Kentucky football hit the field for its first Spring practice on Monday, March 10, 2025, with a roster featuring 31 new players and a fresh sense of opportunity. 

Head Coach Mark Stoops met with the media after the session, sharing insights on the team’s offseason preparation and the work ahead to build a cohesive unit.

Stoops highlighted the productive offseason, which set a strong foundation for the team.

“I felt like we had a really productive, good offseason… guys have worked really hard and we took it into practice today and got off to a good start. Obviously, still a ton of work to do,” he said.

With so many new faces, Stoops emphasized the importance of team bonding during the offseason. 

“We have 31 new players out there, we’ve worked really hard as an organization, as a team to really bond, to get closer, to be very intentional,” he said. 

The team has implemented initiatives to build unity, including a program called “Yearbook” to help players connect.

“We have a program in place called Yearbook where (it’s) just getting to know everybody’s name, where they’re from,” Stoops said. “Every player on our team is studying everybody on the field and just getting to know everybody.”

The ability to work more with players in the offseason also helped ease the transition into spring drills. 

“We are able to do a little more in the off season, and you get more work with them, you know, so you don’t feel like you’re out there day one where it’s just completely new,” Stoops said. 

Key focuses this Spring are maintaining intensity and discipline, an area Stoops believes cost the team last season. 

“You look at the season last year, there’s so many games, so many critical plays that there’s just no excuse to take any play off… in a game of 160 plays, I mean, you don’t know any one play that’s gonna make the difference in the game,” he said. 

Stoops, the longest tenured coach in the SEC wants that mindset to carry into practice.

“The intensity has to go up,” he said. “We have to be better tomorrow than we were today… just the intensity that it takes, to attack each and every day.”

Stoops is optimistic about the team’s potential as spring drills continue, especially with the mix of veterans and young talent. He’s eager to see the group develop over the coming weeks, knowing there’s still much to accomplish before the season begins.

UK’s pro day will take place Tuesday, March 11, where 14 alumni are set to participate. The athletes will be put through a variety of skills tests which include running and agility drills, bench press, position-specific drills and the vertical jump.