Kentucky Football Spring Practice: Ray Davis' Acclimation, Tayvion Robinson's 2023 Approach

The Wildcats are looking to flush last week's run of practices out as the month of March winds down.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The always chipper Liam Coen took the podium on Tuesday to speak with reporters for the latest offensive updates coming out of Kentucky football's spring practice. The offensive coordinator was a much happier camper, compared to how head coach Mark Stoops was over the weekend. 

Stoops went after his players for a lack of leadership, too much entitlement and more. The 11th-year skipper sent a clear message to his team with his harsh choice of words. 

More on Stoops ripping his team HERE.

"I echoed that message," Coen told reporters. "I thought they did a nice job responding, it's just now, how do we try to continue to stack blocks, stack days and not have two up, one down ... every single day that we come out here, trying to bring the right energy, right enthusiasm and playing the game physically." 

It's a new week in the Joe Craft Center as the Wildcats look to return to their identity. Here's some notes as the calendar begins to turn to April: 

Ray Davis' Acclimation

When Vanderbilt running back transfer Ray Davis first spoke with local UK media at the end of January, he made it clear that while he respects the legacy left behind by both Benny Snell and Chris Rodriguez, he's not feeling the pressure of following any footsteps. He's at Kentucky to be Ray Davis, and that's it. 

That doesn't mean he can't fit the mold of a quintessential Wildcat RB, though. Making something out of nothing is a good habit for a runner to have, and like the star tailbacks before him, Davis has that trait. 

"He's got really good vision, he's a one-cut back, he made a few (runs) today, boy, that he kinda just rode the wave and once it cleared he was right through the hole," Coen said of Davis. "He's a smart player, he's a smart kid, he understands all the combinations ... he wants to know the 'why' behind all the runs, so I think that really gives him a leg up, in terms of his knowledge of the game." 

Davis is also a natural leader. Intertwining with a new team can be a challenge when you're one of the new guys, but he'll clearly be one of the voices that steps up to the plate and helps carry the tone of the offense. 

"The biggest thing that I took from what Coach Stoops said is — it sticks with me a lot, i've been using this saying a good amount since I got to college —'everybody wants to be the man until it's time to be the man.' That's one thing i've always thought about ... that's something i've always been big on." 

"It's a direct correlation between the way he is as a person and the things he's been through, to get to the point that he's at right now — and the way he approaches things," Coen added. 

More on Davis HERE.

Now that Davis' acclimation to Lexington isn't brand new anymore, the next step for him as a running back is to mesh with his offensive line — a unit that's currently being re-tooled by Coen and o-line coach Zach Yenser. Davis didn't want to get too far ahead of himself, but he did label the offensive line the best he's played with, and we're only a few weeks into spring. 

"Learning what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are and how I can come in and be the best version of myself and help them," Davis said about gelling. "I'm not who I am unless those guys do their job. They're very important, very valuable, that's something i've got to learn to really nail in with."

Speaking of the offensive line...

Jager Burton Showing Early Improvement at Center

The adjustment of a potentially permanent move to center for Lexington native Jager Burton has been and will remain to be one of the bigger stories of the spring for Kentucky. 

After playing all 13 games at left guard a season ago, Coen experimented with putting Burton just one spot over on the line, but it's a hefty change. Burton told reporters last week that he was "loving" it so far. 

More on Burton's move HERE.

Coen returned with some praise for the redshirt sophomore:

"The last three days — today I don't know if you'd say it was the best of the three — but his previous two were really good," he said. "If I was taking one positive out of the last couple of practices really, it was Jager. In terms of getting better, the snaps, comfort level, playing that position, making the calls, he took a huge step over the last few days."

Burton previously likened learning the position to playing with training wheels on. "Whenever you get thrown in the water, or thrown on the bike with no training wheels, you're gonna learn or fall. I've fallen a few times and I've learned from those and just keep getting better. That's all you can really do, he said. 

Coen was happy with the way the offense was able to run the football on Tuesday, obviously a sign of some early improvement. 

"It's a cohesiveness, we have to be able to learn with each other," Davis said about he and the o-line. "(Burton's) taking a big role, it's very hard to play center ... I praise Jager a lot for stepping in and taking that position — coming in and playing center is a huge deal." 

"I respect him a lot. I don't think I could play that position, I got a lot of respect for him and he hasn't complained one bit, he's accepted the challenge and that's a guy I want to go to war with every day." 

Tayvion Robinson Taking New Approach Into 2023 Season

High expectations were placed on wide receiver Tayvion Robinson when he transferred to Kentucky from Virginia Tech. Tabbed as the top wide-out in the lead-up to the 2022 season by many, things didn't really pan out the way he or anyone had hoped. 

Robinson caught 40 passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns. Not bad numbers by any means, but not numbers he left feeling fulfilled with. So, he opted to return for a second season in Lexington. This time, though, he's getting to play for the offensive coordinator he actually came to UK for. 

Coen of course departed to be the OC for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, which in-turn brought in Rich Scangarello. Offensive numbers were abysmal for the Wildcats, leading to Stoops making a change after just one season. He managed to pull Coen back to the Bluegrass, a welcomed insertion for someone like Robinson:

"It's been awesome, finally get to play for the guy I came here to play for, play in the offense that I fell in love with when I was in the portal," Robinson said. "It's been fun, it's been a process, i'm still learning 'cause (Coen) just got here."

"He just challenges me a little bit. Playing a little faster, staying healthy, playing hard in practice so I can get that stamina up. Other than that, it's just learning from him."

As the 2022 season went haywire, Robinson felt himself lose that juice that had been there when he first arrived and the season got underway. With the help of Coen, some fresh faces and a chance at redemption, he's taking a new outlook into his final season of collegiate football. 

"The thing I learned about myself is when situations don't go the way they're supposed to, that doesn't give you an excuse not to give full effort to your guys. I lacked in that area in that aspect in some games. So, right now i'm just trying to revamp my energy from last year ... being team-first, all the time."

Devin Leary discusses his decision to transfer to Kentucky HERE.

More from Kentucky's NFL Pro Day HERE.

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