By LARRY VAUGHT

Central Hardin defensive lineman Patrick Graffree was disappointed that Kentucky lost 24-20 to Tennessee in the National Guard Border Bowl Saturday at the University of the Cumberlands in the fifth annual all-star game.  He was also one of the first players to verbally commit to sign with Kentucky and has been enthusiastic about his future, including regular messages on Twitter to fans and other UK commits.  He shared his thoughts on a variety of subjects.

Question: What has it been like for you since you committed so early to Kentucky?
Graffree: “It has been awesome. It has been a good ride. It’s just like a field trip that you don’t want to end. It’s very, very good. The coaching staff is amazing. I just can’t wait to get up there and play.”

Question: Why are you so excited about coming to Kentucky, especially since you grew up in Alabama and were not always a Kentucky fan?
Graffree: “It’s just the Big Blue Nation. I get on Twitter every day and it is so exciting when you get on there and other people that love Kentucky football follow you. They tweet your name and then retweet. It is just amazing. It seems like I have a big fan club already.”

Question: Will you be that active on Twitter once you get to Kentucky?
Graffree: “I want to meet people on a personal level, too. I want to get to know my fans and let them like me even more. I want to get to know them face-to-face.”

Question: Have you always had such an outgoing personality?
Graffree: “It has always been me. I like to meet new people and do new things.”

Question: So are you the class cut-up in school?
Graffree: “I am not the class cut-up, but I am very talkative. I don’t know really how to explain it. It has just always been me. I like to talk a lot.”

Question: What do you like to do if you are not playing football?
Graffree: “I like to lift weights, watch movies and stuff. That’s pretty much it, along with eating. I like that.”

Question: Has football always been the sport you loved?
Graffree: “Actually when I started out playing Pee Wee football, I didn’t like it. I got hit one time and wanted to quit. I was going to play baseball and I moved to basketball and then I started playing (football) in middle school and I wasn’t any good to be honest with you. The coaches said I had a lot of potential and just worked me in the weight room and I began to like it.”

Question: When did you get over that fear of being hit?
Graffree: “My freshman year in Alabama. There were guys my size and bigger, and that was back when I was 225 pounds, and I used to get hit by the varsity team, the JV (junior varsity) team when I was playing freshman and got roughed up pretty bad. It is probably going to happen next year at UK. But I have at least already been through it.”

Question: When you moved to Kentucky for your junior year, did you know anything about UK football?
Graffree: “I knew who Tim Couch was. I used to actually like the Cleveland Browns when he played for them and that was about the only thing I knew about Kentucky football.”

Question: Did you know Bryan Station coach Craig Yeast, one of your Border Bowl coaches, was a star receiver at Kentucky?
Graffree: “Yes. He was Tim Couch’s favorite target. I talked to him. Actually, he said I wasn’t ready. He said I was not ready to be a Wildcat yet. I guess he was playing with me. He is trying to be like a big brother to me, and I like that because he is a good coach. I know he will be there for me in Lexington (since he is head coach at Bryan Station). That’s one thing I really like about Lexington, there are a lot of people who are really friendly.”

Question: What did you think of Border Bowl head coach Sam Harp of Danville?
Graffree: “He is pretty fun, but he’s very intense as a coach. He wants us to do right. It was kind of hard because we had to come out and learn new schemes and everything, but he did a good job teaching us.”

Question: Did you know his son, Chase, played football at Kentucky?
Graffree: “Yes, he told me that and I heard he was pretty good, too.”

Question: What do you think of Harp saying you are the most talkative player he’s ever been around?
Graffree: “I like to talk. But even when I am on the field making plays, I like to talk. That’s just me.”

Question: Was it disappointing that future UK teammate Tyrone Pearson of Seneca had a conflict and could not play in the game as he planned?
Graffree: “Yes it was. I wanted him to come down here. I liked it when we played in the all-star game before this in Louisville with me, him and Daniel (Ross of Jeffersontown) got to play together at the same time. That was fun.”

Question: How good is Pearson?
Graffree: “Very good. He’s a good pass rusher. He might be a little better than me at that. He’s a good kid. He’s just like all of us. We just want to go up there and play.”

Question: Do you communicate a lot with Indianapolis defensive  lineman Langston Newton?
Graffree: “Yes, we talk on Twitter a lot to everybody. He looks just like his brother (UK quarterback Morgan Newton). He’s very tall, even taller than me. He is the outgoing type like me and is very friendly.”

Question: What about Ross?
Graffree: “He is a beast. He is a big play guy who makes a lot of plays.”

Question: How do you feel about the future of Kentucky football?
Graffree: “This defensive line being recruited is going to be monsters.”

Question: Do you worry about the speculation that coach Joker Phillips has to win big next year to keep his job?
Graffree: “Everything takes hard work. You can’t just say you are going to do this and that. Everybody has to work. Coaches have to work. Players have to play. You have a lot of responsibility. Our class has to come in and help. But we think we can do that.”