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Ty Bryant was the 2022 Paul Hornung Award winner given by the Louisville Quarterback Club to the state’s top football play and helped Frederick Douglass go 15-0 and win the 2022 Class 5A state title.

Yet Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White recently admitted he was surprised that Bryant contributed the way he did as a true freshman safety in 2023 when he played in all 13 games with three starts — Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi State. He had 40 tackles, including a combined 20 against Tennessee and Alabama in consecutive games.

Bryant admits he considered it both a compliment that White was surprised by what he did but also as motivation to surprise the UK defensive coordinator again this season.

“Stepping in they probably didn’t think I was going to play a lot and then when I did go out there and I played and I did my thing,” said Bryant, the son of former UK receiver Cisco Bryant. “I got my feet wet a little bit last year. This year it is time to go make a big splash. So yes, it definitely motivates me to want to surprise everyone again.

Bryant says he has become a smarter player and also improved his techniques thanks to offseason workouts and spring practice.

“Just my coverage skills in general are better. I feel like I’ve improved that over the offseason, I became a lot stronger as well. I’m faster. I think that’s a big jump that I have made from last year to this year to make me a better player,” Bryant said.

Bryant has always been a versatile athlete. He played defensive back, receiver, running back, punt returner, kick returner, gunner on punt coverage and place kick holder. He also had a 4.3 grade-point average in high school, one reason the Air Force recruited him along with a lot of other schools.

He’s not a big believer in revealing preseason expectations.

“I’ve got a plan for this season but I don’t like saying things before it happens,” Bryant said. “I feel like God’s got a plan for me and everything is already written.”

Bryant knows a summer vacation trip with family and close friends to Punta Cana helped break up the daily grind of college football to refresh him for this season.

“It was a good good time just to get away for a little bit and enjoy the scenery. Go to the beach and enjoy the resort and just relax,” he said.

His father does a “good job” not overwhelming him with football talk.

“He understands when we have breaks and stuff like that, so he tries to keep it away from football and sports because he knows I keep my mind focused on that all the time. Everybody needs a break from what they do,” the UK sophomore defensive back said.

Bryant believes UK’s secondary has a “lot of good pieces” that could be really good this year. He said if there is a surprise standout emerging on this year’s defense, it could be junior JQ Hardaway, junior Jantzen Dunn or sophomore Nasir Addison, all cornerbacks.

“I feel like somebody out of the corner room is gonna be another corner that will surprise a lot of people and also (junior) Alex Afari moving to a new position (linebacker) could be a huge impact,” Bryant said. “I feel like he’s going to excel in that position. He’s gonna play fast and play hard. He’s gonna show more people about his versatility.”

Kentucky also seems loaded at the safety position and Bryant knows the intense competition for playing time there will be.

“We all push each other to be great every single day. If somebody’s not having a good day, the other people rally behind them and they pick them.  So I feel like it’s good competition in the safety room. Every day you gotta come on your grind because you do not want to be left behind,” Bryant said.