By LARRY VAUGHT

They battled over his weight, academics and practice habits. At times, Christian Johnson even thought Kentucky coach Rich Brooks literally disliked him and had given up on him.

Yet when the UK coach told his team after Sunday’s 21-13 loss to Clemson in the Music City Bowl that he was “80 percent sure” he was retiring, one of the players who took the news the hardest was Johnson, a senior offensive guard.

“It hurts. I ain’t going to be right for a little while,” said Johnson even as he still had tears in his eyes. “It is going to take me time to get over this. I knew this was happening, so it would have been great to send him out with a win. I don’t know, man. The fact all this is over really hurts.

“I know me and coach Brooks have bumped heads a few times, but honestly I looked up to him and he was a father figure to me. He was a very admirable man and I enjoyed having him as my coach and I wish him the best of luck.”

Johnson was sincere, too. He missed the 2008 season due to academic and injury issues. When he returned in spring practice, Brooks made it clear he wanted him to lose weight — always a touchy issue with Johnson.

The coach also made Johnson, a starter before redshirting in 2008, work his way back up the depth chart. However, Johnson did and his physical play was one reason UK’s running game improved this year.

“I know he is probably going to be torn up and not know what to do without football, but I feel the same way. Half my life has been spent playing football. Going on to another level and not having these guys with me and not having my coach with me will be hard for me to accept,” Johnson said.

“But I feel like he is doing the right thing. He has been coaching a long time. He shouldn’t have to worry about coaching forever. He’s kind of old (68) and it is just maybe time for him to slow down and be with his family. I understand that, but this program is going to miss him.”

Even when Johnson “bumped heads” with Brooks, he never lost respect for his head coach.

“I have always respected him. Number one, coach Brooks is always honest and I love honest people,” Johnson said. “Coach Brooks is also not afraid to pat you on the back and tell you that you did a good job. He can motivate you.

“What he has done here should not be overlooked. Four straight bowl games has not been done here. I feel like he needs to have something around here with his name on it for the rest of Kentucky to see because what he has done has been great.”

He’s right about that. Kentucky will certainly need to do something to honor Brooks’ legacy if he does the expected later this week and confirms that he is indeed retiring. And there’s no reason to think he’s not because those who had dinner with him Saturday night were already convinced before the game that he was leaving.

However, even though Johnson and many of his teammates also suspected that Brooks might be leaving, they were not ready for it to happen.

“That makes losing so hard. I could hold it together, then he said that he was 80 percent sure he was going to go, and I just lost it,” Johnson said. “There were a lot of tears, and I was one of them crying. I don’t know. They way I feel right now, I don’t know what to say.

“I always said I would be ready to go to another level and get college over with, but I would do anything to have another year with my coach.”

Johnson said as soon as the game ended, he dreaded what Brooks was going to say to the players.

“I knew he was going to do it. I was waiting for him to say it, but like now I wish he would have waited a week so I could have got over the loss, too. But I know he was doing this so we would be the first to know and that again just shows how he treats us,” Johnson said. “He’s an incredible man and has done an incredible job here. It just breaks my heart that I didn’t do more to help him win his last game.”

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