It's Dick Gabriel taking a little bit of time off, so we thought we would replay some of the best interviews from over the last several months. Please enjoy the best of the Big Blue Insider. There's got a lot of response again to the Coaches round Table, not the coaches, but the Chain Gang roundtable that we had here in
the garage. Whenever we get the Chain Gang, which is our text chain group, Darren Hedrick, Keith Madison, Hall of Fame coach Doug Flynn, who of course is my partner on UK baseball telecasts, and of course Darren's a radio voice of the Baseball Wildcats. They get to get in the garage. We have so much fun talking about a lot of baseball, sports in general, life, in general, music and it just kind of free wheeling, and it's four friends sitting together talking sports. And I always get a
lot of response on social media. So we're glad you enjoyed the Encore presentation. We may roll it out again this summer, but we'll get together again summer before the football season begins. Coming up tonight is a pack show coming out of the holiday week. Jeff Picorol is going to join us. I should say rejoin us. He is back from vacation as well, our UK Sports Network football analyst. He and his brothers and a friend flew to Alaska for some fishing, and Jeff sent me some pictures both
during and after. Spectacular as you might expect, so we'll find out a little bit more if you like the fish. I am not a fisherman. I just didn't grow up with it. My dad died when we were young. I don't know if he was a fisherman or not. I don't think he was, but I was never really exposed to it. But I will tell you this. One day in Maine with a buddy of mine on a drive trip, we went lobster fishing. Got on the boat at five am, got back about one in the afternoon. I learned all
about lobster fishing. One of those damn things almost took off a piece of my finger, but that's a story for another day. That's the extent of my fishing. I've been on a couple of boats where we threw some lines in the water, but that's about it. This will be great to hear Jeff talk about not just Alaska, but Kentucky football as well, because Jeff I think, is going to cover SEC football media Days for WTVQ next week in Dallas. I'll be down there as well late
in the week when the Wildcats are there. Aaron Gershan will join us. He's heading for Dallas as well. We'll get caught up with him on recruiting and other things. A lot of recruiting news out there right now. And also Max Godbees speaking of football. Max really I put him on the air a long time ago on this radio station. Since then, he and his wife have moved to Louisville and he is working as a regular guest, you know, full time co host on a segment or
two each week on ESPN six City. I don't know how often he's on the air over there, but he talks a lot of football on the ESPN radio station in Louisville. But he reached out to me because he is and another guy at the radio station are marketing merchandise and it's really different, it's really unique, and he sent me a link to the Round Daddy link of merchandise. That's the nickname of the co host from the radio station. And if you like UK merch that's different, you're gonna
like it. And I can't wait to see how much of this merch shows up at Kroger Field this season, and we'll see it in the stands when UK and U of L play, because even though the show that Max appears on with the host that is a primarily U OFL slanted radio station, but Max and James Streeble do a more of a UK show, so they are merchandise. Are pushing this merch both UK and U of L, and a lot of vintage stuff as well. It's really interesting and we'll hear more about that from coming up.
In hour number two. I mentioned recruiting and over the last week in the holiday weekend as well, there's been a lot of news of late which you might expect. Probably the biggest literally and figuratively is in addition to the big Blue Wall, Jemial Atkins, one of the top offensive tackles in this side of the country, has committed to the Wildcats. He's from Ohio, He's from Dayton and man is he big six ' eight two ninety and
he committed to the Wildcats during the holiday weekend. He is one of the best in the country and Eric Woolford Vince Merrow helped reel him in. They worked together, just like the Corona's brother's reeling in big fish. They reeled in this guy and he said no thanks to Virginia Tech, to Minnesota, a number of other schools, West Virginia, Arizona State. But this was a highly anticipate, hated decision and the Wildcats got him. So now that's another lineman
who committed over the weekend, will go along. You may have heard about Caitlin Edwards, a D lineman four star guy, so to keep building on the D line. He's six four, three thirty. He's from Dyersburg, Tennessee, and he chose the Wildcats over Auburn, Louisville, Memphis, among others. Brad White had a big hand in recruiting him and war Stuart as well. So, and I tell you what an wash Stuart, not just with the recruits but with the coaching is really getting
it done. And I got to think some programs will come after him. They'll have to work to hang on to him. And it's what's been the most interesting thing with me was hearing former players who go to practice and who played with or know anwar Stuart. I have not heard one person and who didn't rave about it, not just say yeah, he's doing a decent job. No, they've raved about the job he is done. But the person in the pudding look at the job they did.
And over the weekend I recorded a lot of stuff off UK Takeover Day on the SEC Network, including the two football games that went over Florida when Ray Davis went crazy and it went over Louisville, and I was laid up for that game. I was there for the Florida game, but I was laid up for the Louisville game after open heart surgery. I missed three games. The first two no problem. I missed Alabama, yeah, South Carolina Yeah. But then I missed the Louisville game. That was a
great football game. And I'm not saying that simply because Kentucky won. Any game like that that involves a rivalry that goes back and forth, and both teams make big plays, impressive plays. It's a great football game. And even the announcement I listened when I watched it live. I listen to our radio broadcast Tom and Jeff, and I think Jeremy Jarman filled in for me on the sideline. So this time I listened to the TV guys Joe Testitour
and Jesse Palmer. I think they're both really good. I think Testatur is one of the hidden gems at ESPN when you think about playbo play guys. I don't know why, but I don't hear his name enough. I think maybe it's because he works the noon games. I don't know, I think, but he works in primetime games as well. I think that guy is tremendous. And they both did a great job on that game. They were well prepared. You could tell they've done their homework, and the great
the game lent itself. You know, it's very very not very often. It's very rare that you see a great game. And if you're watching a network broadcast or regional broadcast, generally the announcers are up to the job. And these guys were. Some some aren't. And I'll tell you one moment as well. I also pulled up the Super Bowl this past Super Bowl when the Chiefs win it in overtime, and I said this the moment the game ended on the last second touchdown scored in ot Mahomes touchdown pass.
And we talked a week or two ago about our broadcasters need to find the time and the inclination to what we call layout on TV now not radio. Well you can do it on radio as well, like when Vince Scully would lay out it for a big play in baseball. If ever they're called for a moment when announcers should just shut up. It was at Super Bowl. Nance had a great call, he said, jackpot on the touchdown past to mcole Hartman. But what happened next Tony Romo starts running his mouth and I'm not a hater.
I'm not a huge fan of his, but I'm not a hater, but I hated what he did. Then he just started blubbering and blabbering instead of just letting the pictures take over. And I wasn't the only one. I complained immediately on social media and a lot of other people did too. But that reminded me of that game. And you know what, in the uk U of L game, Jessa, Tor and Palmer knew when to shut up, when to let the picture do the talking, and when to do
their talking. And I'm going to talk to jepicor more about this, but it reminded me of obviously just how great Ray Davis is, and as great as he wasn't at Florida game. Think back to the big plays he made against Louisville, but also a lot of defenders, the defense, the defensive line I was talking about anymore. Stewart tremendous, Trevin Wallace, the linebackers, Eric Jackson. Kentucky played a great
football game and pulled the upset. We all think Kentucky should be favored and as better than U of L that day. Remember now, Kentucky was six and six going into the game or six and five, and Louisville's top ten Lowe was going to play the ACC championship. Gabe. Wildcats pulled the upset. They were the better team that day and it was a great football game. We're listening to the best of the Big Blue Insider. More to come here on six point thirty WLAP. It's Dick Gabriel.
Welcome back to the Best of the Big Blue Insider. Congratulations to Mark Pope and his family. They finally found a place to live off Paris Pike, not far from where I used to live, but kind of a world away. They live right next now to Lectioningdon Country Club off Paris Pike, eleven and a half acres about four and a half million dollars. Good for them, money well spent.
It's really pretty over there, so not quite the high profile place that John Caliperry and his wife enjoyed on Richmond Road, but you know they've got their privacy gated community. Good for them. Wanted to bring up a couple things that I had noticed on the interweb on my Google machine, basically on X. Couple things real quickly, Bronnie James is going to dominate the headlines and we're gonna get sick of it. I already am. But it's funny. There's a
guy on X trying to make the point. As the guy goes by Apex Jones and he posts a lot of stuff about the NBA, and he was complaining, and rightly when you talk about results. The coverage of Bronni's game against Sacramento Summer League now Lakers versus Kings, Bronnie goes, he starts, goes for four, two and two, and of course dominates the headlines. And this guy made the point that players like Adonnis Arms and Blake Henson, who did
much better, should have gotten more attention. But we got to remember this ain't about Bronnie and his numbers is about Daddy. You know, the entire story is not this kid who at one point was they thought he had died, was trying to make an NBA team. It's nepotism and its finest. They in no surprise, they draft him to try to keep Dad. And now he's on a two way with the Lakers and he will probably take a job from somebody like Adonna's Arms. And you're like, who
Donna's Arms was? A juco guy from Milwaukee, went to a small school, transferred to Winthrop, then transferred for another year to Texas Tech. Undrafted free agent, has spent the last two years in the G League and is trying to make it in the NBA, trying to catch on. And he had thirty two points and eleven rebounds in
that same game. Blake Henson kid from Florida. Yeah, I don't remember him, but he went to Ole Miss and transferred to Pittsburgh where he was didn't do much at all Miss. At Pittsburgh, he was second team All ACC his junior year, first team All ACC his senior year. Oh he spent a year at Iowa State but was hurt or something never played, but anyhow, first team All Conference and wasn't drafted, so he has been trying to make it in through the G League with the Lakers.
Just get used to it. We're gonna hear way too much about Bronnie. He's not a great player, he's a great athlete. But in one of the headlines, well USA Today, their story was Bronnie James held to four points in Summer League debut. NBC Los Angeles their headline on their website, looking a lot like Dad. Bronnie James makes NBA Summer League League debut. Well, the only reason he looked like his dad had nothing to do with the way he played.
It was how he favors him. Of course, he looks like his father and came into the arena with shades and headphones just like dad. I wonder where he learned that. Good for him, but a couple of miss or one misleading headline. Basically, he didn't play anything like dad, but coming to the arena, yeah, he looked like him, which
is no surprise. There was another piece on X from and it directed us to a YouTube video called the Craziest College Football Season of All Time and it's a twenty minute documentary on twenty oh seven, and it really was all the upsets in Kentucky. Twice is involved. The first time came in week three when stevee got loose what's it from the gun play thing he's throw tucking and of course that's a great call from Tom Leeds. The music is from the documentary. We didn't have music
under it during the broadcast. And of course the other upset was when Kentucky beat top ranked LSU and LSU ultimately worked its way back to the top of the polls in the championship game where the Tigers romped. And what I had forgotten about that day was col the Cow Golden Bears. They were second in the country and so for a little while that day they were by default the number one team in the country because LSU had lost. But then Cow lost to Arizona State, just
one of a bunch and mostly number two. The number two team in the country lost time and time and time again, including Boston College, which got all the way up to number two and had to come from behind to be Virginia Tech and then lost the next week to Florida State. And here's what that sounded like. There was a pick six. They clinched the game on ABC and ESPN. Brent Musburger with a.
Call on this second down and had seven.
Intercepting thank you doing touchdown Florida State and that bo was spelled Doune, probably for another number two team.
What is it about number two this year?
Now, keep in mind that season began with app State going to Michigan pulling off an upset there as a thirty four point underdog, but you had all kinds of bizarre upsets that year. Stanford beat Southern cow snapped the thirty five game home winning streak for Southern cal Trojans were a six touchdown favorite in that game. Stanford pulled off the win. And remember that year Kansas was twelve and one, went to the Orange Bowl under Mark Mangino.
They fell right back to mediocrity and of getting fired. A few years later, West Virginia got up the number twenty two and got beat by Pittsburgh. Check it out on YouTube. Type in craziest college football season and you'll find it. You're listening to the best of the Big Blue Insider more to come here on six thirty WLAP. Hey, it's Dick Gabriel and you're listening to the best of the Big Blue Insider. Joining us now is a voice from our past, Derek Terry, who has covered sports in
the past. He now has a job in the private sector, but dipping his toe back in the water. He is the creator. I believe you. Are you the creator of Batcat Central. I am yeah. All right, Well, welcome back first of all, and tell everybody before we start talking about UK Baseball and beyond, about why you decided to dip your toe back in the water and tell us about Batcat Central.
Well, I actually started back at Central back in January twenty twenty three, and I started it at the time. I'd been out of sports riding full time for about a year at that point, but still enjoyed riding still right for my day job, so I've never really lost my love for riding, and I tried to think of kind of a pathway I could take to still cover something that I liked, and that was kind of what I came up with from sub stack. And it's the platform a lot of journalists who are full time and
they kind of gravitated towards it. It's a really good platform, so kind of the idea behind it, though at the time was just to try to help fill avoid you know, Dick, When I was a beat rider, you know, I covered football, I covered basketball, covered some baseball. That's how the job is if you're covering it. So my thought was, you know, these people who they do a very good job on the UK beat, they can't always get around to baseball until you know, maybe men's basketball's over. So my idea
was I kind of wanted to. I thought I could be good at it. And this this spring, I just I went out to the ballpark song and I saw how people were very excited about this team, and I thought, you know, this could be a way that if I really invest a lot of time and energy and try to make it like a true part time job, I might have something I can work with here. And so far, I've been very pleased with the reception. I mean generally speaking,
if that someone's not heard of it. It's a newsletter, but also there's it's a website as well, So if it's easier for you to to just get a story straight to your email, h it can do that, but it's also a website where I have a full list of their high school commitments to scattering reports stuff that I've not really seen done before. When it comes to covering UK I've got a roster tractor going and and just all the stories I've written are all on there.
So it's it's it's kind a pretty good reception so far, and I hope to keep growing it and I hope to cover Kentucky baseball. You know, it's a little bit deeper level because I think the circumstances of this past year have really allowed to bring us to new fans and then really just I think grow the excitement even from the fans who have been watching it for a long time.
Your resume includes the Rivals Network, two four seven Sports. Uh, so we're talking deep dive, you know, agencies when it comes to covering UK sports. So was this kind of like riding a bike for you?
Yeah, it kind of was.
You know, I've always loved riding, I always loved covering sports man. It's kind of published for the first time when I was in high school. It was for a little blog, but you know, no one really read, but it was still kind of my intro. And of course I've got a journalism degree, and like I mentioned, I worked for the city government. That's just fun job. Still it's it's the right stories, just in a different way.
You know, they're not sports stories anymore. So I've never really lost my love for riding, and I felt like this was an avenue to be really uh be really centralized.
You know.
I really do have a great deal respect but a lot of the beat riders in my friends, I mean people I'll still talk to you, so they do a great job. I think there are a lot of really good rid on the uk B, but I just thought there was I don't really have the I'm just like baseball is my favorite sports what I like writing about. But I couldn't make this work if I wanted to try to cover basketball or football. There's no way I
could do a better jobs. And the people are there every day because you know, I do have a day job and this is just something I do on the sides in the evening. So I make it work when I can. But I had invested a lot of time these last three weeks and into doing this and I think it's something that that will be pretty good and
I'm excited to see where it goes. So I'm excited to see what it looks like six years from now or six months from now, as I work through the fall and try to do that, because you know how it is, there's not a whole lot that gets that gets written once August gets here and football starts off. You know, It's it's kind of most people's attention turn
to those fall sports. But I hope to try to provide some stuff that people will find compelling and then to keep their on baseball all through the off season.
You mentioned how you were at the ballpark and you began to kind of you reclue in on what was going on. It was excitement. What did you notice this year? And when did you start noticing? It was at the very beginning of the season.
Well, actually, after that Kinnasall State Series, I wasn't really wasn't really all that sure. I mean what on a pre season preview.
That I wrote.
I mean, I wouldn't say my expectations were low. I feel like the expectations for this group should have been to get back to the intu A tournament. And really for the Kentucky baseball program, making an into a tournament appearance is a good season. They had never gone back to back into a tournament, so looking at what they had coming back looking at just where the program was
they got. You know, they lost one coach last year with Willicogna, but but by and large the staff is kind of the same and as a good group of players that were coming back. So this felt like reasonable expectations. But I went out to the UH I think they have emissaries and they had started playing really well. It
was actually the day John cal Perry left us. The news started coming up that John cal Perry was going to leave, So that was the day that I can't remember what exactly the record was for the team, but they'd started off so well and it was just a normal Sunday game, but the crowd is great and people are really energized, really into it. And then I would say probably the big one was the Tennessee series Friday night.
There was a big group of people that I went with who I mean, it was looked forward to all week and you know it was number two or number three at the time, and having a record breaking crowd, It's like, all right, this is something that people are really going to be into and this is it was clear at that point. I mean, they were going to be an InPlay tournament team. You know, they were probably gonna have a really good chance to host. I mean,
things are going very well for them. So just noticing all the excitement with the team, I mean, the fan base thoff. I really brought it this year and showed really what Kentucky Proud Park was intended to be whenever they opened it back in twenty nineteen.
Yeah, I was going to ask you that because that was my next question. It's interesting how this all came together at Kentucky Proud Park. This is what they had in mind, was it? And I mean you've been to the Cliff, you knew that. You know, they they had hosted regionals there before, but it was a pretty tight squeeze and they had this kind of thing in mind when they built KPP.
They did it and close I can say it was very charming, I thought, I mean, it had a really good despite being outdated and not not great by SEC centers, it was still I thought, a pretty good spot to watch a baseball game. But yeah, Kentucky Proud Park I thought held up remarkably well the Tennessee series. I don't know, maybe I'm not sure the operations were as great that night.
I don't know that they were expecting as big of a crab, but by the time that the Regional got there in the Superrio I went to the Super Regional, it was it was great. I thought the ballpark was set up very well the way it's designed, allowing people to bring in chairs or blankets or whatever they might want to have right. Plus the outsold seaza got at it. I mean, it made for a really good environment and it made you know, the content sh lines moved quick.
I mean I think they probably won quite a few returning people because I mean there were people. I heard a woman who was sitting behind me, she's never been to a game at all before, waiting in line. I think she was a student. And we had to I mean we had to line up. We went in the outfield entrance and we were wrapped all the way around, like down near the soccer stadium. I mean, it was crazy how many people are waiting to get in there.
And the line moved very quick. But I think with all these people who maybe came up to the ballpark for the first time or were just looking for ways to pass the time in the spring, I mean, I think we're going to have a maybe a new generation of fans who really cared about it and want to get involved. I think it'll be an easier so down
the road. I think, whether it's next year or future years, the next time Kentucky has a team that people are very excited about, I think you'll see big crowds, probably even sooner than what just happened this past year.
I always really enjoy it when when crowd fan bases, crowds realized their power, their strength. I mean, I remember Tubby Smith's best team was was in three. You know, due respect to the team they won the national title, but that team that won twenty sixth straight, fans realized we can help this team take over. And of course during the Fatino era, the same thing happened.
You know.
I just think it's it's a lot of fun when that happens. And I really believe that those games you talked about, Derek and the Tennessee series, the Vandy series, I think the Kentucky fans took some ownership, you know, and realized, hey, we're part of this now. That makes a big difference, doesn't it.
It does.
To have all those people Like whenever I saw all the time it was gonna be nine pm, I thought it was like a type. Originally, I was like, surely they're not actually gonna start this game and I'm pm Eastern time, but you know, they hadocated to the West Coast goal and all was good and it's not. It did not dissurb people at all. People will showed up. I think they actually set the record again that night.
I think that's currently the the ballpark record. And so I said that, you know, back to back ninth and I do. I think the Crawdnede cleared out a little bit more, but that's to be expecting enough. People had to get up the next morning, go to work and then do all that. But the people who made it out and say, I mean, you were rewarded and that was kind of I think that's a good point you
mentioned to. I think this team play this season and to see kind of what they had accomplished even though the game was tied there in Game two at the end and you're witnessing something you haven't seen before. I was thinking about kind of old UK football games where you always just kind of and I hate to say this because they I think Mark Seams has done a tremendous job really kind of resetting kind of how we
think about some things. But whenever you watched some of those UK football games, it's like he just kind of waited for something bad to happen. And it was baseball this year. Even though it had never happened and they had never made it that far, I never really got that feeling. Even whenever it was close there in the bottom of the nine, it was just like, I feel like they're going to win it.
You know.
It just just feels like the team that is going to get the job done. So it was really, uh, it was a bit of an odd thing, I think, to witness something that had never been done. One just watching it, three regional at hosted by Kentucky, and then two playing a i'll call him the traditional power in Oregon State. They won severalles. I've been alive playing you know program, it's very good and not really feeling any kind of pressure. Like I just felt great about Kentucky
winning that series. It was really kind of a different feeling, but a very rewarding one as well.
I think Derek Terry is my guest. Derek was a veteran of the UK Beat till he moved to the private sector, but he's back now covering UK baseball for a site he created, Batcats Central. We'll come back and talk more with Derek in just a minute. You're listening to the best of the Big Blue Insider. More to come here on six thirty w LAP. Hey, it's Dick Gabriel and you're listening to the best of the Big
Blue Insider. We're talking with Derek Terry. He covered UK football, basketball and baseball for two four seven Sports for Rivals, and now he's back with his regular job. Gives him a little bit at a time to work what do you call it, a part time job, and that's creating Batcat Central, a website, of course devoted to Kentucky baseball. And this was a good year to do it, as we all know, the Wildcats making it to the College
World Series. Now, be honest, when you were working on the UK Beat back in the day, Derek, did you believe Kentucky would ever make it to Omaha?
I thought they had. I thought the twenty seventeen team was good enough. But in the last segment when we were kind of talking about the expectations, I'm not sure I expected that from them, and I wasn't really all that surprise like that team very much. Felt like just winning the regionals for the first time ever was kind
of the goal. And you know, Louisville was a really good team that year, and I think Kentucky you know, played I thought they had a respectful, you know, respectable series showing at that time, but you know, it took a little bit more time to get back, and no last season. I'm not sure how many teams flash what are gone down to LSU in one game. I mean, the national champ in that ballpark was gonna be h was gonna be hard. But yeah, I mean I think I defy had my doubts. I think most fans did.
I've done a lot of reporting, and the I'll say maybe a lot might be an exaggeration. I've done some
reporting in the past, talking to Keith Madison. I believe I've had a quote from Mitch Barnard at the time and one of the stories just talking about how far you know, the program had kind of fallen behime financially in the early two thousands, And I really did probably the best story I've done so far on back at Centrals with John Cohen, the former coach at Kentucky who's now at Auburn as the ad and some of the best stuff he gave me actually didn't make it into
that story. It's something I'm probably going to use in the future. But just talking about all the challenges, Like everybody knows about the weather. You know, if you're a college baseball fan, you understand that the weather is challenging. At UK, I do think there's this perception that the talent in state is very good and there are all I mean, there's always players that will help you within
your state, but the number is relative. Kentucky could not just build a team out of all Kentucky kids, you know, the way you probably could in a Florida or even at Georgia or whatever. So that's the challenge as well that UK has that a lot of schools don't have within their conference. And you got Texas coming in. I mean, Texas is gonna be the same way, like they would really probably never have to leave their state to build
a very good team if they didn't want to. So, you know, he mentioned some of most challenges, but also kind of the scholarship roles where there's eleven point seven scholarships in baseball and some teams can get away you know, they can get around that by having some better kind of in state lottery opportunities. He mentioned I think Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana, three states in particular in Mississippi as well where he ended up going after Kentucky and Mississippi State
that also had pretty good advantages. So there were a lot of things historically Kentucky was up against, and I think it's been minimized an extent. I wrote a story on that too. Kind of talking about the recruiting is that, you know, the facility now is great. I don't know where it ranks nationwide, but Kentucky Baseball is not going to lose a kid because the facilities they are good enough.
I'm not sure how many they're going to get just because of the facility, or how many of those kids you would probably want to take if they're just basing their decision on that. But you also have the winning piece now or they've been to home Hall. So I'm gonna be very curious to see kind of what happens moving forward, And it might take you know, a year or two for that uptick to kind of take place.
But what do the recruiting classes like in twenty twenty seven, for twenty twenty eight, whenever you have, you know, these middle schoolers that will one day be getting recruited. You know what did they think about Kentucky versus what those same kids around those days? Is what a thought five years.
Ago, right right? And I've got to think that. Like you said, I if somebody wants to come just for the stadium, that's not the right reason. But that can be the closer, can it. I mean, if all things are equal, and you've got to picture yourself. I've had football recruits tell me about how the weight room can help them, and I know it's not quite the same, but we're talking about where you spend a lot of
your time. And I never really fully realized or understood the value of the weight room until a player told me. He said, Look, you might play in a stadium, you know, twenty times in your career, you're in the weight room every literally every day.
Yeah.
So when you can picture yourself in a facility like that that's your second home, it makes a huge difference. And John Cohen pushed for it, and Gary Anderson did, and Nick Minjion is reaping the benefits, isn't he.
Yeah, yeah, and that he's think in some ways you could say, uh, I mean, I think Minjeon is one of the most fastening, you know, coaches on campus right now, just this whole career art he came here, I thought he was maybe the victim, victim, for lack of a better word, of provision of history that took place during some tough years for Kentucky because I think over time it was somehow people just thought that that twenty seventeen team was going to be good the whole time, and
that was not the case. The year they were they had replaced over three hundred innings on the mountain year, they had no said, one returning SEC start and it was Zach Loog in the SEC tournament, so he wasn't even like a normal starter of the year before. And they did have an ice group of position players. But you had so many seniors that year like Marcus Carson and Connor Hetty. Zach Rex is a senior that year. I know, I'm forgetting a few others, but a lot
of guys our career years who played very well. And then in twenty eighteen they had so many draft pick because think they might have even led the country that year in draft picks, but they didn't make the tournament. They had a lot of injuries that hurt him. I think they still had a resume. I mean, look at how many teams that were thirteen and seventeen in the SEC this year made I think there were five but
actually made the Instabay Tournament this year. Kentucky went thirteen and seventeen with the top thirty RPI in two thousand and eighteen and didn't make it. So it kind of got used against them for a long time that, you know, how could you have all these good players and yet not make the tournament. I think they kind of lacked some contexts. But after that they did have some tough years.
I think from twenty nineteen for twenty twenty one. You know, those teams just simply were not good enough, and they made some changes once the portal came around that really helped them. So they've reached the point now that they kind of have everything. I mean, they've showed that they can win. I think Menjion's done his part and his staff have done their part to show that this is
the place you can win at a high level. And then I think a few years ago you know, Mitch getting that stadium done something I think he'd wanted to get done for you know, a while longer before. I'm sure. I think they were having conversations about it back when Cohen was still there.
Oh yeah, yeah, that was a carrot on the stick that he would use to try to keep John Cod here. But you know, getting money through the legislature and all that, you know how tough that is. I've only got a minute or two left with Derek Terry, who has created
Batcat Central. But one of the selling points, and you you touched on this early, is you've got a lot of info about the new guys coming through the portal now and MinJe On and staff have done an emphasized staff and so does he have done a marvelous job building the last two teams with a combination of recruits and portal kid and that's where we are, as you know, in college athletics now. So there's a lot of good info. They got some talent coming.
In, Derek, they do, and they're kind of getting guys every day here here lately. You know, Oliver Boots from California's right in the pitcher, who just finished his freshman year I like a wht. I think he'll play a major role in some regard, whether it's the bullet in multiating guy or potentially even a starter if he can win a job. And they got a couple of guys, I know, we gotta be quick here. The draft coming up will be a big thing. Jackson Tron from Canisius
and then Ryan Dugo from cal State Bakersfield. Our two guys that I think would be among the best players on the team next year if they're able to show up. The draft that begins, to believe July fourteenth, the first round, and then it's a three day event. The days two and three will be the day is to pay attention to if you'r UK fans, and I have a primer on that pretty soon, kind of letting people know what to look for.
Yeah, and I've already mentioned on the air here the young man coming in who's transferring from EKU. He is coming in off Tommy John. But they got high hosts for him as well, and they've had some success with kids who have come over from Richmond. So it's going to be fun. And if you keep your fingers crossed about the weather, because as we know, you mentioned it earlier. That's the key, especially in those early games. But you're right. I think they won a lot of new fans this year.
Derek Terry batcat central veteran of the UK beat and now is like I said, dipping his toe back in the water. Good talking to you again, and we won't be a stranger now that you're back covering UK sports to a degree.
Yeah, it's great to hear from me and I really appreciate you having me back on.
Since that conversation with Derek, a lot has happened with the Kentucky roster and including of course, Tyler Bell, the infielder, second baseman, shortstop from Illinois, turning down the Tampa Bay Rays who took him in the second round and deciding he will play for the Wildcats for at least a couple of years. Devin Burks said he would come back.
The veteran catcher, of course, who helped lead the Wildcats to the College World Series, announced he will return, and then Wildcats picked up an intriguing left hander through the portal, Adam Hotsman or Hawkman. He is a red shirt freshman from Arkansas. Was a top fifty draft prospect ranked by
Baseball America, but suffered an arm injury. I believe the Razorbacks believed thought he could or at least hoped he could pitch this past season and Arkansas had a really good team, but he was not able to make it back before the arm injury. Prior to that, he was rated Baseball America's number thirty two best draft prospect and didn't have Tommy John surgery. That's according to Arkansas coach
Dave Van Horne. In the preseason comments he made when they were hoping he would come back, but he couldn't quite make it back, didn't pitch for the Hogs, and now he's a Kentucky Wildcat. More to come right here. It's the best of the Big Blue and siders stay with us on six point thirty wlap. Hey, it's stick Gbriel. Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider. Our number two taking a little time off, so please enjoy the best of the Big Blue Insider Joining us now on our
celebrity Hidline. One of my favorite people and a teammate on the UK Sports Network. Former UK All Conference defensive end Jeremy Jarman and Jeremy It won't be long now, will it are? You feeling it.
Yeah, definitely starting to get the emotion again. Uh. I was able to get on the website and download the schedule onto my calendar, so, uh that was a nice little addition that you Can Athletics added to the site, the ability to just kind of plug those games into the personal calendar. So I think doing that the other day that really brought, uh brought everything to the table
and brought those emotions full circle. And the times are slated for the first few games for the first time in my lifetime, I'm pretty I'm pretty excited game.
Well, let's talk about that schedule. And I've been saying all along that and everybody knows the games are always tough, it's when they happen. And in terms of early challenges, Jeremy, this has got to be the toughest that I've seen in a long long time for uk Man.
It gets started fast and you know, you think back some years back when we when we played Southern Miss uh in Kroger Field and they had us on the ropes. Uh So to start that game out against Southern Miss. I have a lot of respect for that program. Really tough, really tough group of kids that they recruit. I'm looking forward to deep diving in there, but then boom, you turn around the next week and you're right in the
SEC football play. So I mean there's no margin there, There's no margin for error, there's no margin for just kind of lackluster start because it comes quick this season.
Yeah, now the ups and downs are you got everybody healthy, but you're not quite settled in maybe in week two or three that you will be mid season. Do you have many concerns in that direction?
Say that again, Gave.
When you've got a tough game early in the year, you're relatively healthy, but you're still trying to figure things out with maybe some of the younger players. Are the rotations. Do you have any strong feelings either way?
You know, when I look at this team and I look at I look at the offensive line, I look at the defensive line units, those are the those are experienced units for us this year. So you know, ideally you'd like to think that those are going to be your strong suits. And when those when those units are strong, game, you don't have to get you don't have to be fancy early. You just got to be effective at what you want to do and what you want to be
good at and we know markzouts football teams. Offensively, they want to eat the clock because that's the football. And defensively, Brad White, he just wants to basically mix it up and muck it up for these teams. So when you're strong up front, like I'm starting to suspect that we could be on both sides of the ball, I think that that's going to help some of the inexperienced players to be able to ease into gameplay, especially at the quarterback position.
You mentioned the D line, and that's got to be an area I would think of strength. Although losing Josiah Hayes, I really that's that's a real damaging blow. I think he may be gone for the year. We don't know. They just signed a Juco D tackle, but I still think they've got quality depth, starting with Dan Walker obviously, but he makes everybody around him better. What do you think of that D line? You know a little something about d.
Lions, You know, I like this group. I look at Ripka just continuing to come into his own anticipate him having a big season. Silver's the guy, in my opinion. I think he's the X factor up there on that defensive line, keeping him on the field, keeping him healthy, keeping him in gauge. Last year, he got off to a quick start and then he just kind of, I think, just kind of things and banged up and he just
kind of disappeared from the film. And if they can keep him on the field game he's a super talented d lineman. He's shoes, he's massive, long arm, long, big broad chest and back. He's a guy that can help him. Between him and Walker, if both of those guys are playing at their capabilities, it just makes life for everybody a little little bit easier.
Yeah, because they got a double team Walker. I mean, you know, I've been talking on the air about the fact that on takeover Day, I don't know if you had any time, you're a busy man to just sit and watch any of those those games that they replayed. They replayed the Florida win and the Louisville win, and those guys you've been talking about, especially Walker, they kept isolating. ESPN did on how U OFL in particular was trying to one on one block him And it was impossible, wasn't it.
Yeah, it's impossible. There's not a lot of players that you just come across in college football that just have that physique and that stamina, that skill set. There's nothing you can do in practice, gay to prepare for Dion Walker if you don't have a guy that's ultimately sixty six, three hundred and thirty pounds and moves as well as as as the best defense into the defense linement in the country. I mean, he's a unicorn. Yeah, and you
can't simulate that in practice. So you got to respect those teams and those programs for allowing their guys to have the opportunity to try to block these guys, because sometimes it can be a detriment to a player if you don't give him the ability to see if he can block a player one on one, and if he can, that's a confidence booster. If he can't, then that player knows. Okay, I need to dig in a little bit more. I got some film and now I can work towards this
on the offseason. Now I know what an all ses he give us to the aligneman looks like. I know what a potential All American, potential lottery pick defensive lineman looks like. So you got to give your players a chance versus just saying you can't block the on walker. You know, we're just gonna double We're gonna double teaming today, So you know there, so there's a couple of different ways to look at why you see teams attempt to
block him in one on one situation. But I don't expect there to be too many players that are going to be able to do that consistently this season.
I hadn't thought about that that if you're sitting in in the meeting room prior to playing Kentucky and you're an old lineman, you've got to be saying to yourself, well, I think I can take this guy, but unless you faced him before, you know, how do you admit give me some help on this?
Right?
For sure?
And for sure? I mean, and there's times, you know, as a defensive lineman or linebacker, you know, whether it's a back being able to carry a back out of the backfield and man the man situations where you're asking your coach, hey, you know, why aren't you giving me a chance? I can tackle this guy in space? And I think sometimes as a player, that competitor nature has to come out and you got to say, you know, I can block this guy. Coach, don't we don't need
the double team. Let's let's try to work up and you try to do it until you realize that maybe you just can't. But you know, even in our practice, you know, with our players on our team, you know they have to double team Dion Walker to be able to get through practice segments. And when they don't, he's so disruptive that ultimately Mark has to take him out out of some of the practice sessions.
I think I remember Stoop's talking about that. That that got my attention as much as anything where they actually had to take him out of drills because he was throwing people around to he didn't want to hurt anybody.
Yeah, and I thought it was a little bit of hyperbole at first, and then as I started to get in and get over there to practice, and then we saw the body of work on game days. He's absolutely right.
I mean, Deon Walker, it's tough to practice against a guy like that unless the guy that's blocking him in practice is also a unicorn, are also ultimately a bona fide pro because he is, he is a he could potentially this season we could be saying that he's a generational type tighte talent at the defensive tackle position.
All right, be honest with me, and then we'll move on talking about Dion Walker with Jeremy Jarman. But how surprised are you, Jeremy, that he's still here? Let's face it, we all know we got a nice nil chunk, but a lot of schools have nil bucks. Are you pleasantly surprised he's still a wildcat?
I'm not. And the reason why that is is because I know the type of relationship that he has with the guys in the locker room and also anwar Stewart, the defensive line coach, and Brad White. But him and anwar are very close. And you can see the body
of work. I got film breakdown on Dion from game one to present and the buy in the technical that he's got natural gifts, but you can see you can see the tools that are being that he's deploying, that he's being taught by anwar Stewart who was a technician in college, a technician and professional Canadian Football league. So
he's getting better. There's no reason for Dion Walker to leave and go to another school for a little bit more money, because he's he's ultimately he's going to end up where he wants to be, which is the National Football League. And he's just he's just continued to just grow and develop at UK and and and and he's going to have an incredible junior campaign.
I'm glad you mentioned Ann War. I was going to ask you about him. You and so many former players who either know him or played with Anwar have been so complementary of him and supportive of Anwar there. So you guys are all so impressed with a job he's doing and obviously the proofs of the putting, But what is it about Anwar you think that has made him so successful at his alma mater.
He's authentic, He's an authentic person and he truly wants what's best for his guys. And I just see the relationship when I go out to practice. I go over and that's where I like to hang out. I like this see and War and those guys and their interactions, and it's always inspiring for me when I see the best the best players on the team also being amongst the hardest workers on the team, because that from a
cultural standpoint, that's not always the case. Sometimes your best players are average workers in practice and then they kind of flip a switch on game day and Dion's just the guy that he's a grizzly twenty four to seven. Yeah, I mean he's mauling people. When it's time to mall people, he's malleling them. And they're having to ultimately putting, you know, taking out of practice sessions in order to be as productive as they want to be because they're focusing on
the team. So relationships trump everything. And I think ultimately for these guys they're going to learn is that you can go out and you can go shop around and you can find the highest price tag. But when you continue to look at the high level of recruiting that this staff is getting done, and you look at the quotes are coming out from the players and from their families, they say, the facilities are great, you know, the bills
and whistles they're there. But the people, it's the people that I enjoyed, the people that I met, the people that when I'm coming on my unofficial business, the true relationship building that's taking place. And that's why Marcus continuing to have success in recruiting, and that's why he's also been able to keep some of his top stars being able to keep them at Kentucky despite us not having
the highest NIL offer. I can assure you Dean Walker, the offers that he's gotten have exceeded probably not probably, they have exceeded what he's getting at UK. There's no doubt in min There's no doubt in my mind.
And it's funny you say that because he's talking about family. I've heard more recruits talk about that about on their visit. You know, they just felt a kind of a family at UK and that facility and from the coaches, the recruiters, the guys who host them on their visits, and it seems to be genuine and it's paying off on the field. We're talking to Jeremy Jarman of the UK Sports Network. We'll come back and talk more with Double Jay's in just a minute. You're listening to the best of the
Big Blue Insider. More to come here on six thirty WLAP. Hey, it's Dick Gabriel and you're listening to the best of the Big Blue Insider. My guest Jeremy Jarman from the UK Sports Networking and Christy Thomas part of our pregame coverage of Kentucky football and it won't be long now.
I've talked to a lot of people this summer, Jeremy about the fact that, of course Kentucky is not in the preseason top twenty fives after back to back seven win seasons, which amazingly have been disappointing to Kentucky fans. But really is it is a mystery at least on offense, isn't it. When you've got a new OC, a new quarterback, we don't know who's going to carry the mail in the offense to backfield. We think we know, But the one thing that you touched on earlier is the offensive line.
How confident are you with all these question marks on the offensive side of the ball.
It's one of those It's one of those things, Dave, is that the players in the talent is there. But I'll tell you, changing coordinators, new quarterback, those are recipes for disaster.
Yep.
I mean, we just we just have to be honest. I mean, statistically, I've seen the articles over the years when you see NFL teams change offensive coordinators, they change quarterbacks. Those are significant and and there's no different tier in mark he has he has somehow he has been able to manage these these changes with the coordinators as well as anybody as I've ever seen, because for some head coaches, these OC or DC changes they're they're there. I mean,
they ultimately lead to two coaches getting fired. GM is getting fired. But he's been right in picking these coordinators to come in. He's been right ultimately and finding that that signal caller to come in and run the offense. So the concern is here is is you know you go and you got you got a new OCS coming in from an outside conference like the scheme, still got to watch some more Boise film. You have a talented quarterback room. The guy, as you're likely starter, doesn't have
a lot of snaps under his belt. Gavin Wims that is coming in, he probably he may be one of the more experienced players in the room. I still think that there's gonna be a true quarterback battle in that room. I don't care how many stars, I don't care how many starters are there across some of these players, But I still think that there's going to be an honest quarterback battle in Paul Camp.
Do you think it's going to be a two man battler or three man.
We're gonna see but I'm I'm really intrigued. I think there's gonna be some storylines that come out, and as they should. I don't think that this quarterback, this position is gonna be handed to someone. Yeah, I think everybody knows has an expectation of who they think QB one is gonna be from the start. But I think that there's gonna be a battle for it. I really do.
Are you saying that because of your concern about the fact that, let's face it, we all think Brock vandergriff released a lot of us will be the starter, or are you saying that because you believe Bo Allen has improved that much and that Gavin Wimsy brings a lot to the table.
I think Gavin does bring some things to the table. You know, it's experienced, been one of them we talked about. Bobo also has experience. You know, whether he's gonna whether he's going to be able to push to be the push to be a starter in that room, I can't make that determination. I think that that's I think that that's more unlikely. But I like the experience that Bo brings. So we're gonna see Gabe. I just want to I want to get out. I want to watch the guys
kind of spin it. I want to watch the edge rushers come off the edge. I want to watch them push the quarterbacks up into the pocket. One of the things about Bush with these quarterbacks quick release. It's quick release football, quick reads football, and basically the guy that thinks that that his brain sees it breathes the coverage the quickest. Yeah, I don't think that you have to have the most talented arm in the room in order to succeed in Bush's offense.
You just got to have the smarts and the release and the accuracy, don't you.
Yeah, I mean it's it's it's it's a lot of quick game stuff. It's a lot of stuff off of some misdirection, a lot of quick games. And with quick game that to me, that benefits that benefits a lot of quarterbacks. I think that that with good decision making that you can really get into a rhythm. And I think a guy like Gavin, I think he's I think that this is a this is a system that he could potentially thrive in. Obviously Brock as well. So I'm just curious to see a little bit more this fall.
You know, obviously we didn't get a chance to see see a ton. Uh, you know, see a ton from from this room. But I'm curious to see what what ultimately what it's going to look like here in a few.
Weeks follow up on on the quick release brand of offense. And I'm not trying to pigeon all anything, but I'm just curious from your side of the football, does that benefit a receiving group more one than the other or style? Does it mean fewer deep shots? Does that mean fewer checkdowns to running backs or or more patterns for running backs that kind of thing. What should we look for?
I think what we should look for is a little bit of noise in the background. Uh. I think what we should look for is is just basically when I look at this offseason, I look at Coach Short's the new wide receiver coach. I'm curious to see the level of I think mental toughness, consistency and just route running and understand and basically comprehension of of of defensive schemes. I think that our wide receiver room under coach Shorts has the ability to basically take a take a step
forward in terms of IQ football IQ. So when you look at some of this quick game stuff, being able to understand the route tree, being able to read the defender, the corner that's in front of you, especially when you're talking about option routes, being inn seek what's your quarterback. So when you go back a few seasons and you look at you look at Onndale Robinson catching one hundred balls, which is just absolutely just amazing one hundred balls as
the smallest player on the field. It's because of football IQ. It's because him and Will Levis were so in sync and they understood coverages. I mean, those guys just put on They put on a clinic a few years ago. So I'm curious to see if one or multiple of these guys, with this new quick with this new offense, if they're gonna take a similar step where they're gonna be in sync ultimately with our QB one to be able to start to rack up yards, move the chains.
I mean, a lot of this is IQ, and the more those guys can comprehend, then the more that can be added with the option routes and with the wrinkles that you can put in place off these things.
Wandale so often was it catch and run kind of guys that what you're talking about. Yes, good to me, Jeremy Jarmy. I guess we'll come back and talk more Kentucky football here in just a minute with Double Jay's. We're listening to the best of the Big Blue Insider. More to come here on six thirty WLAP. It's Dick Gabriel. Welcome back to the Best of the Big Blue Insider.
We're talking with Jeremy jarm and he is in transit as he often is, but we took the opportunity to talk some UK football with him and it'll be here before long here Jeremy's coverage along with Christy Thomas on our pregame show here on the UK Sports Network. And of course the Wildcats again a mystery team according to many,
but that's understandable with all the question marks. But the one thing we know, Jeremy, I'm fairly confident that the defense will give the offense the opportunity to win the game. And that's what it's all about him, all right, it is, And.
That's that has been Brad White's calling card since he's been here. I think I think Brad it's just he's done a phenomenal job and I'm curious to see how, if any new wrinkles that he puts in, Uh, that'll be you know, those will be conversations to kind of
talk with him about. But he's just done a good job and I had a chance to sit down with him, and I just always always enjoy, always enjoy seeing how he develops inexperienced players and how he continues to just kind of add to their workload as they grow and mature. And Andrew Phillips being one of those guys who's going to be missed dearly. But Andrews starting out here as a guy primarily an inside inside corner, you know, and and basically being asked loud stand and and and play
outside coverages. And I asked, Brad, and he kind of he kind of got a frown on his face when I asked her the question. I kind of felt like a parracist what I asked it. But I said, you know, you're losing, And I said, does it feel like you're
losing two players? And he kind of frowned up, and then he bounced back and he said you and and you know, he acknowledged just the importance of that role that Andrew played, So you know, trying to replace his experience and his tenacity and just seeing how he how he facilitates that and how did players how they handle it. So just just a lot. I think he's just done
a good job. It was huge getting out and being able to get to Georgia transfer at the linebacker this and to come into the linebacker room that was that was a huge void void filler there. James gonna do well right next to right next to our guy d Eric Jackson.
D jack Down. The stretch was money last year, wasn't he? He was?
He really was continuing to grow, continuing to grow. He's a guy because he's not as fast and twitchy as some of the other linebacks inside linebackers have been over the years. So for him, the pre snap, the pre snap reads, the post snap reads, being able to process that a little quicker. I think that that's what what what was happening for him is being confident in his reads and and basically starting to anticipate things versus sitting back.
He didn't have the He doesn't have the natural ability sometimes to sit back and let something open up and be able to react and and and get in there and get that PBu like like a Trevin Wallace. Yeah, but but d Jack, he he's a physical player. There a lot of experience. Looking forward to seeing him down in Dallas, uh in about a week or so at the SCA days.
Yeah he got you know, he's wasn't He's not as outgoing as Trevin Wallace was, but he still led the team in tackles the last couple of years. And I do believe though. Help let me ask you how much will he miss playing alongside Trevin wall They had such a great relationship, you know, one of those kind of unspoken deals where they just knew each other's moves on and off the field. But bringing in Pops from Georgia should help kind of allay that, right for sure.
And a lot of that's just going to be in camp in the film room, talking through things as you start to see what a player is capable of. And and you mentioned Pop, just another experienced football player, And I really think that they're going to sharpen each other just in terms of just play and alignment and anticipation of routes and just down in distance, just a lot of the pre staff communication that happens before the snap of the ball. And I think pop is one of
those guys. He's he's really good at that. You don't rack up and have the kind of success that he has by not having a good, good understanding of the game and schemes and what teams are trying to do to you.
That's work that's done in what you guys call the film room when you're looking at video right.
For sure. Yeah, that's where a lot of the work's done. Sitting back with some flower seeds and the cowboy remote gave and uh and going through and just looking at the film until things just start to until they just start to click, until you start to see tendencies, You start to see s friends, you start to see little pre snap alignments that teams and that players do to
get subtle advantages. And those are the kind of things that experience coaches that they that they teach, that they teach players, and as players get more and more experienced than the coaches just basically able to just pour it on. I mean it becomes like a aster a graduate level of course of the ball. Where Brad Moulhak I like like the d jack that he wouldn't be having with one of the younger linebackers because he's just not there yet.
I've heard guys talk about learning to watch film. You know, it's not like you could just sit down and it washes over you, right, I mean, you've you got to know what to look for and that kind of thing, and what the study and what to let go.
Yeah. I think the main thing is is that now there's so much there's so much that these offensive coordinators are throwing as you and they're self scouting. They're making sure to try to keep their runs to the left, run to the right, balance short, intermediate, long range play action. So there's a lot of self scouting where they try to keep the defenders from being able to guess. But at the end of the day, the film, ultimately, you just need to have an answer for what teams do
do the best. Yeah, and if they beat you on some of the ancillary things and you just got to live with that, but you can't let them beat you at what they do best.
Interesting, you know, And I remember I think it was it was either what he Hayes or Bow, one of those two legendary coaches, talked about just that, about attacking a team at its strongest point because if and when you can break that down. You've broken them mentally and emotionally, haven't you.
You know, there's a lot of psychology behind that. I think some of the old school guys they do such a good job of saying those kinds of things. And now you look at a Shun Peyton with some of the more controversial statements. You know, attack the head and the body will die. Well symbolically, symbolically, he's absolutely right. I mean, if a team's run dominant and they've had to sets running the toss suite and you're shutting those things down early, now that team can't get into a rhythm.
So now the head of the team, you're offensive coordinator, Now he's trying to figure out, Okay, how can I get the team into a rhythm. Now he has abandoned what has worked best for the team. Now your players know that there's some struggles because you're talking about it on the sideline, and now you're starting to cast doubt amongst yourselves of whether this game plan is going to
be good today. So there's a lot of psychological chess play that's going on throughout the game in different phases that are you know, that are fascinating and it's fun to sit back and just kind of talk with guys about what it was, what play it was, at what point there was a sudden change that really kind of you know, blew the door in to either allow a team to get back on track or what it was ultimately that that kind of brought about the defeat. So, yeah,
football is a very complex game. It's simple, but it's very complex with the different nuances and alignments that you could show. You know, it's fun, it's fun covering for UK Sports Network game and or we get a chance to sit back and just kind of talk about talk about some of those things.
Yeah, and you know what if you can along with what you're saying, take let's say it is the toss sweep. Take that away from a team that's really good, and now they've got to be wondered, all right, what do we do now? You know, now you're you're trying to adjust on the fly, when you've worked all week on a game plan that suddenly just melted away.
Right, correct, correct, And it's it's and it's frustrating for a coach, and it can be demoralizing for a football team. You know, you can just go you can go back and you can look at you can look at a game like Florida last year with with uh, I mean, it was just, it was just. It was an incredible game, an incredible individual effort for Ray Davis, but the offensive line,
so many things fell in place. And once you cast that doubt, once that doubt creeps in and teams and players know, hey, this game plan is not working today. It's over. Yeah. When the players start to doubt the game plan and they start to you know, doubt the doubt, the scheme is absolutely over that afternoon, and so it is. Uh. It's gonna be fun to see to see how this camp opens up, Gabe, and I'm looking forward to the Southern miss game to see where to see where Mark and this team are.
We will wrap things up with Jeremy Jarman on the other side of the break. More UK football chatter coming up, and you're listening to the best of the Big Blue Insider. Hey, it's Dick Gabriel and you're listening to the best of the Big Blue Insider. I'm talking with Jeremy Jermy. He is, of course the former Kentucky defensive and All Conference and
now a teammate on the UK Sports Network. You mentioned Ray Davis a minute ago and again going back to watch those sec takeover games, a Florida game, the U of L game, and you remember them, I know, because you've just been referring to him, and you filled in for me quite capably on the u of L game when I was out with my little medical adventure last year.
But those I think were his best two games. Obviously the Florida game where he said records, but the Louisville game on the road against a higher ranked team and a team that had clearly geared its defense to stopping his run game, and yet he found ways both on the ground and through the air to help Kentucky pull out that upset. It's a lot to ask one guy to come in and fill his shoes, though, am I right?
There's no one coming in the field of the shoes that Ray Davis field. I mean, he had one of he had one of the best running back seasons that I've that I've been able to witness uh in person, And it was just it was fun to cover him. He was such a versatile running back. The ability to hit the home run tougher as the season went on
in terms of being able to get some yards. Some yards have to contact as well, not in the way that obviously his predecessors in Rodriguez Snail had, but in his own way, but its versatility catching the ball out of the backfield. I mean the seven the seven touchdowns receiving, the compliment is almost fifteen hundred yards rushing. And what an incredible campaign that he had at this last year. So yeah, I don't have any expectations that that one person is going to be able to do that to
replicate that. So I'm curious to see who's who is of this group. Will he merge? I'm really high. I'm really high on Demi Demi, Simo Karmba, really high on him. I think he's a fantastic football player. I think he can help us in the run game as well as the receiving game. I'd like to see if they're going to utilize him maybe a little bit more and in the slock capacity, give him some opportunities there and the way NC State did a couple of seasons ago. So uh,
so we'll see there. I think he's very versatile. So uh but we all know that there's a there's a there's an open battle there at the running back position. I think, I think it's a it's a talented room, but we'll see if there's someone that will emerged that's able to carry the bulk of the shares.
The one thing we know. We've talked a lot about the mysteries on offense, but the one thing we know is Barrion Brown is one of the premier home run hitters potentially in the country. And the Dane Key. Even though he had a couple of drops against Louisville, he made some absolute clutch catches for first downs for touchdowns against the Cardinals. Those two guys compliment each other so well. I think Dane has shown growth and maturity from maybe
the middle of his freshman year on. I think Barrion needs to take a big step this year. But I keep hearing Jeremy that he is poised and ready to do that. Have you heard the same thing?
I have heard that. And I think that that room, I think that that's a very talented room, and and I was, I was very appreciative. I know it's always tough anytime you have to go different directions from a coach, from a coaching perspective, but I'm really high on the things that I've read about coach Schortz. I like his background as a player as well, and I'm just I'm really intrigued to see how his presence will translate to the wide receiver room.
That's interesting because generally coaches come in pick up where somebody else left off. Uh, this guy, I think he's already had a pretty good impression, left a pretty good impression, a good impact on that room, don't you.
I think so. I think so. And ultimately, I think I think that we'll know for sure here here in a few weeks game And and I'm eager to talk with the players as well and just kind of talk about some of the differences, some of the differences and how they feel that they've grown as grown as players
and pass catchers. I know at times last year there seem to there seemed to be just kind of a I don't know, I don't want to say lack of focus, because you know, when you're dropping the football, it's hard. You know, I never had to catch the football for a living, So sometimes with some of those drops, is it focused, is it you know? Is it good defense? Was the ball a little wide?
You know?
There's a lot of reasons, but there were times where it just seemed like we kind of our receiver room kind of got into a lull.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Barrian had that big drop in the back of the end zone wide open against the Gators, and Dane dropped the first ball thrown to him against Louisville, but they both bounced back and made huge plays, either catching the ball or on the jet sweep of Barrion Brown. So, and it's interesting that you mentioned coach Schortz one of the first answers of our interview, and so he has clearly made an impression on you. So that's going to be interesting. Jeremy. I won't take any more of your time.
It's always great talking football with you, looking forward to that first game as you are looking forward to hearing you and Christy break things down. And I'm sure we'll talk again before kickoff. I appreciate you joining us.
Yeah, Gay anytime. Man.
Love talking football with Jeremy Jarman. And it won't be long now before we see kickoff over at Kroger Field. Something came out the other day. I don't know that we saw a whole lot of play. I know I didn't talk much about it because we were wrapped up in other things, but the athlon preseason All America and All Conference teams announced. Used to be Athlon was the voice when it came to preseason magazines. Now there are so many it kind of gets lost in the shuffle.
But important to note that Kentucky had three preseason All Americans on the athlon team. Dion Walker made second team of course, Barrion Brown was second team preseason All American as a specialist, and Maxwell Harston defensive back, was fourth team of course on defense. So three on the preseason All America team for athlon, and then of course Dion Walker first team for a defense, Barrion Brown first team specialist,
Harriston a first team defender. Dane Key was named second team on offense, Pop Dumas Johnson's second team on defense on the third team, Derek Jackson linebacker, Marcus Cox offensive lineman, JJ Weaver defensive end, and Eli Cox made fourth team as an offensive lineman. So Atlon Man, we couldn't wait to get to you know, Kroger or whatever and get
our copy of the Atlon preens. He was on the cover, on the regional cover, and that kind of thing we already knew about the Phil Steele preseason All America lists. That'll do it for now. Thanks for joining us for this special edition the best of the Big Blue Insider. That's it. Good night from the garage in Lexington, Chang