It felt like summer at Kroger Field. Kentucky kicked off the month of June by hosting hundreds of campers for a Sunday Showcase Camp. A little rain couldn’t keep a future Cat off the field.
Driving summer rainstorms peppered the landscape off and on all afternoon. It drove some of the players to the newly renovated indoor facility, but many of Sunday’s stars roughed it through the rain. Spectators were treated to a few special moments from the most talented young players in the state of Kentucky and a future Wildcat quarterback.
Brennen Ward Works Out with Bush Hamdan
Only a few weeks after he was hired to be the next quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Kentucky, Bush Hamdan zeroed in on Brennen Ward. Two weeks later, Ward was a Wildcat and today the two got a chance to work out together for the first time.
A year ago, Cutter Boley made frequent trips to campus to work out with Liam Coen and various wide receivers Kentucky was evaluating at the time. Ward provided a stark difference to Boley in stature. The latter was all arms and legs last summer, whereas Ward has already filled in quite a bit. He has a powerful lower half, which helps him effortlessly spin the ball down the field. We saw him sail one pass in the air over 50 yards. The ball gets out of his hand quickly and flies on a rope to his target. At one point Hamdan said, “He’s gonna be a monster,” and I can’t say I disagree.
Seneca Driver Stole the Show
Quarterbacks are the engine of college football programs. As delightful as it was to surprisingly see a future Kentucky QB passer on Sunday, Seneca Driver was the guy everyone was talking about.
Driver is one of a few prospects — like TE Maddox Hager and ATH Demauriah Brown — who made the trip from Boyle County with head coach Justin Haddix. Driver is also one of the few 6-foot-6 prospects I’ve seen move like a 6-foot-1 wide receiver. Oh, and he just finished his freshman year of high school. The guy looks like he could suit up for SEC Saturdays this fall. Driver is well on his way to becoming a four-star, top-300 talent who could provide the ideal centerpiece for Vince Marrow’s tight end room.
Kentucky Offers Noah King
See that pass Driver caught? That was over one of the most athletic players at the camp. Driver and Noah King went toe-to-toe all afternoon and King won his fair share of one-on-ones. The three-star talent from Cincinnati wowed the coaches when he clocked in a sub-4.5 40-yard dash. Kentucky offered King a scholarship shortly after his performance and an official visit is on the horizon. KSR will have more on King in the very near future.
DJ Waller looks like a Kentucky Cornerback
Kentucky football camps aren’t just a chance for us to see prospects up close. It’s also our first time seeing many of the new players in-person for the first time. Terhyon Nichols looked like he gained about 20 pounds since I saw him at his commitment ceremony last July. I never met with DJ Waller during his initial recruitment, but holy cow. That is one impressive-looking athlete.
Waller looks more like an EDGE, which makes him the ideal Mark Stoops cornerback. He’s every bit of 6-foot-2, but that doesn’t accurately depict his length. He’s filled into broad shoulders and has a pair of enormous mitts at the end of his long arms. Put him in there with Deone Walker among the first guys off the bus this fall.
Renovations Underway at Kroger Field
Scaffolding completely covers the home of the Kentucky football program. New ribbon boards are being installed, but it currently has left the foundation of the upper deck bare, revealing the Ring of Honor that covered Commonwealth Stadium for decades. In addition to the new ribbon boards, Kentucky is upgrading to an LED lighting system this fall.
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If you were on KSR+, you already received live updates from the camp and checked out Luckett’s notebook from the event. We got so much more where that came from.
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