Other than the news about freshman receiver Darryl Collins being out for the season with a knee injury, a few other bits of news came out of Kentucky’s practice on Friday morning.

• The team has elected permanent captains for the season in senior linebacker Danny Trevathan and senior offensive lineman Stuart Hines.
• The Cats got some good news this week when Hines returned to his spot on the offensive line in practice and was able to get some repetitions in with the first team. He sprained his left knee midway through camp and had been out until this week.
• Tight ends coach Greg Nord confirmed that Jordan Aumiller is UK’s starting tight end, with some other duties likely to be split by senior Nick Melillo and Tyler Robinson, should he come back from being banged up during camp.

One of Kentucky’s highly touted freshmen wide receivers is out for the season after injuring his knee in practice a couple of days ago, Coach Joker Phillips announced after practice on Friday. Darryl Collins, a 5-foot-11 player from Gadsden, Ala., will have surgery on his knee on Thursday, the same day as the Cats play their opener versus Western Kentucky. He will use his red-shirt year to get the knee healthy.

“He was right on the verge of whether or not he was going to help us,” Phillips said. “We were going to continue to work him. We were thinking two weeks into the season, he’d get a feel for the game and possibly make some (waves) by then.”

The only true news to come out of a light practice Thursday for Kentucky is that freshman receiver Nile Daniel did not qualify academically. He had been waiting for the NCAA clearinghouse. “Nile did not make it; he did not qualify,” Coach Joker Phillips said. “Nile was only a six semester guy. … He was trying to speed up the process and get out in six semesters. … That was a really difficult thing to try to do. He went down to the wire with it. It just didn’t work out.”

• UPDATE: UK sports information has clarified the Daniel eligibility situation. He has returned to high school to gain his eligibility and once he is eligible, he can join UK. That could be January, it could be next summer, but not until then.

• Also of note, a couple more starters have leaked out of the tight-lipped staff. The team’s new holder will be punter Ryan Tydlacka, replacing Randall Cobb. The long snapper will be senior Jon Thomas. So the sequence on a field goal likely will be a snap from a former St. Xavier player to a former Trinity standout to be kicked by a Lexington Christian player Craig McIntosh.

Kentucky looked like a real football team on Tuesday night as the players walked back to the Nutter Center from a “dress rehearsal” of sorts at Commonwealth Stadium. The Cats were in full pads and in their new uniforms, which looked nice.

Coach Joker Phillips referred to the night’s events as a mock scrimmage, pre-season game for UK, which focused on things like game day organization, how they stretch, take the field, etc.

“You don’t want it to be a shock the first time you take the field together as a team,” he said. “We need to look sharp. We need to look organized and I thought we did tonight.”

Other news of note:

• Embattled defensive tackle Mark Crawford, who was suspended twice last season, will sit out the first game versus Western as he tries to do what Phillips has asked him to do. “He’s done some of the things we’ve asked and they’ve been good, but we will probably withhold him from the first game,” the coach said.

• Phillips said this about potential red-shirts on the team: “There’s a couple that’s on the fence. A lot of it has to do with how healthy we come out the first couple of games. … Some guys are right on the edge of playing or not playing depending on how healthy we stay.”

There have been big battles at some important positions this camp and although Coach Joker Phillips didn’t show all of his cards on Monday, he did start to confirm what some of his position coaches have been hinting at during the past month.

Here is the run down of what we learned Monday:

• A couple of freshmen wide receivers have worked their way up from third string to at least second string as well as a couple of players on the defensive side of the ball. Phillips also expects that the offensive and defensive lines will get some added depth from a freshman or two. But the coach was mum on exactly who. “Names?” he asked. “We’re not going to talk about them until they play. As a group, it’s a very talented group.”
• On the running back front, Raymond Sanders is still the guy (please see Tuesday’s Herald-Leader for more in-depth coverage) with one of the freshmen (presumably Josh Clemons based on the chatter around camp) moving into a backup role. Phillips also named CoShik Williams by name. The coach did say that the RB position has a ton of depth and that five or six will see significant game action this season, many of them on special teams. “There’s not one back that’s head and shoulders above the rest of them,” he said.
• The tight end spot is still jumbled up day to day, but Jordan Aumiller seems to have worked his way to the top of the depth chart, or at least Phillips seemed to indicate that.  “Jordan Aumiller has been as consistent a player as anybody we’ve had — not just at the tight end position, but on the football team,” the coach said. “After him, Tyler Robinson’s been out and the rest have been hit or miss. (Nick) Melillo has made has way to the second team today. … After Jordan, every other day someone moves up and someone moves down.”
• As we reported last week, senior CB Randall Burden is the new punt returner and that Gene McCaskill could be in the mix. No names were given for kickoff duties vacated by Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke, but Phillips did say a freshman has been impressive.
• All but one of the offensive line starters are back in the huddle with the exception of Stuart Hines, who has a sprained left knee. Matt Smith, Chandler Burden and Larry Warford all practiced Monday. “I know Morgan (Newton) likes to see those big guys back out there,” Phillips said of his junior quarterback.

Kentucky’s secondary took another hit on Thursday when Coach Joker Phillips announced the departure of cornerback Jerrell Priester.
The 5-foot-9 sophomore from Ulmer, S.C., opted to leave the program.
“We wish him well,” Phillips said after practice. “It’s one of those things that’s kind of common at this time of the year, that kids leave. We’ll wish him well and keep this thing going.”

Priester, who was rated the No. 17 prospect out of South Carolina and the nation’s No. 59 all-purpose athlete, according to Rivals.com, played in nine games last season.

He got several snaps as a backup at cornerback, getting four stops and two tackles for a loss against Charleston Southern. He also played on special teams, where he returned two kickoffs for an average of 27.5 yards.
Last week, Phillips announced the departures of senior free safety Josh Gibbs for undisclosed “personal reasons” and sophomore linebacker Qua Huzzie, who ended up transferring to Murray State.

This week WKYT (Channel 27) will continue its Big Blue Encore series with Kentucky’s 40-34 victory over Alabama in 1997. It was the Cats’ first win over the Tide in 75 years. The game will air on Saturday from 7-10:30.

Clearly Kentucky has decided that offensive lineman are a priority for this next class.

Various media outlets have reported that a sixth — yes sixth — offensive lineman has committed to the Cats in Jordan Swindle. He is a 6-foot-8, 300-pounder from St. John’s High School in Florida.

Former Kentucky linebacker Qua Huzzie didn’t take long to find a new place to land. The 5-foot-10 sophomore from LaGrange, Ga., showed up on Murray State’s most recent roster (thanks Racers play-by-play guru Neal Bradley).

Coach Joker Phillips said Wednesday that Huzzie’s departure was a surprise. “I don’t know how long he’s been thinking about it, but it was a surprise.”

Huzzie was hampered by injuries during much of his time at UK. He played in eight games, getting 17 tackles, including one for a loss, last season. He had a season-best four tackles versus Charleston Southern.

There were a couple bits of news out of Kentucky’s practice on Wednesday:

• Coach Joker Phillips announced that 5-foot-10 sophomore linebacker Qua Huzzie has opted to transfer. And senior Josh Gibbs, a 5-10 free safety, has decided to quit football for “personal reasons.”
• Offensive guard Stuart Hines, one of the most experienced players on the team, sprained his knee in practice. The Bowling Green native likely will be back for the Cats’ Sept. 1 opener versus Western Kentucky, Phillips said.