Bryant Koback on rehab, strength program's help, running back competition
It's basically a given that Benny Snell will see his carries increase in his second year at Kentucky, but there seems to be an open competition for the number two running back spot.
Most people believe that will ultimately come down to junior Sihiem King and A.J. Rose, but true freshman Bryant Koback enrolled a semester early and is back to 100-percent health after an injury last year.
Koback covered a range of topics with CatsIllustrated.com on Sunday.
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CatsIllustrated.com first reported that Koback was back to 100-percent health, and the coaching staff has since confirmed that on the record. Koback chimed in himself at media day.
“Yes, I’m 100-percent. I feel great. I feel great being able to my normal self, pretty much. After a while it takes a toll being limited in some things but once you’re back and there’s no better feeling,” Koback said.
Enrolling in Lexington a semester early was key in the recovery process, Koback believes. As one would expect, Kentucky has more resources, better te,chnology, and respected personnel to help players who find themselves in situations like Koback's.
“Without a doubt, getting here early I give them a lot of credit for getting me ready for camp. Coach Ed doing different things getting both of my legs strong in the weight room, he alters things to work to strengthen you when you’re not really able to work to use it," Koback said. "He still finds little ways to still strengthen the muscles that were weak from breaking the leg. So it was big because a lot of it was to get a lot of muscle back, but also the more weight you put on your leg the faster the bone cells are going to regenerate.”
Speed has been a big part of Koback's game in the past, as the former Ohio prospect was routinely clocked at better than 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash. An injury might require some time, when it comes to regaining lost speed, but Koback isn't worried about whether it will return.
“Well they say you never really lose your speed. You’ve just got to retrain those muscles," he said. "So it’s just a lot of running. Continuous running, day in and day out, more and more sprints. Just so I can get my form back and my muscles get back to their quick twitch.”
At the end of the day does Koback believe he's due for a redshirt while King and Rose battle it out for that spot backing up Snell, or can he realistically expect to be a part of the competition for the number two role?
“Right now we’re just working to make our group a better overall fit," Koback said. "Everybody’s competing with one another so I just hope whoever ends up with that spot at the end of the day they do what they can with it. Any of us can and will be ready if we need to. At the end of the day everybody’s got to continue to compete and push each other to be the best we can.”
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