Jarmon Picked in Third Round

The Washington Redskins selected defensive lineman Jeremy Jarmon in the third round of Thursday’s supplemental draft.

Five teams put in fourth-round claims for the 6-foot-3, 278-pound defensive end, a source told ESPN.com’s John Clayton. The Redskins have five remaining draft choices in the 2010 draft. They are now without third- and sixth-round picks.

 Jarmon, the only player selected in the draft, is only the fourth supplemental choice on an active roster this year. The Chargers have two — defensive tackle Jamal Williams and safety Paul Oliver — and the Ravens have one — left tackle Jared Gaither. Jarmon is the first supplemental pick selected since 2007.

The Redskins needed to look for a young defensive end because they have too much age at the left end spot of their defensive line. Phillip Daniels is 36 and Renaldo Wynn is 34. The Redskins can develop Jarmon over the next year to take over the starting job and maybe help at defensive tackle on passing downs.

Vinny Cerrato, Washington’s executive vice president of football operations, was among a group of scouts who came to Lexington last week to watch Jarmon work out.

After drafting Jarmon on Thursday, Cerrato told Redskins.com that the 6-foot-3, 278-pounder was a bargain.

“He was a guy that the scouts really liked,” Cerrato said. “We graded him as a second-round pick.

“He’s a great kid. He’ll fit well in the locker room. He runs well. He’s making tremendous strides.”

Cerrato said he thinks Jarmon would have been a second-round pick in next year’s draft had he been able to stay at Kentucky and play his senior year.

“He’s basically a year ahead of where he would be if he’d come out next year,” Cerrato said.

“He can develop at his pace. He’s very athletic, but he needs strength. He benched 19 times. He needs to be doing that 30 times.”

Jarmon left Kentucky after he was declared ineligible for his senior year because of a failed drug test in which he tested positive for a banned diuretic supplement.

He fits perfectly in a 4-3 defense. He can play end or tackle.

Jarmon took the supplement while recovering from a shoulder injury and was not taking part in activities. He had been taking the supplement for 15 days before checking with the training staff, who told him to stop taking it.

“But it was too late,” Jarmon said, reading from a prepared statement in May.

Jarmon said his goal in the offseason was to become leaner. He bought a dietary supplement while shopping for vitamins on the recommendation of a worker at a nutrition store, not knowing that it contained a banned substance.

“I do not need to cheat to be successful,” he said.

Jarmon has the third-most sacks in Kentucky history. He was an honorable mention on last season’s AP All-Southeastern Conference team.

http://www.kentucky.com/817/story/864626.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4332087

Supplemental draft pool features three top candidates

The NFL’s supplemental draft will take place July 16, and three players who have a chance of being selected are Kentucky DL Jeremy Jarmon, Florida State WR Corey Surrency and Central Michigan OT Joe McMahon.

Here’s how the supplemental draft works. Teams make bids to the league for players in the supplemental draft pool. However, any team that makes a pick in the supplemental draft will forfeit a corresponding selection in the following year’s draft. For example, if a team were to win the rights to Jarmon with a fourth-round bid, it would forfeit a fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft.

Jarmon is the most likely of the three players to be drafted, and he worked out at Kentucky on July 9. He also participated at the Kentucky Pro Day before the draft, measuring in at 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds with a 4.76-second time in the 40-yard dash.

Surrency, a big receiver with good hands, played only one season at FSU and caught 12 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns. He’ll work out in Tallahassee on June 30.

Prior to his time at FSU, Surrency played at El Camino Junior College in Los Angeles. Surrency, who’s originally from Miami and played at Southridge High School, was heavily recruited by LSU, California, Oregon State and Oregon, among others.

A former junior-college player, McMahon transferred to Iowa State but never played there before ending up at Central Michigan. McMahon was a two-time Golden Gloves champion in boxing, and his high school teams in Chicago won state championships in football and rugby.

The supplemental draft began in 1977 as a way to accommodate players who weren’t eligible for the upcoming college football season. That year, Notre Dame RB Al Hunter flunked out of school after the NFL draft but before his senior season in college. Because Hunter wouldn’t have been eligible to transfer, the supplemental draft was created. The Seattle Seahawks landed Hunter with a fourth-round bid.

-Gil Brandt

Cats in preseason top 25

The Cats are ranked 25th by Vegas Insider in their Preseason Top 25. SEC teams Florida #1, Ole Miss #6, Alabama #8, LSU #10 and Georgia #18 are also ranked.

25-KENTUCKY…Rich Brooks has been looking for a playmaker in Lexington and might have found one in versatile soph Randall Cobb, who sparked the Wildcat “O” on occasion at QB last fall, but appears ready to make a bigger impact in ’09 at WR or perhaps in direct-snap situations. Cobb’s presence might also make it a bit easier for mechanical QB Mike Hartline to become involved in more big plays this fall. But it’s on defense where the Wildcats ought to excel, with several honors candidates still in the fold (including potential NFL draftees LB Micah Johnson & CB Trevard Lindley) despite star DE Jeremy Jarmon being declared ineligible in spring. A forgiving non-conference slate makes a fourth straight bowl trip very likely.

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/story.cfm/story/871681

UK BIG 7 set to make Waves This Year in SEC Football

Here are 7 players that methinks might be difference makers for this year’s UK squad, in no particular order, except for the #1 slot. I’m sure you have your own 7, more or less, so feel free to add or subtract….:)

7. Danny Trevathan: From his coach Chuck Smith, “Trevathan is athletic, fast, and physical. He looks to be a future star. He’s not started a game yet, but once he gets a taste of SEC play and progresses like I think he will, he has a chance to be one of the great linebackers at Kentucky.” Danny runs very fast and hits very hard, two attributes that a LB must have. Danny returned a kick 31 yards in Spring Game…A linebacker!

6. Winston Guy: A physical specimen who said that he really did not understand what it took to be an SEC type player when he arrived on campus last fall. Rich Brooks has called Guy the most talented defensive back he’s signed at Kentucky. Guy looked the part this spring at free safety. He is doing the work now and the possibilities are there for him to be one of the “Greats” at UK before he is done. Has that rare combination of size, 200+ lbs, and speed 4.4 forty… Back at his natural position at Safety he should make big waves this year.

5. Micah Johnson: Micah was Coach Brooks first high-profile recruit at UK. A bigger hitter at the middle spot you will not find. Just a man-child waiting for his draft numbers to go up. Had 11 tackles in the spring game.

4. Chris Matthews: Some of us like the outrageous numbers he has put up, not only catching a football, but his raw athletic ability. Has great hands, and just outruns people catching the football. He is going to make the UK QB job much easier. Caught 80 balls last year and is the second rated Juco WR by Rivals, behind Halo Carpenter…., AND, from a raw athletic standpoint…, How many 6’5 210lb receivers will UK have this year who run 4.4 forties? Nuff Said.

3. Dequin Evans: I had Jeremy Jarmon here, before it has been ruled that he is ineligible to play this year. This makes it even more important that someone from our stable of players at the Defensive End postion step up and make a big splash at that spot. Dequin has all the tools. Evans (6-2, 275) is rated the No. 15 junior college prospect in the nation by Rivals.com as well as one of our 4 Star athletes. He was a teammate of Chris Matthews. Did I mention he ran a 4.6 forty according to Scout…That is truly smoking for a man his size!

2. Randall Cobb: Talk about Mr. Everything, what can you say about him that has not been said? Joker says “If he is on the bus, you got a chance”. Look for him to excite the fans once again this year, as we break out the “Wildcat Package” and snap a few balls toward Randall. Remember he has a gun for a left arm, and out there in the flats he can see exactly where he is throwing.

1. Trevard Lindley: The quiet man. He lets his game speak for itself. Probably would have been selected before Jeremy and Micah in the NFL draft, he choose to come back for his senior season. Coach Rich Brooks says he is one that you can just “leave on an island” out in coverage and not worry about him.

Will UK’s Defense Rise to the Occasion Without Jarmon?

The Bad News. UK really could not afford to lose Jeremy Jarmon at his DE position…Now we have no one with experience at his position. We could ill afford to lose him. Someone is going to have to step up big time…. The dbs are going to be tested severely if the player(s) replacing Jarmon don’t perform. If the pass rush is not there, then the opposing QB can pick us apart in the secondary. We don’t have a single player that has made a tackle at that Defensive End position. That is the bad news.

The good news is we have several young kids that have an opportunity to step up and play. I’m thinking Dequin Evans and Chandler Burden in the fall… We’ve lost Paris, Minton, Stafford, and now Jarmon for various reasons the last couple of years at that Defensive End position.

This just means somebody/everybody HAS to step up that is already on the roster at the DE position, (Ukwu, Wyndham, Burden, Evans, Rumph etc.) There won’t be a size drop-off or manhandling Chandler Burden, at 6’4 295, or Evans the 4-star JUCO at 275lb, but will they bring the speed and talent that Jarmon did?

Jeremy Jarmon Ruled Ineligible to Play at UK

Jeremy Jarmon, the senior defensive end, has tested positive for a substance banned by the NCAA. The NCAA denied UK’s appeal of their decision which ends Jeremy’s career at UK.

Here is a kid who made an honest mistake, and one who was not trying to gain a competitive advantage by getting “bigger, stronger, and faster”. He was merely trying to lose some weight. After he was told to stop taking the supplement, he tested negative, but it was too late according to the NCAA. The NCAA could be much less stringent when a case like this one arises…The need to punish has overruled the need for compassion, and a desire by the athlete to comply.

Jarmon met with the media on Saturday morning at his own request. It was a tearful end to a great career here at UK, as he read a statement explaining how his positive test came to be. He explained how he purchased dietary supplements from a local retailer with the intent to reduce his body fat.It’s a sad day for UK football all around, because Jeremy was a stand-up guy and a leader on the field and off. He will be missed by all.

This from Mitch Barnhart: “Let me be abundantly clear, this guy has been a model of discipline for our program. He has never had a disciplinary action and he has never even come close to failing the test before. It has never been an issue. This is a three week isolated deal that is very unfortunate. He has been unbelievable for the University of Kentucky. Do not lose sight of that. I don’t know anyone that could represent this program better than he has in a lot of different ways and I am thankful for that and that he knows that.”

Fidler leads Blue Team to Win over White….28-23

Randall Cobb caught four passes for 70 yards, and his 26-yard TD reception on the game’s first drive, set the tone for the Blue team, which held off the White 28-23 at Commonwealth Stadium. “If that guy is on the bus you’ve got a chance,” UK offensive head coach Joker Phillips said.

The UK staff has been disappointed that none of the young receivers have stepped up this spring, but a “walk on” made the most significant contributions for a squad that has been thin on kids who can catch a football.

Nick Melillo, made a name for himself yesterday…The 6’2”, 215 lb, former Trinity star, caught 4 passes, 2 of which went for touchdowns, to help keep the game close. Rich Brooks was effusive in singing his praises, “One guy stepped up from nowhere and made some plays and that was Melillo, so guess what, he’s going to move ahead of some scholarship players right now. He deserves a look and deserves to move up the depth chart.”

Mike Hartline had a sub-par performance missing on 8 of his first 9 passes, but in all fairness, the Blue Team was stacked with such defenders as Jeremy Jarmon, Trevard Lindley, Micah Johnson, and Danny Trevathan, and the offense had Cobb. Between missing the long passes, and seeing the short ones dropped by the receivers, Mike had a difficult day with his playmaking, even though he would wind up with superior numbers on paper to Fidler…

Will Fidler, the oft forgotten backup to Hartline/Cobb, had his best day ever as a wildcat, leading the Blue team on a 12 play 93 yard scoring drive on the Blue’s first possession, that set the tone of the game, and contrasted with the difficulties that Hartline was having completing a pass early on, even though Fidler competed only 4 more passes the rest of the way.

Brooks reportedly had a meeting with the Newton family this weekend, whose son, Morgan, is one of two high profile QB’s recruits the cats have signed for the fall. Brooks is said to have stated: “GET READY” when speaking to Morgan and his dad, which indicates that Rich has no problem throwing the freshman signal caller into the thick of the QB race.

Brooks told the Newtons that Morgan absolutely had a chance to be the starter in the fall.

PLAYER STATISTICS:
RUSHING
White – A. Smith, 18-67; Conner, 10-33; Bowland, 1-4; McCaskill, 1-minus-11
Blue – Allen, 16-96; C. Williams, 7-56, TD; Cobb, 1-6

PASSING
White – Hartline: 17-33, 208 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Blue – Fidler: 10-24, 110 yards, 2 TD, INT

RECEIVING
White – Melillo, 4-43, 2 TD; A. Smith, 3-54; Drake, 3-22; Bowland, 2-17; McCaskill, 2-17; Conner, 1-29; Adams, 1-18; Boyd, 1 -8
Blue – Cobb, 4-70, TD; Grinter, 2-26; Roark, 1-9, TD; Bogue, 1-7; Allen, 1-0; C. Williams, 1-minus-2

“PRO DAY” NFL LOOKS IN ON WILDCATS

Wednesday morning at the annual “Pro Day” workout for professional scouts, the 2008-2009 UK Football Seniors put their talents on display…Nutter Field House was the site, and while there weren’t as many scouts there as there was last year when we had six seniors, there were representatives of 18 professional teams and the Kentucky Horsemen…

Myron Pryor is the highest ranked Wildcat on the board and he expects to go in the middle rounds or as early as the third round…HE was pleased with his drills… “I went up there focused and had a mind-set that I was better than anybody else out there,” he said. “The main thing I’m working on now is getting in shape. The rest of it I think I have pretty much down.”

University of Kentucky senior linebacker Braxton Kelley ran the 40-yard dash for NFL scouts, but the biggest story may be that senior running back, Alphonso Smith ran a 4.27 forty. Official times were suspect, since each Scout had his own stopwatch, but that is in keeping with some of the, “4.2 range of times”, that Smith has notched…The fastest graduating senior on the board was David Jones who posted a 4.34 forty time…

Rich Brooks said Jeremy Jarmon, Trevard Lindley, and Micah Johnson, all who tested NFL waters, along with junior defensive tackle Corey Peters, should give the Cats a strong 2009 draft class. Johnny Williams, Gary Williams, and Liberty Bowl Hero Ventrell Jenkins also worked out for the Pro Scouts.

Three of the Wildcat seniors Myron Pryor, Tim Masthay, and safety Marcus McClinton had been worked out previously by The Scouts in February at the official NFL combine. Those players joined in for the additional evaluation.

The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 25-26, and Rich Brooks thinks that the 2008 seniors will add to the success of the UK senior class of 2007. Seven senior Wildcats from the ’07 team were drafted or signed as free agents, six of whom made it onto a roster in the NFL.