Jordan Lovett Believes Cats are More Dialed in This Season

Jordan Lovett, right, with teammates Josh Kattus and Alex Afari at SEC Media Days. (UK Athletics Photo)

He’s already started 33 games, including all 12 games in 2024, and has 156 career tackles. Not bad considering Jordan Lovett did not play safety until his junior year at North Hardin High School, when he made 15 interceptions and became a three-star recruit.

The senior safety graduated in May with a degree in health promotion and is working on an undergraduate certificate in business. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said at Thursday’s SEC Media Days in Atlanta that Lovett eventually will be a “remarkable educator.” However, Kentucky needs Lovett to be a “remarkable” defensive player and leader this season.

Lovett shared his thoughts on a variety of things with media members during his time at the SEC Media Days.

Q. Does your team have an edge this year? Last year didn’t go quite as you wanted. Is there more impetus to turn it around?

JORDAN LOVETT: Yes, I feel we’re a lot more dialed in, especially as a team, especially with all the transfers we got. We have to be, chemistry has to be on 10, and everybody has to be dialed in a lot more than we did last year, to overcome this slump that happened last year.

Q. The transfers coming in, what do you tell them about the program and the university?

JORDAN LOVETT: I tell them, like I said, attitude, toughness, discipline, and pride are our core values. As long as we go by those core values and as long as we stick together, I feel everything will be great.

Q. What do you think is your team’s biggest challenge that you believe you all can overcome this season?

JORDAN LOVETT: The biggest challenge is — the biggest challenge this season is overcoming what happened last season, just putting your head down, being dialed in, just focused on the little things.
Like I said, we focus on the little things, the big things will come, and they’ll be easier. Really just the big moments, more film study, more working, more just team bonding.
Last year I would say that our team bonding, we were tight but we weren’t as tight as we are now. Like I said, if we just stay together and execute together, I feel we’ll be good.

Q. Just to follow up, what has created that enhanced level of connectivity through this year’s team?

JORDAN LOVETT: I’m going to give a shoutout to Coach Hood for giving us — every Wednesday, we have a guest speaker. It’s called four for 40. We have a guest speaker, certain people just giving us on-and-off-the-field advice, just like about mental health, about just stuff, just to make us better people in life.

We kind of used that as team bonding, just to get closer as a team. Like I said, we’ve got a lot of new guys. I don’t even know they feel — they feel like they’re my brothers already.

Q. A lot of rivalries in the SEC. Is there a particular rival you’d like to play?

JORDAN LOVETT: I want to play everybody, everybody, and anybody. Doesn’t matter who you is, put the pads on, we’re going to get it going.

Q. What about Coach Stoops really appeals to his players? What do they like about them?

JORDAN LOVETT: I love that Coach Stoops is loyal. Loyal to you. Like I say, I’ve been in the program for five years now. Loyalty is a big thing for me. He’s really a chill guy. He’s a player-led coach and he’s a coach that you can depend on.

Q. Does it help to have a coach who actually played at some point in his life?

JORDAN LOVETT: Yeah, it definitely does. Especially Coach Stoops has coached every — he’s a safety guy. Especially me being a safety, me being a DB myself, it definitely helps.

Q. You’ve been on record saying you chose Kentucky because you thought it was the best fit. So what skills in game play do you believe you bring to the team that can help contribute to the team’s success?

JORDAN LOVETT: First, I want to say my ball skills. Ball skills, turnovers. You’ve got to turn the ball over, get the ball back to the offense, score touchdowns. My tackling. Tackling is really underrated. Actually, my tackling is underrated. I feel I’m one of the best tacklers in the SEC. I feel I have the stats to back that up.

This year, working on my leadership, leadership skills as well, just being a better leader around the locker room, making sure guys are on their toes and make sure everybody is doing what they’re supposed to do.