By LARRY VAUGHT
Morgan Newton heard others talk about how it took time for everything to “click†for a Division I quarterback and that is was not easy to learn a more complicated offense and master reading multiple defenses.
Newton, like many top prep players, didn’t believe it would be that hard for him. Now the Kentucky junior quarterback readily admits it was  just as it was for student-assistant coach Andre Woodson who is now helping Newton.
“I remember people talking about it and me not buying into it very much. Maybe it clicks for everybody at different times,†said Newton Wednesday. “The way it worked out, it seemed like this is kind of the time things are clicking even more in my development as I try to get better.â€Â
Newton has inherited the No. 1 job with the graduation of Mike Hartline. He started eight games as a freshman in 2009 when Hartline was injured and went 5-3. He started the BBVA Compass Bowl loss to end last season when Hartline was suspended. Overall, he’s thrown for 971 yards and six scores.
Like Woodson did between his sophomore and junior seasons before leading UK to consecutive bowl victories, Newton has spent more time studying film this summer than ever before.
“The more you come over here, the more you run into coaches and graduate assistants and guys over here trying to make us better. We are all out here,†Newton said. “We had a practice last Thursday night and they had to turn the lights out on us and that has never happened and is different from anything since I have been here. That’s something that happened in high school. A lot of times guys have been just ready to get out of here, but guys have been trying to stay here and work and get better and everybody wants to be good. That’s why I have been watching so much more film.
“But all the guys have been emphasizing staying extra time in the film room and seeing what you have done and what guys before you have done. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen Andre’s stuff  and Andre talks about it too much  and I can’t tell you how much I have watched him and how successful they were and how we could have been more successful last year.
“Andre has been real valuable. He is a guy that has done it. He has kind of seen the NFL. He has been towards the top of the SEC and been towards the bottom, too. He has seen it all and having a guy like that on your side is helpful.â€Â
Newton says it’s not hard to concentrate on making needed improvements even during summer workouts when there are no coaches on the field or players are not in pads.
“In a lot of ways you work on what you would work on if the coach was out here with you. Sometimes you try to imagine coach (Randy) Sanders in the background telling you to work on every aspect, every detail,†Newton said. “That is what you have to do. You have to make sure you are precise with your (pass) drops and things and try to do everything as if you were in a game.â€Â
He’s also spent extensive time with strength coach Rock Oliver.
“We are just doing a lot of resistance stuff. A lot of times guys will hang on you and you still have to make plays,†Newton said. “ Just being strong in the pocket, quick with your feet, being explosive. All those are things he’s been working on with me.â€Â
Newton has also worked on stressing his leadership role by making sure other players are working out and doing things they should to improve.
“It is really important and it is one of those things that doesn’t start with just coming every day. You have to do it on and off the field and be somebody that people can look up to. That is something you constantly work on and something I have tried to do since I have been here is set an example on and off the field for guys and have them look at me as a role model and leader,†Newton said.
The past two years, he watched Hartline make calls to players at other schools to set up 7-on-7 summer workouts. This year he’s arranged for workouts against Georgetown College and Eastern Kentucky.
“It’s just 7-on-7 so you can see where you are at against other guys, but you can’t put much stock into it. It’s just fun to play different guys,†Newton said.
He was asked if he might make a call to Louisville for a friendly summer workout game.
“We are not scared. Probably not. We play them in the year,†he laughed and said.
Newton says the summer heat and humidity are not deterrent for not working.
“I would rather be out here when it was 90 instead of 40. I try to appreciate summer time. I like the summer. That is the time to work on your game and get better. I embrace the summer. Win as many as you can when it is warm and win more when it gets cold,†he said.
9 Responses to UK QB Morgan Newton: “Things are clicking even more in my development”
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This is exciting. I am really looking forward to football season.
over the last few seasons, I have read many times that it takes time for UK players to learn the UK system. Yet, I look at other SEC programs and I see true freshmen stepping into contributing roles immediately.
Is the time required to learn the system, and acclimate to the college game at UK greater than it is at Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, …. because the UK system is more complicated?
Hey prof,
I have wondered the same thing, myself! I remember a freshman at UF, comming off the bench for the old ball coach and picking Kentucky apart. But, the last time UK has a kid that was able to do that, the imbecile of a coach tried to make him do the triple option. Then Mumme came in and Couch ended up being the first pick in the draft.
It will be interesting to see, if the kid coming in next year will be able to push out Newton or at least get a quarter of play a game. From what I understand, UK plays a pro style offense, where the QB checks off at the line of scrimmmage.
Depends on the position about acclimating and also the talent level makes a big, big difference
In basketball we used to be the same way in getting players that took 2-3 years to develop! Then Cal came and recruited the top player who were ready to come in and play right away. Joker may get those players some day, but right now we are going to have to develop the players we can get now.
I hope that Morgan can have that great transition that Dre and other have accomplished in the past. My biggest concern with Newton is that he has never shown a great ability to be the quick runner that dual quarterback are supposed to possess! This leaves him as a drop back passer that needs a lot of work. I hope he proves me wrong, but I am very apprehensive about the coming season. A losing season could have a devastating effect on our program.
To take the next step we must beat the teams we are suppose to and the Mississippi schools. Florida, TN, LSU and SC are just gravy if we beat them. We need to take the 8 schools that can take us to the next level. We have a ways to go and can ill afford a setback at this stage.
If we can continue at this pace, we should be competitive with the top teams in the SEC in about ten years. Any setbacks will add time to schedule. We are on the right track, we just need to be patient!
As Morgan Newton says here, the summer is the time to work on one’s game and get better. Also, I listened to the interviews on the UK Athletics site (and noticed that you had been listening intently, Larry) and had surely enjoyed them. Either Ronnie Sneed or Randall Burden noted that Morgan Newton is a “workaholic,” sharing how he is working really hard this summer. I also read comments from Andre Woodson about how the two have worked on Newton’s fundamentals AND his confidence, both of which have greatly improved. KUDOS to Newton for the hard work, and I can hardly wait for the season to begin!!!
When we start getting 4 and 5 star recruits on a regular basis, we will have freshmen who come in and make an impact. I look at the other schools that make a kid an offer to judge the quality of a recruit, When we start taking kids away from Ohio state, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, etc., that is when we will have made inroads in football.
The pro style system is indeed a bit complicated as the QB has to know the playbook and be able to read multiple defenses. In a spread offense, the plays are usually determined by the coach with little checking from the QB.
A lot of QBs from the spread take time to get acclimated to the pro style. Alex Smith of the SF niners is still inconsistent and his coach was…Urban Meyer when he was at Utah. Tim Tebow will take a while to get acclimated as well. The spread may work well at the college level but there is a reason why the NFL uses a pro style system that requires a lot of audibles thrown out by the QB and having to keep everyone on the same page.
Great question, Professor. I hope Larry interviews Randy Sanders sometime this summer and asks that question.
Tennessee had a freshman QB excell last year. I remember a Arkansas game last year when Mallot got hurt and Petrino brought a freshman off the bench who threw for over 300 yards. Both of those schools run the same pro-style offense that we do, so what gives. I suspect it’s talent. Put Tim Couch in our offense as a freshman and he would shine.