UK assistant football coach Chuck Smith is exploring his options for replacing graduating linebackers.

By LARRY VAUGHT

Kentucky loses starting linebackers Sam Maxwell and Micah Johnson to graduation this year, but UK assistant coach Chuck Smith thinks he’ll be able to replace them just like the Cats did when Braxton Kelley and Johnny Williams left after the 2008 season.

Maxwell had never been a full-time starter before getting a chance his senior season and he turned into one of the team’s best players.

Junior Ronnie Sneed might be the player to emerge next season after backing up Johnson at middle linebacker this year.

“He could be the next Sam Maxwell. He is showing a lot of promise. He got in for one play against Vanderbilt and made the tackle. He looked like an all-American. He read it perfectly and fast and made the tackle. All the coaches were complimenting him on that play. You never know when you will get your chance and when you make a play like that, then your chances become more likely in the future,” Smith said.

“He struggled for two years at learning the assignments and when to do what. He could tell you if you asked him what he was supposed to be doing, but sometimes when the action would start he would get lost. He has got much more consistent with that now and hopefully will have a good spring.”

True freshman Qua Huzzie was making a big push for early playing time until he was injured and redshirted.

“He has been doing some drills with us, especially on Sundays. He will go through some of our individual drills. After that, he just watches,” Smith said. “He is doing a great job with his redshirt year. He is really focused on his academics and is spending a lot of extra time at CATS because he is redshirting. He is a good quality person and will be a good player.

“Redshirting will help him. He is really learning. He comes to film, too, on Sundays when we are grading and correcting the tape. He sits in and watches when I am correcting Micah and those guys. He will be on top of things and will be a lot further ahead next year because he did redshirt.

“He is quiet even around people. I don’t know how he is off to himself and with kids, but he seems pretty quiet. He has a really good personality and is well respected by the players and that tells me he’s got a chance to be a good leader for us.”

True freshman Ridge Wilson has mainly played special teams this year. However, he also has potential that Smith likes.

“Ridge shows flashes of showing a lot of potential and then sometimes he gets lost like a typical freshman,” the UK assistant coach said. “Sometimes he looks really, really good and then other times it is like he doesn’t know what in the world he is doing. He has to become more consistent with assignments and with the technique. He has to work harder at being a good technician. He still has to do that, but there’s no reason to think he won’t.”

Smith says he has other players like redshirt freshmen Jordan Aumiller and Ryan Mosby he hopes have benefited from being on the scout team.

“You can go to scout team and go through the motions and not much will be said to you but you are not going to be any better. Or you can go to that scout team like I tell them and even though you are running other people’s defense, you can work the technique we will ask you to use here and make yourself better. Hopefully Jordan and Ryan and some of those guys on scout team are doing that. They tell me they are.”

Smith says not having to rush players like Wilson and Huzzie into the lineup like UK did Wesley Woodyard, Johnson, Kelley and Johnson shows how the program has improved.

“Those older guys like Braxton, Micah, Wesley and Johnny played as freshmen and had to learn on the run. We weren’t as good defensively, too, and maybe there is a correlation between that. We are a lot on better defense now because we are playing more experienced guys and giving you guys a chance to learn before we throw them out there,” Smith said.

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