Vince Marrow Liked a Lot of Things He Saw During Spring Practice

screenshot-952

Vicky Graff Photo

This is Vince Marrow’s 11th year going through spring practice at Kentucky with head coach Mark Stoops and Marrow has seen a lot of things that already have him optimistic about the 2023 season.

It’s not just quarterback Devin Leary, a transfer from North Carolina State who has looked even better than anticipated in spring workouts.

Marrow cited these other reasons to be looking forward to next season:

— Liam Coen: “We got a guy back from the NFL that has people very excited and that includes me,” Marrow said about the UK offensive coordinator. “I am very impressed again with Liam overall and how he is running the offense and installing everything. We’ve got some younger guys here that came early to play for Liam and some guys who came before he left thinking they were going to play for him.”

Marrow knows when you recruit “top-level guys” like Dane Key, Barion Brown, Dekel Crowdus, and Tayvion Robinson they have to be “just like a pro doing their job” to get better.

“Dane has really taken his game to another level. Same with Barion. They have both worked to put on muscle and weight,” the UK recruiting coordinator said. “If Dekel can keep doing what he has been doing, he’s going to give us another really good receiver.”

— Jay Boulware: The new running backs/special teams coach has made a big impression on Marrow. “He’s a really good hire. The players all love him and he’s got them working at a high level. He’s really going to be good for us,” Marrow said.

— Offensive line: Not everyone has been impressed with the offensive line as it tries to rebound from last year’s struggles but Marrow has liked what he saw this spring thanks in large part to Illinois State transfer Marques Cox.

“The O-line is going to be way better,” Marrow said. “We lost three guys (from 2021) to the NFL. Now Jager (Burton) is a year older. (Jeremy) Flax is older. (Eli) Cox was always solid and (Kenneth) Horsey has so much experience. Getting (Eli) Cox and Horsey both back at guard helps and Jager gives us a very athletic center with two guys on each side of him with great experience. Getting (Marques) Cox allows us to do that and I cannot wait to see how these guys play next season.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

Loading...