Anwar Stewart likes depth on Kentucky defensive line

Kentucky is counting on Justin Rogers to make a lot more plays this season. (UK Athletics Photo)

Anwar Stewart won’t decide how many players he’s going to use in the Kentucky defensive line this season. Instead, the players will let him know how many should play.

“The guys that come out and put it (performance) on tape every day are the guys who are going to rotate (in games),” the UK defensive line coach said. “Some guys take time to adapt.

“Right now we have seven or eight guys we feel comfortable with. We have got to continue to get better every day. If we do that, at the end of this camp we should be in a really good situation.”

Stewart talked about a lot of players — Kahlil Saunders, Justin Rogers, Josaih Hayes, Octavious Oxendine, Tre’vonn Rybka, Sam Anaele, Ohio State transfer Darrion Henry-Young and Deondre Buford — during his interview opportunity after Wednesday’s practice.

He knows Buford, a 315-pound freshman from Detroit, is getting  a lot of preseason hype but notes that Saunders, Hayes and Rybka are also playing well.

“What’s happening right now is the competitive part because everybody wants to be in that starting position,” Stewart said. “It is not up to me or (defensive coordinator) coach (Brad) White (who starts). It’s up to them and guys are just competing hard and getting after it.”

Oxendine, a junior who dropped about 20 pounds to now weigh 280, is “playing fast” like Stewart wants.

“When he gets on the edge pass rush wise, he is a very strong kid, very twitchy, very fast a lot like Josh Paschal,” Stewart said. “You want to have a field end guy like that who is very twitchy, explosive and physical.  It’s not just him. Tre’vonn  is doing well. We got a deep room and we are just very excited about where we are right now.”

Oxendine has taken over Paschal’s leadership role. He’s the one sending out early morning texts to teammates about practice and doing what coach Mark Stoops wants leadership-wise.

“The older guys have to bring those younger guys along so that when they leave, those young guys are going to show the newcomers,” Stewart said. “Coach Stoops talks about leadership and we have had five really good sessions on leadership. At the end of the day, the more (leaders) we have the better we will be.”