Andru Phillips Ready to Realize "Lifelong Dream" Against Miami (OH)

Sophomore Andru Phillips will make the first start of his young collegiate career on Saturday, 32 years after his father Carlos last played for the Wildcats. 

He takes over the nickel corner position for the Kentucky defense, a spot that he's learned to adjust to over the course of preseason camp. The Mauldin, South Carolina native repeatedly impressed over the fall entering the 2022 season. 

“Andru’s done a great job from that nickel spot. He’s got really good ball skills, good feel, instincts. Especially when you slide in and play nickel, out on the edges you can be a little bit longer," defensive coordinator Brad White said. "Even if you’re a step behind your length helps you. Once you get inside and you go against quicker slots, option routes…you’ve gotta be able to redirect, explode. He’s got those quick twitch traits that you’re looking for.” 

 After notching just three tackles across nine games in 2021, Phillips made a real jump over the offseason, especially once it was announced that expected starter Vito Tisdale would miss the entire season due to a torn ACL. 

There was some uncertainty as to who would take over the nickel spot once camp began, but as the season inched closer it became clear that Phillips was the man for the gig. 

“He’s really committed to it. He's got really good presence in terms of playing lateral and being able to get sticky and aggressive on guys,” defensive backs coach Chris Collins said. “He’s worked really hard at understanding zone concepts and spacing in there.”

The initial adjustment to nickel from playing a traditional corner spot can take time. luckily for the Cats, it seems to be a match made in heaven for Phillips:

"Day in day out. He gets a lot of hands on balls, and when they stuck him in that nickel position like, it just fit him perfectly. So you know, basically just watching him from the spring until the fall camp...he's taken major strides," junior corner Carrington Valentine said.

The emergence of starters often comes with an "ah-ha!" moment when position battles take place. For Phillips, he looks back on the entirety of camp fondly, not just any specific moment. 

"I'm so excited for what's to come, but camp has been the funnest month of my life I'd say," he said. "I mean, really starting to believe in myself and trust myself, climbing up the depth chart and just be able to go out here and make plays, which I've always known I can do. it's been a blast."

Amongst a roster filled with perennial talent, finding your place can be a tough task. The linebacker room steals the highlights, as four team captains man the defense, with all of them having a professional future. 

Valentine and Ole Miss transfer Keidron Smith have taken feature roles in the secondary, while Tyrell Aijan and Jalen Geiger return to man down the safety slots. It's that nickel slot that features the newbie, though he hasn't had trouble finding his place in the lineup. 

"Focus and just feeling comfortable in what I do. I feel like in the past, I wasn't too comfortable. I think this is my first full year of football through spring and fall. Just getting comfortable and no stop. It's just learning every day. I just had to keep on focus on stacking good days and not taking a step back. The biggest word I've been told this camp was consistency. Camp, it's hard. You know, you're waking up early every day, you're falling asleep early every night. You're here all day, and it's just more of the mental thing. Your body's tired but you got to push through, because you know in the game you're gonna be tired, all that extra stuff and you just got to be able to improve on it each day, going through the battles."

Phillips will take the field over three decades after his father last put on a Kentucky uniform. He worked for his starting spot, continued to grind through camp, and as a result, will get to reap the benefits of a goal he's been working towards his entire life. 

"I've been waiting for Saturday for freakin' 20 years, man. I've been wanting to play on this field and start since I was a kid, and now it's happening. I've been ready. I mean, I can't even explain," he said. "It's been a lifelong dream."