Kentucky coaches talk quarterback competition, Boom Williams
By Ethan Levine
Published:
With basketball season officially in the rearview, Kentucky’s football team is now garnering more attention as it approaches the end of its spring practice season.
The Wildcats will hold an open scrimmage for fans at their practice facility on Saturday in lieu of a spring game (Commonwealth Stadium’s renovations caused the cancelation of the annual Blue & White game) and they’ll wrap up the spring season next week.
Following Wednesday morning’s practice, head coach Mark Stoops and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson both spoke to the media regarding the ongoing quarterback competition between Patrick Towles and Drew Barker, as well as the Cats’ deep stable of tailbacks, headed by rising sophomore Boom Williams.
Both Stoops and Dawson said the team isn’t any closer to settling on a starting quarterback, but both asserted the team is in no rush to make a call during the spring.
“It’s a broken record and you’ve heard me talk about it for a long time. There’s good and bad and there is everyday. There’s days when one or the other does separate himself, but not consistently, not every day,” Stoops told the Lexington Herald-Leader‘s Jen Smith. “As I said throughout the spring and I saw it again today, we’re improving at that position. Both guys are improving. So that’s a good thing.
“I know the old adage that if you have two you don’t have any, but I don’t believe that. Right now with Reese (Phillips) being out, we only have two quarterbacks on campus and both myself and Coach Shannon (Dawson), we believe that we can win with both of them.”
Dawson more or less echoed those sentiments, and he responded to questions about the potential of playing two quarterbacks throughout the season, something he said he’s done before as an OC but only due to injury troubles on the roster.
“I had a year where we played a couple, two or three guys, but it was more because of injury than anything. I haven’t ever done that,” Dawson told the Herald-Leader. “… That’s not anywhere close to my mind right now. If we were playing Saturday, I’d give you an answer. We’re not playing Saturday. We’re scrimmaging Saturday. Both of them will play Saturday. We’ll roll them Saturday for sure.”
Dawson also asserted that although the adage says having two quarterbacks is as bad as having none, competition at the position will ultimately make both quarterbacks better.
“Nah. I think — in a situation we’re in right now, we’ve got two guys playing pretty good,” the OC said. “You know? To me if you’ve got one guy playing really good and one guy not then it’s not making anybody better. … they’re pushing each other. So, that’s the best part of it.”
Barker found out he and teammates Dorian Baker and Tymere Dubose will not be indicted by a Madison County grand jury following their role in a bar fight in Richmond, Ky., in January. All three players were also suspended one game last season for an incident involving the firing of pellet guns on UK’s campus, causing a brief shutdown of the campus.
Stoops said he’s discussed Barker’s off-field issues with him frequently during their time together, and remains confident that Barker is a good kid who made a few bad decisions during his redshirt freshman season a year ago.
“We sat down and talked quite a bit. I’ve said it before: He’s a good kid that made some mistakes, and he’s got to go out there and be consistent on the field and off the field,” Stoops said. “He knows that. I like him, but what I like about him right now: He’s just going about his business, trying to be the best quarterback he can be, take care of himself off the field. So far so good.”
The head coach also commented on his group of tailbacks, which has been limited recently due to illness and minor injuries. However, returning starter Boom Williams is healthy and continuing to impress in practice, and he is expected to be the star of the offense come the fall.
“They’ve been very impressive,” Stoops said of his backs. “Mikel (Horton) is out right now, so he’s missed some practices. Boom looks very impressive. And Jojo (Kemp) has been out a little bit with a sickness. So nothing major, but he’ll be back out there Friday, I would anticipate, but he’s missed a couple practices with a sickness. But they’ve really done some good things.”
Running backs coach Chad Scott offered a comment of his own regarding Williams, and he didn’t shy away from boasting about the star sophomore.
RB coach Chad Scott says Boom making huge strides. What can he be? "Something I ain't ever coached before. Something special."
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) April 8, 2015
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
