’s able to play, the better.
▪ If you didn’t get a chance to watch Peyton Manning’s speech at his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction on Sunday night, find it on YouTube and check it out. Especially if you love football. Peyton didn’t disappoint.
▪ The SEC now has two female athletic directors. Missouri announced Monday it has hired UNLV AD Desiree Reed-Francois to take over the Mizzou program. She joins Vanderbilt’s Candice Storey Lee as the first two female ADs in conference history.
▪ Ex-South Carolina coach Will Muschamp is filling in as special teams coach at Georgia after Bulldogs assistant Scott Cochran stepped away from the staff to “prioritize his mental health and well-being.” If you remember, Cochran is the former Alabama strength coach Kirby Smart poached for an on-the-field role in Athens last fall.
Even LSU’s Mike the Tiger is vaccinated
▪ Another reason to get the vaccine: LSU mascot Mike the Tiger VII has been fully immunized from COVID-19. Barricades around his cage outside Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge will be removed next week.
▪ If you missed it, the defending national champion Kentucky volleyball team will hold a Fan Day and Blue-White scrimmage on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. The scrimmage starts at 1:30. Masks are required regardless of vaccination status.
▪ The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals will be the first professional sports team to have a sportsbook inside the stadium/arena, thanks to a partnership with BetMGM.
▪ Florida’s $85 million football facility is under construction. According to 247Sports, the facility will have “an in-house recording studio, state-of-the-art weight rooms and training rooms, a barbershop and a cabana-style pool.”
▪ According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tennessee has already spent $756,000 in legal fees during an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations by the football program under former coach Jeremy Pruitt.
▪ Saturday Down South ranks UK’s Brad White as the 23rd best defensive coordinator in college football.
▪ Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett tells USA Today of contracting COVID-19 last year: “Personally, it whipped my ass. It took me out.”
Garrett’s advice: “I would say go do it, get the vaccine, to decrease the risk of getting COVID or spreading it to someone who is going to have an adverse reaction like myself.”
