In two weeks, it will once again be Football Time in the Bluegrass. After undergoing significant structural changes this offseason, the new-look Kentucky Wildcats will finally get to play football during spring practice.
We’ve heard from Will Stein and Joe Sloan plenty of times. The “Feed the Studs” mantra and the mountain of statistical evidence on each coach’s resume gives us an idea of what to expect. As for defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, well, there’s a bit more mystery.
A journeyman in the coaching industry, Bateman helped Jeff Monken turn Army into a 10-win team. After a handful of years at West Point, he joined Mack Brown at North Carolina, then Billy Napier at Florida. That’s when he got familiar with Kentucky football in 2023.
“We had beat Tennessee, and we thought we were pretty good,” he recalled in a conversation with UKSN. “We came up here, and Kentucky beat the brakes off us. And I remember thinking, ‘Man, this place is awesome.'”
After a couple of years at Florida, Bateman became the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M. That title did not carry as much weight with Mike Elko, a former defensive play-caller for the Aggies, serving as the head coach. Kentucky offered Bateman a chance at autonomy with a defense while working for an offensive head coach.
So, what exactly will Bateman’s 4-2-5 defense look like? He did not get into the nitty gritty details, but did say what he wants Kentucky fans to feel when they see the unit on the field.
“I think the number one thing you can say to a D-coordinator to make him feel proud about his unit is how hard they play,” said Bateman. “How hard we play, the physicality we play with, I think that’s going to be where we’re going to try to hang our hat, right?
“If you don’t have that, man, I don’t know what you have. So, playing with effort, playing with physicality, and then look, my mindset historically has been a little more aggressive. It’s been a little bit more pressure. It’s been a little bit more man coverage. That’ll be a component of it, too. But I really think it’s going to be how we play more than what we play, and I think how we play, the physicality we play with, and the effort we play with is going to be paramount.”
Instilling that sense of urgency in his players will soon begin. After spending weeks building this Kentucky football roster in the transfer portal, Bateman is excited to finally get to work with the Wildcats.
“That last week of recruiting, it was like, man, let’s get this over with. I want to get back to our guys… I think they’re excited to get going, too.” It sure looks like it.
What Jay Bateman wants to bring to the Kentucky Defense - On3
We’ve heard from Will Stein and Joe Sloan plenty of times. The “Feed the Studs” mantra and the mountain of statistical evidence on each coach’s resume gives us an idea of what to expect. As for defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, well, there’s a bit more mystery.
A journeyman in the coaching industry, Bateman helped Jeff Monken turn Army into a 10-win team. After a handful of years at West Point, he joined Mack Brown at North Carolina, then Billy Napier at Florida. That’s when he got familiar with Kentucky football in 2023.
“We had beat Tennessee, and we thought we were pretty good,” he recalled in a conversation with UKSN. “We came up here, and Kentucky beat the brakes off us. And I remember thinking, ‘Man, this place is awesome.'”
After a couple of years at Florida, Bateman became the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M. That title did not carry as much weight with Mike Elko, a former defensive play-caller for the Aggies, serving as the head coach. Kentucky offered Bateman a chance at autonomy with a defense while working for an offensive head coach.
So, what exactly will Bateman’s 4-2-5 defense look like? He did not get into the nitty gritty details, but did say what he wants Kentucky fans to feel when they see the unit on the field.
“I think the number one thing you can say to a D-coordinator to make him feel proud about his unit is how hard they play,” said Bateman. “How hard we play, the physicality we play with, I think that’s going to be where we’re going to try to hang our hat, right?
“If you don’t have that, man, I don’t know what you have. So, playing with effort, playing with physicality, and then look, my mindset historically has been a little more aggressive. It’s been a little bit more pressure. It’s been a little bit more man coverage. That’ll be a component of it, too. But I really think it’s going to be how we play more than what we play, and I think how we play, the physicality we play with, and the effort we play with is going to be paramount.”
Instilling that sense of urgency in his players will soon begin. After spending weeks building this Kentucky football roster in the transfer portal, Bateman is excited to finally get to work with the Wildcats.
“That last week of recruiting, it was like, man, let’s get this over with. I want to get back to our guys… I think they’re excited to get going, too.” It sure looks like it.
What Jay Bateman wants to bring to the Kentucky Defense - On3
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