Welcome to the Big Blue Sider. Dick Gabriel with you Friday edition of our program, one day closer to Kentucky's kickoff, of course, one week from tomorrow Wildcats in Southern Mississippi. It's a game you'll hear right here on six thirty WLAP and it's a night game. So not only do we wait through next week, we wait through several hours on Saturday. But I personally like that a little bit. I like night games, but at least on that day
it's going to be a little cooler at night. Plus you get to watch a lot of football, don't you in the hours leading up to the ballgame. Although I get there so early that I'll get involved in a game and then suddenly I have to leave and find out when I get to the stadium what happened. But it's still going to start for reel for the Wildcast, we'll talk a lot of Kentucky football tonight. Anthony White is going to join us aunt Be they call him. He is a co host of Sunday Morning Sports Talk.
He is a co host of a podcast with former UK defensive back Van Hile's Anthony of course announced standon running back during the hell Mummy era. He was part of the Bill Curry Hell Mummy change over, one of the several guys who really benefited from the air raid offense. By the time he left, Anthony I always pointed this out. Anthony was top five in the history of the SEC. Yes, they threw it a lot, but he grabbed it and
ran with it. He would catch a lot of balls behind the line of scrimmage like an extended handoff and run like hell. But he was one of the top five all time in all purpose yardage when he left the UK. Of course, since then more people have racked up yards and all that, But for the time he was at Kentucky, Anthony Richardson, or Anthony Whitish should say,
was one of the all time best. We'll talk about Anthony Richardson here in just a minute, but we're going to talk to a bee who got his nickname from Tim Couch. He told his story more than once on a show. For some reason. They were talking about him in a meeting room, and I think it might have been when Mummy was there. I don't know who said he needs nickname and Tim Couch. According to Anthony yelled out,
let's call him aunt Bee and that was it. He's been amby ever since, so we'll talk with him coming up at the bottom of the hour. Next hour, I'm gonna catch up with Billy rut Ledge. Now we're gonna start our state wide show on Monday Night with Billy and Aaron, but that has ended in Jeff Pikorro, but that is more of a focused show on game week and things like that. I wanted to pick Billy's brain about what the summer has been like here in election
in Central Kentucky, the Big Blue Nation. He and Shannon the Dude with their show at nine am following the Leech report. Has there been as much football talk this summer as there has been in the past, So we'll talk with Billy about that coming up in hour number two. We'll also look back. It's been an eventful week here on The Big Blue Insider, including Bill Ransdell dropping by the garage, so we will talk about that recap the week.
Actually got to talk to an Olympic gold medalist this week on the show, something I've never done, not a current Olympic gold medalist. I talked to people who won him back in the day, but we got a chance to talk to Messi Russell. So yeah, that was fun and we'll hear from her. You may know by now the coaches All Conference team preseason is out, for whatever it's worth, part of the talking season. Carson Beck quite
naturally is the first team quarterback. He's been rated as highly as fifth in a pre NFL draft poll, so people think highly of Carson Beck. No Wildcats first team offense. Of course, Dion Walker named to the first team defense, but so was Maxwell Hairston, which is great because he had such a good year last year and it did not go unnoticed. But then again, how can it. When you pick off not one, but two passes and run him back for touchdowns in one game, you're gonna get noticed.
Also first team preseason All Conference as a specialist. Barrion Brown again because he made quite the impact last year, more I think as a return guy than he did as a receiver. He is on the verge of setting records in that department. Tons and tons of players from Georgia, many from Alabama, Texas, from Tennessee players preseason All Conference. Nobody from the Wildcats made second team. Quinn Ewers of Texas is the quarterback on the second team All Conference squad.
You go to third team All Conference though Jalen Milroll, the quarterback from Alabama, is your QB there. But you got two Kentucky offensive linemen, Marcus Cox and Eli Cox, the Cox brothers who are not related on that o line what they hope will be the second coming in a big blue wall. Third team preseason All Conference per the coaches, Barry and Brown on the third team as an all around athlete if you will, and you look at the defense, and Jamon Dumas Johnson is one of
the linebackers on the third team. So Wildcats well represented on the coach's preseason team. I don't know how much is expected of Kentucky, but the coaches, like a lot of the players that Mark Stoopson's staff have brought in a couple of scores from last night. The women's soccer team still perfect. They beat Detroit Mercy to nothing, and the men's team opened up their season with a victory,
so it was a doubleheader sweep for Kentucky soccer. The men beat Oral Roberts three to two last night at the Bell Soccer Complex, which was rocking. So again, if you've not been over there, even if you're not a huge soccer fan, I recommend it. It's a great atmosphere and a great way to go get caught up with Kentucky soccer. I mentioned college football beginning for the Wildcats, as we all know, it starts internest tomorrow at noon,
sort of the official unofficial opener. It's the highest profile game, of course. Florida State Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. Florida State ranked number ten. You might recall last year thirteen and oher left out of the playoffs. They went to a bowl game, but it seemed like half their team blew it off and they lost, so they finished up thirteen and one Georgia Tech seven and six. They did get a bowl game victory and beat a couple of
ranked opponents, but not great then. In fact their bowl game first time they've been in the postseason since twenty eighteen. Florida State is a ten and a half point favorite if you have an account somewhere, and the over under fifty five and a half. And I always am tempted, not that I'm a gambler, but I keep an eye on such things. Tempted to take the over almost every time. I hate to watch a game and hope neither team scores.
That's not fun. But fifty five and a half, that's a tough number because Florida State could win, you know, thirty two to twenty, and that's an easy win, thirty five to twenty, and you're still going to lose money if you take the over. So it's tough. But you know, these guys who set the lines, they know what they're doing.
A couple of other stories about college football. One of these on the Athletic where there's a story out that says opposing coaches tampered with a quarterback on Michigan's roster who later transferred to Iowa, Hayde McNamara, And in fact, a couple of Iowa coaches have been suspended for a game because of tampering with him during the recruitment process, and there's no surprise that this is going on. I'm a little surprised at Kirk Farren's, the head coach at Iowa,
along with his wide receivers coach, had been suspended. Generally, that's something that assistant coaches may do by mistake or on purpose, but the head coach is being held accountable. Plus the head coach at Miami of Ohio blasting Alabama for quote unquote stealing our kicker. He basically flat out said Alabama came in and stole our kicker. I think you're gonna hear a lot more about that as the
years go on because of NIL. I don't know that it was about tampering, but it was about poaching players. And that's the first thing I thought of when NIL was approved. Cbssports dot com has a story out there one of their surveys, their candid coaching surveys. Guys get to vote anonymously and they were asked basketball only, now, which program do you believe has the best NIL situation? Goad and ranked them And as you might expect, Florida
rank rather, Kentucky rank highly nationally. But some of the names might surprise you. Arkansas near the top, was at the top seventy three point seven percent of the coaches polls said Arkansas. Arkansas Calipari's program far away number one according to the anonymous coaches. Kansas next at forty three percent, Brigham Young at thirty percent, and Kentucky was fourth twenty five percent of the coaches pulled said Kentucky as the
best Innil situation. Indiana's fifth at seventeen percent, but that didn't surprise me. Arkansas's way up there because you know, we learned everything about their Nile situation when Caliperi changed, and Kansas we kind of knew about Brigham Young. Really Louisville. By the way, eleven percent of the coaches thought U of l as the best situation. So perception is off in reality. But when it comes to cold hard cash, not so much. Speaking of cash, this could have a
far reaching effect. The National Women's Soccer League has granted unrestricted free agency to its players and eliminated the draft. Now minimum salary had been forty eight five hundred. Next year it begins to climb, and by twenty thirty it'll be up to eighty two thousand, five hundred dollars a year, still a mere pittance compared to other leagues, but when you look at attendance and television, maybe where it needs to be. But the players love it, obviously because now
they're free to move. There'll be some backlash and there'll be some players without a place to go now that you open it up to the highest bidder. But maybe this spills over to other pro sports. Just have to buckle up and see all Skins and the Pirates beat the Reds yesterday seven nothing skiins, going six shutout innings only eighty seven pitches, dropped his z the area down to two point one six. It would lead Major League Baseball,
but he hasn't pitched enough to qualify for consideration. And while we're talking Cincinnati Bengals and Colts last night, I did not watch it's preseason, eh you know, Anthony Richardson
did not play. Neither did Joe Flacco, his backup. But Kirk Herbstreet talking to Al Michaels on the Prime broadcast, he wondered about the fact that with Richardson struggling a bit and the Bengals very frank and saying they are not impressed with what they've seen in the joint practices, Herbstreet brought up an interesting point about Richardson, who has a veteran backup.
Let me let me ask you something here. If you're Shane Steike in best case scenario, Anthony Richardson, he lives up to what we all hope he can do, running, throwing, his healthy. This team has a great year, and he's a superstar, right, what if he struggles? What if he has a good a good drive or a good game and then a bad game, a good game.
And a bad game. He's a pick.
Everybody's kind of expecting him to be the guy.
You got a guy like Joe Flacco with the roster they have. I just wonder how you handle that if it goes down that path, if you're Shane Steiker, because you know what you get to get in Joe Flakha.
Yeah, that's Hevin Hall, you know. I think I would think you can feel it inside the team at that point too.
What are the guys thinking, you know, do we make the change here?
What do we do? Yeah?
I think you read the room?
Yeah is what I would do.
Yeah.
Anthony Richardson has great skills, great physical ability, But anybody who watched him play in college, including the way Kentucky beat Florida when aar was there, you had to know he was going to struggle in the NFL. So the Colts are going to have to be patient with him. And why not play Flaco? He knows I don't win a Super Bowl all right? Coming up next to UK football, Brad White and the Wildcats on six point thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Bull Insider coming up next
to Anthony White of Sunday Morning Sports. Talk to former Kentucky running back. A little bit later on, Billy Rutledge talks Kentucky football with us while we talk to Kentucky defense going into the weekend. Let's start with the big guy, the biggest name, biggest person, Deon Walker. Everybody's all everything, preseason listed, tackle, listenman, noseguard, whatever. He will attract a lot of attention, but he's not the only guy on
that side of the football. He listed the strengths as he sees it of the Kentucky d We.
Got a bunch of strengths. You know, I say that we play together. You know, we're a bunch of experienced guys. We got years together, you know. But like on our defensive line, we got me Octavis Oax and Trey Ripka, Khalil Sanders Key, Sean Silver, Josiah Hayes. We got a bunch of guys. We got our secondary with three four years of experience with Maxwell Harriston. You know who just had a breakout year last year, Zion Children, who's been
a consistent player all year. Uh ty Bryant, He's going to be a sophomore this year.
Jordan love it.
Then we got Pop and d Jack in the middle. You know, we're a complete defense right now, but we just got to work on and staying together and never wavering.
As for what the Wildcats need from him and expect to see out of him, Brad White answered that question yesterday afternoon.
I want to see what everybody wants to see, right We want to see a dominant defensive lineman, you know, we want to see a guy that can absolutely alter a game, change an offense, how they plan to attack us, and so yeah, and I think he's ready to do that. He's been dialed in.
And if they see that, Kentucky will live up to expectations. If they do not, they meaning the coaches, the players, the Big Blue Nation, And it's a lot to put on a guy. But if they don't, it's going to be a lot tougher, obviously, But you start with a guy in the middle like Deon Walker. He'll command attention. He's the guy on the whiteboard every week with an opposing team. All right, how do we deal with this guy? How do we block this guy? How many people will
it take. It might take two offensive linemen might take what they say one and a half, you know, aligneman, and then an end or a running back what they call chipping. That's helping out and staying with them or hitting him for a little while then going out in a route or something like that. But they've got to deal with him, and that'll make everybody better. I'm really curious to see how Alex Safari does at linebacker. We
talked about this a couple of weeks ago. But here's a guy who was a d back and was always around the football making plays, and now they've moved him to a linebacker spot, which he sold, he has told me believes will make him a better player.
Man, it's been great. You know, I'm closer to the ball, you know. I feel like that's what I wanted. That's the change I wanted to do too as well. Why just because I just wanted to be closer to the ball. Just make more plays, you know. I like being physical in the bogs and stuff like that, and I feel like that's gonna benefit me in the future.
Seems like you're always around the ball a littt.
Yeah, I feel like even putting me close to the ball would be more even more close to the ball.
Yeah.
What do you think of the way you've contributed here at Kentucky so far?
Yeah, I think it's been good. You know, I feel like I still got a lot I still gotta do. You know, I feel like the job not done. I got a live I still got to pool, you know. So it's gonna be a great year this year. Why just go out the work I put in, all the offseason work got put in. You know, I feel like it's my junior year and it's my that's my the year I got to you know, put everything together. I had, I got experience on my belt, so you know, I feel like it's the year.
You really do have a lot of experience. I mean from day one, they stuck you in there and you made play. Yeah, that's just so vital in the sec Yeah.
Yeah, you know, I was prepared, you know, coming out of high school, I was prepared. So I knew they threw me in the fire, I'll be ready.
That's Alex Safari, And you have a tendency to kind of forget about him because but he's played in twenty six games the first two years started fifteen in fact started twelve out of thirteen games last year, forty nine tackles, five and a half for loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry, a breakup, of forced fumble, of a fumble recovery. Like I said, he was always around the football, it seemed. Had his best game against Florida with nine tackles, including
five solos. And it's just a guy, it's a cliche, but knows for the football. So Alexafari a linebacker. I expect even better numbers from him. Everybody expects better numbers and better performance from the safeties who did not play too terribly well last year except for Afari and at times Jordan love it. He had a pick against Louisville. He had a pick in the bowl game, but was a little inconsistent. But Jordan said, it's been a good camp so far. That's a good sign.
Camp's been great for everybody, literally both sides of the ball. Can's been great though.
It's made it great this year.
It was made it great.
I feel like just the cams to the defense to bring it back.
He know, like really like like coach who said, you know, we're having more like a player led like player lead team. You know, and it's like we're developing the young guys, young guys coming along.
Everything's been executed.
Will like Afar, I love it. As a junior to be who has played a lot of football, twenty five career games, twenty one stars. They just threw him out there. Eleven games last year, ten starting assignments, thirty tackles, those two picks that told you about total of three and the fumble recovery. Had to sit out a couple of games with injury, missed the Tennessee game, missed the Mississippi State game with injuries, but he says the entire safety crew he hopes and believes will be better this year.
Yeah, we didn't have the year we had last season, and you know, we had a really high expectation. But this year just just looked forward to us being different, you know, like we're gonna set the standard. We're really not trying to talk too much. We're really trying to put the film out there. Y'all gonna see what we do.
Man.
Well, getting back to that de front with Dion Walker and Octavia Sox and Dine and all those guys should help the back seven obviously create those quarterback hurries, give them a chance to pick off some passes, and generally
Greek have it all right. Coming up next to Anthony White, co host of Sunday Morning Sports Talk, former Kentucky running back, we'll talk about these football Wildcats and get his take a little bit later on Billy Rutledge on six point thirty Wlap Welcome back to the Big Blue side of joining us now is a former football Wildcat and the current host of Sunday Morning Sports Talk. Here meachin every week in this radio station. Anthony White, Anthony, I know you have got to be as happy to get this
season started every week. You're looking for something new to talk about, aren't you.
Yeah, when you go into the off season and you come into we will coming to our defense is stack got a couple new people on the offense and the offensive positions that we gotta see what.
They gotta do.
But I think everybody's optimistic about it. I will say this Thoughkay. The pleasure we did half this year was that we came into it where we didn't have to worry about a lot of talking because we had a lot of people in the Olympics. The last two weeks we were talking about UK players, UK.
Athletes the Olympic.
That's very true. Yeah, uh, and we'll come back to that. I do want to talk about that with you, But you talked about the defense. I got to start with you on the offense. That was a position you played and played very well. And for those of you who don't know, I talk about it all the time. He's too modest to say it. Anthony was one of the best and still is in the history of the SEC when it came to running the ball and catching the ball.
One of the best combo backs ever. And I think Anthony you could talk about quarterback, but with Chip train him out. Are you worried about the power run game because I am power?
I don't know.
I'm I think. I think Wish Hampden wants to run fast pace. He wants so fast, and Demy can line. Demy can do everything I can do, and Demmy's bigger than me. So I think that Ship being out will not hurt us against Southern Mys. South Carolina will be a challenge, but I.
Still think our deferens is gonna keep us in the game.
Yeah.
I mean, the big thing about him being out is you got younger backs that may have said step up. I was a younger back at one time, Gay, and I think that will Cotch Jamrin Willcox gonna get a couple more carries and every there's not one person I've.
Talked to he hasn't said he is a dude.
He hasn't done everything off the field. I think is why we haven't seen him on the field. But I think opportunity is knocking and I think he's doing all the right things.
Keep that name in the back of your mind. Gay, keep that name in the back of your mind.
Willcott right there on the depth charge you see it. But yeah, I don't know how much about him, if anything. You mentioned a new offense, and of course you played any air raid, which was great for your skill set. Although I think you could have played in any offense except maybe the wishbone. I don't know.
But right now I want under that.
This is gonna be up tempo. That's got to excite you, right.
Yeah, we got to get more plays in, and Larry Bought asked me every Saturday morning, well why we got to get more plays in?
And this is my thing.
You got to get more plays in if you are converting on third downs, if you go one, two, three out? How many more plays you gonna get? Gay, What do you get if you on third and eight and you don't convert, what do you get? You don't get three plays? So it's not really dictated on the pace of the game, I don't think, but I do think if the pace the game can keep the defenses in the SEC off balance,
I think it will it will work. And I think Bush has played in a fast paced, offensive powered office, but he hasn't played against he hasn't designed against these type of defenses that we're gonna be playing against the SEC.
But I'm here for it. I'm here for it.
Well, what kind of challenges do you think that this offense will we'll run into? I mean, we all know SEC defenses are good, but uh, I mean Tennessee runs up tempo, Oh Miss runs up tempo, and Kentucky's not looking to duplicate that and just looking to pick up the pace a little bit or a lot.
Tennessee doesn't have the defense we have. Old Miss doesn't have the defense we had.
Gay.
I will say I think that stoops there's a person that wants to rely on this defense. Hey, if we're in third, if we in third and five calls something that we're not going to turn the ball over if we pick up the first rown, we do. If we don't, we don't, then we punt. And I'm fine with that, Like I am fine with that. So I so hear you're right, Lane Kiffin And some of the teams I played against back in the nineties, they were you had to put offensive power on because you needed to to
get the possession. You need to keep the ball in your position. Our team don't need to have the ball in preposition because our defense is going to be great.
Great. They gonna be top five game. I'm telling you they wow five. They're gonna be top five, no doubt.
I don't know when the last time is I've heard you so positive at least about the Kentucky defense. And that's got to start with uh. With Dion Walker, I got to think with you. But what else is there about the Kentucky defense?
I asked, uh, And you've been around just as long as Larry vaud has been around. When if you cover the linebacking corps like pop and Deer.
And uh JJ like that, that.
Is that talented that's been around their experience and talented yeah. Now we've had Now, we've had better. We have had better linebackers on our core than some of the guys here.
But to have three.
Guys who are talented and and if you got a question about their talent, I mean, I'm here to listen to it. But that line back at core and I'm not That is not to say that the defensive core is so in tune. And I you know, I know the defen the line coach closely. So he's meticulous and they are. Dion is talking about making the small things and you're down to the small things now, which means you figured out.
The big picture.
Yeah. Yeah, you're right. He's all about the details, isn't he. I mean, and that's that's leadership, isn't it.
Yeah?
Yeah, And that's all coach Stu won't he wants somebody Last year, I mean as a freshman, he couldn't do it.
Last year.
He was trying to, you know, get to that point. But now we're not gonna see Deon Walker. If anybody, if you want to get a Dion Walker autograph, you need to get it this year. We're not gonna see him another year. But the one thing is he's absorbing everything Coach Stu is giving him. He's absorbing everything Coach Stu is giving him. So it's not the you know you're looking at the bull rusher, hit me get into the corporate No, it's the where's your first step at,
where's your hand placement? That is down to that point because everything else is solid.
You and you're talking about Anne war Stewart. You have been high on him since the day he got it. What is it about him? And you're not the only former Wildcat who has bragged on Anne war Stewart? What is it about him? Do you think that it makes him such an effective teacher?
I think two things.
I think his passion for the game has always been there. His passion for the game was there back in the late.
Nineteen hundreds when we played.
But the one thing about it is I think he could have done more and tip I think he could have done more and got them to the point where he could have achieved more, and I don't think he did. So now he's looking at these kids and he don't want them to go through the same thing. He went through an academic probation year, which set him back a little bit. As why he went to Canada. Yeah, and had the opportunities there. But I think he knows what it takes to make it, and he has what it
takes to make it. He's just not gonna do that. So he's not gonna let these guys fail. He's gonna push them. And that's why he's pushing them to see if you look at it, go back, if you want to take an opportunity, go look back at what he did in Canada.
Oh yeah, as a defense.
Lineman, interceptions, touchdown, sacks, whatever your name. He did everything because he played linebacker, he played d line here. He could do anything. And I think he's not going to let these kids miss an opportunity, and I think they feel it.
I will tell you this though. Okay, but we had.
Walker on Sunday Morning Sports Talk one day doing nil Talk, and we were talking about some of the things he was going through, and he said he would not be at the University of Kentucky if it was not for for coach Stu because he know Coach Stewart is putting stuff in his toolbox that he needs, which he probably can get it somewhere else. But that says a whole lot about a guy who's probably who's definitely gonna be
a first rounder. I'm thinking top fifteen or whatever. That is the whole I think that's the deal.
We talk a lot about how oftentimes the position coach has a tighter relationship with a player than the head coach. That's not that unusual, is it.
No, it's definitely not.
And I remember talking to a kid, a guy, well, he was a grown man by the time I talked to him, playing for the Bengals, and I cannot remember the name. I'll think of it, I hope before we go off the air. But we were talking to him over at Bengals camp many years ago, played at Florida All Conference d back right, and we were like, what about Spurrier. He goes, I never really talked to him. We're like, what he said, I never talked to him ever, he said after I signed, I never spoke to him again.
I talked to the decoordinator and my position coach. But Spurriers spent all this time of the offense. So this guy never talked to his head coach. So that it varies. I know from team to team. We're talking to Anthony White, former Kentucky running back and a co host of Sunday Morning Sports Talking. Hear him on with Larry Vaud and Van Hiles and the Gang Jack Pilgrim each week on this very radio station. We'll come back and talk more football and a little bit of Olympics with Aunt B
on the other side of the break. Here on six thirty WLAP, Welcome back, We're talking with Anthony White, former Kentucky running back, slash receiver and the co host of Sunday Morning Sports Talk. Here on six thirty WLAP, we talked about the linebackers and of course Jamon Dumas Johnson transferring in a former All American at Georgia. It's got a national championship ring a couple of them actually, but also Rock Vandergriff coming in as the starting QB from Georgia.
Which is why I think, Anthony, you got Kentucky way down in some of the way too soon preseason polls. Not that any of this matters, but it does give the team a chance to play with a chip on his shoulder, doesn't it.
Yeah, I think most of them, I think Big Blue Nation likes is that way. They like to get rowdy and throw.
Cans or go through at trash hands around.
And get upset about it. I do think they like when we're when we're ranked down there. But when I every time I talk to Visit, VISs likes being underdog. We like being under dog because at this day and age, the NIL transport portal kids can get complacent, you know. I mean, Dion Walker could have went anywhere in the nation and play D line. He could have played on the D line where there's other top first round picks on the D line and so he don't have to
deal with double teams all day. But no, he wanted to be here in Kentucky unders and that's why people don't understand that we are turning the corner at at Kentucky. So yeah, put us down there if you want to, and I'm a.
Big fan of and we will show you.
It's not where you start at is where you finish at. But the fact that people are still disrespecting us, I think that's just the history of Kentucky. You know, we have a bad we have a great basketball program. I think those are the two things. A few years Duke has been really good at football. I don't even remember them. And that's no disrespect to Duke it's just that, you know, when I watched a Dupe or North Carolina, I just think of basketball, and we're dealing with the same thing.
I know I always have and likely always will. But there are schools that have balanced both. And there's no reason why you can. I can tell you all the Kentucky basketball. It's so big, so high profile that it you know, yes, it's always going to take the front seat. If you can share the front seat from year to year. Tell me what you think of the old line. What did you think of what you saw last year? They definitely took a step forward, But what can they do this year.
That that is a huge question mark. That's a huge question mark. They took a step forward last year, and maybe because they were so horrendous the prior year, but they had taken a step forward. And we and but the off offensive line coach was fired or was relieved of his duties, and so that brings the question and we brought back to the guys who was there before that. The one thing that does bring me solace, the one thing that does bring me hope. We got Elik Cox back.
Who's gonna he's gonna, he's gonna get free he's gonna get post these accolades. He will Jack Jack Burton, He's gonna. You know, he got in early because he had to.
He didn't want to.
He got it early because he hadd you he's cut his TV. I mean, he did a decent job and he was part of the reason our office line was off balance. But he found his way as the least as the season went on. Last year, Dylan Ray got Genie of reps and he started off rough and got solid, gave he got solid.
As the year went on. And this is the thing. He's a backup now.
Yeah, so so, which means we have depth, and he he progressed throughout the year. I would not say anything bad about him. He was thrown in there just like Jack is thrown in there. So so when I say solace, there's solace in knowing that they have put some of the guys who played last year on the back burner, and we brought some transfers in. We brought Farmer in, we brought Mensi in and some of those guys. I
think that we have depth. I think we have depth at this point and that's what with Slarman built his offense lines off of that's why every year, after two or three years, you didn't have to start up with the whole new line. You had guys just rotating in, the younger guys rotating in another position. So I think we're on the right trajectory. I just got to see it on Saturday, you know.
And that was unheard of what what John Schlarman did because he had number two's, He had backups who could go in and carry a team down the field. Seeing old line, an old line coach who would substitute I won't say substitute freely, but wasn't afraid to do it. I think they really opened a lot of eyes. But yeah, you're right, you got to have numbers to do that, don't you. You can't just do it on the fly.
Yeah, And that's why I think coach Stewart on the everybody knows the SEC is won in the trenches. Coach Stewart is so confident even though he had injuries in the offseason and you know, some cosmetic surgeries to some guys. Uh So he still has seven or eight guys that can go in a three man front, so he can go two or three deep and not worry about losing the beat, and that's where we were at with Swarman, and I think that's what coach Wolford either had. I
don't think he understood that the first go around. I'm hoping him and Coach Stup's had a conversation where, you know, we've been really successful. You know, I know you've heard Denny Snell, I know you heard the Chris Rodriguez, AJ Rose, you know, I.
Know you heard some of these guys.
So this is what we want to continue because we brought him back. So I'm hoping that's where we're at with it. And I hope we were in the rotation and getting guys so we don't have to renew every year. Half of these guys just rotate through.
Sty'll be familiar the next year when they become the starter.
YE believes in Walford and the way he coaches, So it's going to be interesting to see what kind of step forward they take. I assume they will this year. We're talking to Anthony White a couple more minutes for the former Kentucky running back in the co host of Sunday Morning Sports Talk. We all know the divisions are gone. We all know Kentucky has swapped some tougher opponents for the ones who rotated off the schedule. We were talking
earlier about the Big Blue Nation. Clearly they've been a little bit spoiled with nine to ten wins seasons here. But realistically, given this worksheet and be what do you think this team can do? What do you think fans can expect? And I mean, you know, in a way that is not pie in the sky. I know that's a tough one.
I'm going to say this ad and Ford is a given. I'm say and there's people who are saying, I think we can go six or six. I think you look at Texas on the road, and you look at Old Miss on the road. I think you look at uh, Georgia anywhere, and you look at Tennessee on the road. Now, I'm gonna ask you this, and whoever's listen, I'm gonna ask you. And you gave mis is Tennessee better than
us athletically? Now there's that thing. But Bion Walker don't know how long Tennessee has been beating us, and they that they don't beat us like fifty and sixty points at some point. No, he don't know that, and he doesn't care Texas is new to the conference. It's gonna be late in the season, but it's still gonna be a little warm down there. In the speed of Texas, people are gonna be speed.
George, I think has.
Lost the step. I think it's lost the step.
Yeah, Georgia, Yeah, I don't think Georgie's rein up the way they have been in Old Miss.
I got it.
I do like Old Miss. But I don't know if you remember two years ago Dick down in Oxford, we had him on.
The road, beat him, then had to get a touchdown back.
We had him on the route. So so I'm not I'm not scared of Old Miss down there. Although they are a good team. You always got to be concerned about lane kipping, but our defense against their offense is the measurable, and I like our defense against their offense. I love Lane Kiffen, but I love Brad White Moore.
Do you exact say? I think the technics.
But I was gonna say, what do you think? Go ahead? You were going to say about Texas.
No, the Texas is unknown, so I can't say. I can't just give.
It to him.
I'm just giving it to them off history and them not being in the league, and like I said.
Georgia has.
Nine to three, ten to two is not impossible. It is not impossible. And one thing I've been hearing from the coach is that Brian brad White has been saying it, Mark Steuts has been saying it, and Mark Stewart has been saying it. Detail how many times you hear sports people say, if they didn't make this mistake, if we execute what this call to the teeth were right there, Alabama and Georgia only do what they do because they
just wait on. They just fay comfortable, play play found, and when you make it, you make a mistake, they capitalize. I'm not sure if we're at that point. I'm hoping we're at that point, and I'm hearing we're at that point.
Well, it's going to be fun to find out, and it's coming up fast and you'll have much to talk about on Sunday mornings in the near near future. Anthony White, thank you so much, and you can listen to him as I said right here on six point thirty WLAP. You've also got the Locker four one one on Wednesdays at nine pm with Van Hiles. You guys get it done. Don't you.
Yeah, you get a little insight, you get a little grid on what's going on in the locker room. We tell a little bit of downtold stories in there, man.
That's why it's fun. Thank you, Sarah, see you down the road.
Appreciate you.
Up Next, Billy Rutledge pops in and hour number two we take look back at an eventful week here on the Big Blue and Sider six point thirty Wlap Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider and joining us now is a longtime friend colleague, formerly the co host of this show. Now you hear him every morning on this very radio station, Billy and the Dude. Just after the Leech report, Billy Rutledge joined us. And we're going to talk with Billy and Aaron Gershan on the state Wide
Show on Monday. But I wanted to wrap up the week in part talking with Billy to find out a couple of things. First of all, Billy, last time we spoke, we were shamelessly plugging your video features Bogie's with Billy. How has the summer of golf gone for you?
Well, the summer of golf's been great, Dick. I really can't complain if you're playing any golf, even though the quality of played definitely goes up and down. I just got back from a week long vacation New Hampshire. Didn't take the clubs up there because you know, it's a nightmare to travel with clubs, especially via airport, so didn't.
Want to risk it.
So I haven't played a lot today or a lot last couple of weeks. I am playing in a golf scramble today, so I might get a couple video shots. But it's been good. It's been a humbling experience to see that that shot over your swing over and over again. But you know what, I'm looking forward to getting back out there and producing a couple more videos and seeing you and Aaron on the state wide showing there.
Yeah. Once you've got to New Hampshire though, and I've driven through and I've not spent much time, but I've been a lot in New England. Did you regret not at least running clubs cause it is so pretty up there.
Oh, all the courses that we pass each one. My fiance reminded me that we could have brought my clubs, and I was like, well, you don't realize how often those things break and they just don't take care of them. But yeah, I could have definitely could have rented at some beautiful courses up there. We drove along the coastline and it's just a different world up in New England, it really is. It had about if we were there for seven days. I think I had six lobster rolls.
I'm good on that quota for a little bit. But Dick, if you're ever looking to swing the club around, maybe we'll go to a top golf and maybe see how you're doing.
Why did you choose New Hampshire.
We put all fifty states in a hat and then we drew out three. And the three that we drew out were Indiana, which we weren't going to go there, and then Hawaii, which was a little out of the budget, and the third one was New Hampshire. So a little tradition that me and the fiance started a couple of years ago.
Did she get excited when you pulled Hawaii out of the hat?
She did, But then then we quickly realized that that wasn't going to be maybe more of a honeymoon than.
Afterrough the wedding.
Maybe we can check that off, but you know, it keeps interesting. And after we drew Indiana as the first one, I said, okay, we're allowed to draw three and then we can pick from the three.
There are some nice spots in Indiana, but not enough.
Uh.
Hawaii is one of the four states on my list. I have not visited, so I'll get there someday. Well, let's get to football. We've talked a lot of football on my show, you have on your show, But let me ask you. This friend of mine said he felt like there wasn't as much chatter. There isn't as much sizzle about Kentucky football this summer as there's been in the past, based on your on air work and just
hanging out in the community. Do you agree with that or do you think there's been the usual amount.
Maybe a little less.
And maybe that's by design because Mark Stoops isn't boasting as much. Maybe this year maybe getting burned after the back to back seven and six seasons. You know, I feel like there's been times where Mark Stoops comes into the SEC media days and talks about Kentucky taking over.
That just wasn't the tone this year. Maybe like a cautiously optimistic Mark Stoops in Kentucky football, and I feel like some of that spotlight's been taken by the Kentucky basketball team and the excitement of Mark Pope, and you know, is he really going to get all these in state recruits? And if he is, then this guy is just nailing it when it comes to winning the press conference and
everything that you can do in the offseason. So I think there was a little fit league with Caliperry and this transition with Mark Pope has re energized that part of the fan base. But also I think there's been some disappointments and there's a new expectation with Kentucky football, fair or foul, that you know, what Marks Stoops has did has done that many expect eight or nine wins every year, and that's just you know, that is a stark contrast from what the expectations were when Mark Stoops
took over. So you know, I think there is a little bit of a mystery, like the myth of Brock Vandergriff, and everybody's just waiting to see what this guy is going to do. And maybe you see a big win versus Southern Myths and then a huge mass up against South Carolina Week two, and you get that real excitement and everybody's bought in and we see the true big
Blue nation come out with their Kentucky football fandom. But I would I would somewhat agree it's been a little bit it's a little bit a little bit subdued this summer. And maybe for a multitude of reasons, but maybe everybody's just playing the new college football video game did and they just been so busy with them.
Yeah, I'm sure that's it.
Now.
You hit on one of the first things I was going to bring up, and that was Mark Polpe. I just still think there's such, in a good way, a hangover from when he arrived, because there has been more media time, inches airtime, whatever spent on his new team, because we've been given access unlike years gone by where you got to wait until the fall to talk to the basketball players. I know that you because of your shift, you can't get out to some of these media gatherings,
but you can benefit from them. And we've all had a chance to interview every basketball player you know here in the in the heart of the summer. So naturally you're going to be talking a little more basketball and football. But that's not necessarily a bad thing to your point, Billy about expectations. Maybe that helps Kentucky football.
Right, Yeah, maybe a little bit. And with the new look as the it's just going to be tougher and tougher to get to that win total that you want. Going on the road at Texas this year, I mean, you've got a very tough schedule. I thought, I think it was top five in the country when it comes to playing playing teams like Old Miss and Georgia and Texas in Tennessee even add to that list, it's not an easy road for these guys. Maybe even a little
college baseball took people's minds off of football. With the great run that UK had, there's been a lot of excitement in a lot of different areas of that athletic department. And with football with a couple disappointing seasons, with the news of the vacating the wins, maybe it's time for Mark Stoops to get a couple of big victories to get this fan based really back on track with them.
You went to Western Kentucky University, who came to our station from w HS over in Louisville, So you have witnessed a lot of UK football, you know, throughout your college career and then of course your professional career. So you've seen much of the Mark Stoop's era, and it is interesting. The last couple of seasons seven wins have been disappointing. Of course I go back to when seven wins was a cause for a parade, but that is really, I think, been an interesting dynamic here in the Big
Moon Nation. They're finding out what it's like to be forced to live with seven wins, you know what I mean?
Yes, And I think we all just so badly want this college football playoff with the expanded twelve teams for Kentucky to be in the mix. I mean, I think it's more likely that Kentucky makes their college football playoff game than they do an SEC championship game. In the next five years, I mean it's gonna I think we'll
see multiple SEC teams in this playoffs. And Kentucky just a few years ago, I think if they were going to beat Tennessee, then they would have been right in that top twelve and they would have been right there. So I think that it's possible and people see that and then they expect it because they've seen two ten wins seasons over the last five or six years, so
even one with one being vacated. You know, when I went to Western Kentucky, Dick, my first year was twenty thirteen, the first Western game, I went to the first Mark Soups games, which was at meath On Stadium between Western and UK and that it was the second year in a row. Western had beaten Kentucky and it was like, oh my god, here we go. Western already beaten the new coach, Mark Soups. You know, is he the guy for the job. And it's just been a slow build
ever since then. And credit for Soups in this staff recruiting. I mean, Vince Marrow could get a statue at this university one day down the line just because of the efforts that he's done recruiting and maybe even with Jasper Johnson as we've heard that he's been called in to help a little bit with that, but just his ability to recruit Ohio and get guys that not only are playing in the NFL. You look at the secondary guys, you look at Josh Allen and doing everything that he's done.
While the tight end position has been a little bit of a disappointment. I feel like Vince Merrow and John Calipari being at the Universe at the same time. I don't know if we'll ever see a duo like that of how good those guys were at recruiting actual talent. And maybe that's what comes with some of this risen expectations for Kentucky football, is that you're starting to get that better talent. You're getting the best player in the state,
so why not win more than seven games? But we know the reality, Dick, is that that is extremely hard to do, especially if you stumble in the non conference.
Yeah, i'dn't even talk about it. That's a great point. Caliperry and Vince Merrow among the very best in their respective sports and recruiting on campus at the same time. And if Vince can get in front of Jasper and of course you know I saw him at a UK basketball game talking to Jasper's dad, so yeah, that could happen. It's interesting. I remember you've told me that you had been at that Western Kentucky game down in Nashville, and of course I covered it, and those two Western games
both won by the Toppers. That you said kind of micro cosmic one coming in Joker Phillips last year when Western Kentucky wins it on a trick play catches the Wildcats flat footed. There was a lot of that that year under Joker Phillips, and then the following season, Billy, to your point about recruiting, Western Kentucky had the best player on the field both on offense or running back in defense, a linebacker, which tells you just how Kentucky's
football fortunes had sagged. But now, thanks to Meryl stoops cling scale all those guys who've been out recruiting through the years, Kentucky's talent level is probably at a point that it's never been at. But the league is so much tougher. You still got to go grind it out, don't.
You you do?
And just to kind of go back down memory lane a little bit, it was so hot that game, Dick. It was really hot an stadium. Don't know how I survived it, but I do remember meeting some some buddies and some friends that I still know and I will know for the rest of my life. So it's special to have that game in my memory as my first Western game. It just happened to be Stoops' first game as well. And you know, we have seen quite a change. You know, Bobby Petrino was the head coach of Western
at the time. His offensive coordinator was Jeff Brohm, who has now obviously did great things with Western and the head coach at Louisville now. And you know, let's think about last year for a second Dick Kentucky season, I think was salvage to a degree by beating a top ten ranked Louisville team last year. I mean it was you know that that gets you at seven and five instead of six and six. I think we completely look at the season differently if you lose to that rival.
Ray Davis really had one of his shining moments of the season in that game that I think that if we didn't have that, you know, maybe people would be even a little bit even in.
A more panic mode.
But you know, my prediction is that Stoops's record will have nothing to do this next year with if he will be back at Kentucky the following year. I mean, he could go I think he could go winless, sick, and I still think it would be his decision whether he'd be the coach of Kentucky or not. That's that's that's credit to just the man bringing this program out of the gutter.
Let's be honest.
There was nobody I mean at that Vandy Kentucky game before the Stoops there. I mean, it was embarrassing.
Yep.
And so I think he deserves a lot of credit. But we have short.
Attention spans nowadays, Dick, and.
It's what have you done for me lately? And I think for some in the fan base that are tiring of Stoops, they just need to look back a little bit farther and see where he's brought.
I agree, And Joker Phillips himself said when he walked out saw the crowd for the Dandy game, he knew he was done. Billy Rudli is on the line with us. Billy has been following Kentucky football, as he said, since that game in Nashville. And by the way, look at the parallels. Stoops fortunes with Kentucky football has risen. He's got a fat contract and since then, Billy's fortunes have risen. He has his own radio show now on this very radio station. His contract not quite as fat as Stoops,
but he's getting there. We'll come back and talk more with Billy in just a minute. On the Big Boin Siders six thirty Welcome back. We're talking with Billy Rutledge, my buddy who was the co host of this show and now is on every morning Billy and the Dude right after the Tom Leach Leach Report on this very radio station. And we talked a lot of Kentucky football so far, but we do need to look ahead the basketball. And by the way, Billy will join on the state
Wide Show Monday night with Aaron Gershan. But we're kind of touching on things that we're not gonna have a chance to talk about on Monday. But you know, we talked about Mark Pope arriving and putting this roster together. And I don't know how much you and the Dude have talk much because I'm always producing my show while you're on yours. But I heard you a little bit talking about the excitement about Kentucky basketball. But you talk about a program flying below the radar. Nobody's got him
in their preseason top twenty five. Does that surprise you.
A little bit, especially because how meaningless preseason polls are. I feel like the name Kentucky usually gets you in that twenty five, just because you get the fan base's reaction and you get more clicks. Camra Millk can tell you more about how much he hates preseason ranking usher
he will on countdown to kickoff. But you know what, it's just been fun to see this roster take shape in real time, and you know, as the fan base jumped on board with Mark Pope and they had that revival at Rupp Arena with the press conference, just he
has checked all the boxes. I don't know who gave him a checklist on things to say at the press conference, but they did a great job talking about the SEC tournament meaning something to him, and all the stuff that Cal said did not matter, Mark Pope saying it did matter. And then you know, continuing the love affair with this fan base and players from in state. You know, is it Trent Noah as one of the guys that's in state,
There's Travis Perry, who's gonna who's score? I mean, we've seen guys in the last couple of years like Reed Shepherd come in and just loved by this fan base.
And I think there's always.
Should be a place for the top players in state to be on Kentucky's So now you've got Malachi Moreno there's rumors that Jasper Johnson is now leaning Kentucky. Now that would be a huge gate, huge get and continue that in state love. You know, Mark Pope being one of big Blue Nations own winning that championship, that bus being at rapp Arena, Dick, is a moment we are gonna remember. And you know, the only natural thing that's next is success, and I do think it's going to come now.
Is it year one?
No?
I think that we should allow some patience for this guy to work with a whole new of coaches, Cody Sieger and whole players that don't know his system and are still learning it. But just think if he can start to build something at Kentucky, it's really exciting and it's just it's just different, and you know, and sometimes it's necessary to have something a little different. I think if we had a whole off season of cal talk, then we may have gone a little bit crazy, Dick
as we approached this first call in show. But Mark Pope, I feel like has gotten people back on board. And with all the news we've heard about Nil and how much Kentucky has to offer in that department as well, you can't help but be excited about the future of this program in the immediate future too, because I feel like Mark Pope has a system that actually works with modern basketball. Yeah, it's not dribble dribble, dribble drive. It's actually,
let's shoot threes. Let's average more threes a game than Alabama last year. Let's do it in moderation. But I think that that's that's something that can get people really excited.
And let's get some shots up now instead of grinding out the shot clock. And you know a couple of things I've learned since about Mark Pope's arrival. I had said the same thing you. I said, Man, he has been prepped brilliantly. There was no checklist. Cameron Mills told me Mark did that on his own. I'm sure he did some research, but nobody came to him and said, look, you need to touch on this and this. Mark did that,
and I believe it. He's a brilliant guy. And the other thing was when they stepped off that bus, which and you, as you said, people just win nuts and Mark held the trophy up. They choreographed it before they got off. They got together in the back of the bus, the former players, and so they could recreate accurately what happened that night in nineteen ninety six. They were, like Mark said, who carried the trophy off that one? You did? Which hand? Did I have it in your right hand?
Or whatever it was. So they were they were so ready for that. But now, yeah, they're going to have a team. Here's the other thing we got to remember. Excuse me. He built his team to your point about shooting. He built this team around defense. I mean, look at the first guys he signed, Billy, the first guys who transferred in were almost defensive specialists, and I think people forget about that.
You know, Yeah, there's definitely an emphasis there. I mean, there's maybe some concerns that Jackson Robinson is the only guy that can beat a guy one on one and get his bucket. But it's a different way of recruiting, Dick. It's not just amassing as much talent as possible and making it work and fitting squares into round holes. Yeah yeah, right, It's it's more of I have a system, this is what would fit my system. We need defensive guys, we
need shooters. We need somebody that can dribble on the ball and then if Kerkkrisa isn't my favorite player. Within the first two games, you know, I'm going to lose a lot of money because I just I feel like that guy and his trash talking of Luka Doncic and I saw a video of him back in Estonia just chopping wood. You know, he's got the charisma that I
think could really attach with Big Blue Nations. But you know, I saw a headline Dick just to stray a little bit that you know, Big Z at Arkansas with John cal Perry is not going to be allowed to shoot threes anymore. Oh my god, He's gonna have to shoot long two's and elbow jumpers. And I started to pull my hair out a little bit because I love Big Z Man.
That debut at Rupp was incredible.
It's incredible of a basketball moment I've had with the UK Sports Network, that debut, that behind the back path and the floyees that he had. Why would you limit somebody in such a way. And I just don't get that vibe with Mark Pope in Kentucky. And you can
and you call that what you want. Maybe you think it's good coaching, maybe you don't, but it's different and I think it was just after fifteen years, we needed something a little different and that's why we've seen, I think, such an energy when it comes to boosters, when it comes to the fan base, and Big Blue Mannus is going to be awesome, Is it not?
Like?
I feel like that's going to be one of the better Big Blue Manuss we've had in years, just because it's something different.
Billy rud Ledge Follow him on this very radio station at nine am each day. Follow him on social media Billy are Sports on x or Twitter and on Instagram. Look for boogies with Billy and Sir. We will see you on Monday night.
Appreciate it, Jake, looking forward to it up next.
It's been a busy week here on the Big Boom Sider. We'll take a look back and heroes, fools and flakes on six thirty WLAP.
That was the week, tuk waw, let it go, that was the week. Was It's not it way up Rock and.
That. It was an eventful week here on the Big Blue Insider, as really all of us in the media and the BBN as well, moved one week closer to Kentucky football. We talked a lot of football this week and it's going to be even bigger next week, of course. But we also talked about basketball recruiting, we talked about volleyball, We talked about the Olympics, because on Monday we got a chance to talk to UK Olympian Messiah Russell, the gold medalist in the one hundred meters, along with coach
Lonnie Johnson, the UK coach. It was in Paris, but basically for moral support and that comes in handy of course in all sports. But Russell talked with us about the joy of winning, what her life has been like. But at one point she mentioned all the downs, you know, the tears, the long nights, and that's something we really never realized as fans and media people. We see them on the podium getting their medals, we see him hitting the finish line first, but we rarely think about what
happens when things don't go well. And I asked her to share some.
Of that with us, Like you have to go through those failures, you have to go through those tough times, those uncomfortable moments. Because last year when I used to run, I mean I broke the CLESI record indoor, I told coach Jeni, Like afterwards I started to overthink everything, Like surprisingly, I'm like, how did I do that? What do I need to do? What do I need to fix? How do I get back to that? So like when I ran to SECS, it was like I kind of found it again and then I won, and then I was
like all right. I was like living in fear of not performing to that. So that's when I came up short at NCAA's and then I broke the CLESI record to get outdoor. I had the talent, I had the capability, but it didn't show up when it needed to because I didn't believe. I was living in fear of what if I'm not this athlete again, rather than just like being in the moment and just allowing what God has for me, like wherever, like I said, wherever the chips falls,
where it falls. I can't force to create anything that wasn't there. So I'm just glad that I went through those opportunities to come second place and to lose and to come up short, you know, I mean it was heartbreaking when you know that you have the fastest collegiate time ever but you don't put it together on that day.
So I mean, I'm an Olympic Goo medalist now, and I mean I had to go through those losses to be having this conversation with you, So I mean, I'm blessed and thankful for it, even though it was uncomfortable.
At the time.
Obviously as a veteran coach, he was successful at Purdue before coming to Kentucky. Lonnie Green has worked with so many great athletes, and it's not all about patting him on the back after they win. He said, he has had to put his arm around a lot of athletes through the tough time.
If she would permit me to tell a story of the NCAA Championship indoors, you know, and she lost the meat, she lost to meet by like two one hundreds of a second, and then she went into the bathroom. I had to send Devn to go get I said, Devn, go get her because I couldn't follow her, you know what I mean. And when she was done, I looked at her and say, you done?
And so you're done?
You're done? Are you done? And I said you can't. You can't call that back. You can't un ring that bell. Now we gotta get ready for the next event, you know what I mean. And she said to me, if court me, if I'm wrong, correct me, if I'm wrong. I just want to cry because I didn't lose. I just want to cry it. So, okay, cry and pick it up it, pick it back up. But we still got a my relay, we got to run and she was a part of that relay, you know. So it's just I think it's just it's it's just the rigors
of competition. It's just the things you go through when you're competing, you know, the ups and downs, you know.
I think that's one of the reasons.
I think you see people shed a tear when they're on the on the on the metal stand, you know what I mean, Because in that moment when they're when they're recognized for what they've accomplished, it all just comes flooding back in and the like jingle bells.
I gave up all of this, you.
Know, all of everything. I've get to put this moment right here now it's actually reality.
And of course that was Lonnie Johnson chiming in. So I thought that was fascinating. I've never interviewed somebody right after they won a gold medal in the Olympics, but interesting to hear both sides of that story. We also talked early in the week about Kentucky volleyball. As I said, Texas has joined the conference now, so you know that's the team to be unanimous voting in the preseason Paul.
But Kentucky is the seventh time SEC defending champion, and Missy Woodmore of the SEC Network, one of the analysts for the SEC net, said that she sees a strong season coming up for the Wildcats.
Yeah, I'm really excited to see what the flavor is of the Wildcats this year. Because we talked about that national championship. Well, that group of players has filtered through now and so this group has an opportunity to really create an identity for themselves. And traditionally, the identity of Kentucky has been all about building on great libor play and great set and Kentucky has both of those things
this season. And you add to that Brooklyn Delay a young star in this game, and I think the recipe for success is there and if anyone can do it, it's Craig Skinner.
Brick by Brick, he has.
Built that program.
One of the topics that Craig Skinner brought up on media day was the fact that the folks who won the championship for the Wildcats, the nca title three years ago, they've all moved on. So now this team wants to set about creating its own legacy. They won a national championship of their own.
You know, our team has brought that up. They're excited for the fact that no one on this team was part of the twenty two or twenty championship team, and so they want their identity to be what this team is about, and they want to build their own expectations and owned results and not be compared to that team. And you know, I think that's fair. It's it's like we talked, you know, Saturday night. As you know, comparison is it can be the evil, you know, empire, and
so comparing ourselves to ourselves the most important thing. How do we do yesterday? How are we going to do today? How are we gonna do tomorrow? So it's this team is excited about the chance to prove themselves and show people what they're made of.
I mentioned recruiting earlier, and of course Mark Pope has landed his first big recruit, and that's a big guy, Malchia Moreno and we talked with Chris Fisher, the recruiting analyst for two four seven Sports and the Cats Pause, about what this means for Pope and his fledgling program.
It was a big first addition. It was a natural addition, you know, adding an in state guy as the first commitment for twenty twenty five and with you know, things not looking too bright for Jasper Johnson, I think all of that kind of adds up to a must have for Mark Pope. I mean, he's a you know, a six foot eleven cinner, really really talented, high upside that's from the state of Kentucky that plays the position that Mark Pope played, and so I think there's kind of
a natural synergy there. And Mark Pope has made no bones about the importance of keeping Kentucky guys at home.
You know.
Obviously Travis Perry signed with Kentucky before Mark Pope came on, but Mark Pope played a big part in you know, keeping his commitment and keeping him on board. And then he adds Trent Noah in the spring as well.
And so.
It was a big commitment I think for to get Kentucky on the board for twenty twenty five. It's still early. It's only August. The early signing period is still months away. But to get that first one out of the way, and to have it be a Kentucky guy, to have it be a top twenty five prospect nationally, I think it's a big deal for Mark Pope in Kentucky.
Now out of the football that occupied much of our time this week, including a comment from Mark Stoops at the first of the week when he reacted to what he saw in the scrimmage. He liked what he saw on Saturday for the most part is they played backups primarily, but he also took a moment to talk about the depth Kentucky has in the quarterback room. It's unlike I think any Stoops has had since he's been here at Kentucky.
Absolutely no knock to anybody that's been here before. But like as a group, I mean, the four guys that we have I have so much confidence in. It's a really good group and that's really helpful because as you know, things have happened in the past, and as you know with the portal, sometimes when you have guys, other guys leave and it leaves you thin. And I feel like we were in a really good situation with the quarterback room. I really do, and I just told them that that
I have confidence in all of them. We don't want anybody to get hurt, but it lets you have the confidence to let the guys go play and just go play the game. And we all know the game is physical and things happen, and we don't want that to anybody. But I really do feel good about the depth and I feel like all four guys could play.
One of the most interesting dynamics to me about a fan base is how much they worry about the backup QB. Not the fact that the QE backup QB is the most popular guy in town. We all know that when the first dreeing guy is faltering. But people worry that backup quarterbacks are going to transfer. Well, guess what, even before the portals around that happened because it's the one position where they rarely sub and there can only be one.
Of course for the most part. Every now and then they'll run a sub in, but people do fret about that. And Bill Ransdell Dollar Bill dropped into the garage. You actually sat right here with us and Bill at one point when he first got the Kentucky buried on the depth chart, but ultimately rewrote the record books and those
records stood until Tim Couch arrived. But Bill talked to us about the fact that you just have to be tough mentally when you go into a situation knowing that only one guy is going to play.
And you know, you come in and I think that it's I think anybody that has played the game and gets recruited in college at any level, but especially when you get up too d one regardless, you think that you better believe that you're the guy that they recruited you for a reason. And when you walk into the room, I don't really care who is there. I'm here to win and play. I didn't come here to sit. And if you don't think that way, you're not going to make it to the field. And so it's how do
you get there? You have to buy the time. And when I came in with Coach Claburn's first recruiting class, they're trying to build and so the you know, the red shirting and where basically it's just a hole back year, as you know, and so then you get your only chance is the next spring in spring practice, and so you get a limited amount of plays.
Ranzell at one point was fifth string, leave Tom Brady was seventh string when he first got to Michigan. And he talked early in the week on Somebody's podcasts about the fact that now that quarterbacks are basically shopping themselves, they're hunting for a new program, so they don't have to stay in one place and learn what it takes
to work through the program and earn your spot. And he said, because of that, because quarterbacks are coming and going so frequently, they basically, my words, have to dumb down the position when a guy transfers in because he's not been there to learn what the program is all about.
Now there are players transferring from schools when they're not playing, and they're going to different programs, and they're going to different techniques they're learning. They're never advancing in an own individual system. There used to be college programs. Now there are college teams. You're no longer learning a program, you're learning a playbook, and the program is ultimately like at Michigan, for me, that was a pro style program.
Five years.
I got to learn how to drop back pass, to read defenses, to recoverage, is to be coach, to deal with winning games, to deal playing in Columbus o'hian front one hundred and ten thousand people. I had to learn from being seventh quarterback on the depth chart to moving up to third to ultimately being a starter. I had to learn all those things in college. That was development. Then I went to New England and I was developed by coach Belichick and the offensive staff there. I didn't
start my first year. I think it's just a tragedy that we're forcing these rookies to play early. But the reality is the only reason why there is because we've dumb the game down, which has allowed him to play.
And with Tom Brady talks about quarterbacks, well, you got to listen. One of the guys actually would be a huge help. He already knows this. To Brock vandergri Barrion Brown, we talked with him at practice. We also talked with receivers coach to Keil Schortz in his first year, and he loves what he has seen in Barrion so far. And I also asked him about what he brings to the pro one.
I just want to say I'm extremely proud of him. I think the biggest growth for him. I mean, he is what he is. He's an electric he's going to make plays. He's just he's got some guy giving ability that none of us have. But just mentally, you know, just mentally really wanted him to get mentally tougher. And I think that's something that he got better at this summer. Trusting his teammates, trusting his coaching, just being more dependable
and reliable. But the biggest thing is just his mental aspect. I think he grew and he matured a lot off of that.
We've heard from coach Stoop say some of the players about what you brought to this group? What did you think this group needed when you got here? What have you brought one?
I would say they've done. The guys that were here before me and the guys that are here now did a hell of a job recruiting. These guys got a lot of talent. But I just think, you know, sometimes you just need a fresh start, and a lot of these guys just, you know, you know, they just want to want to see how it's supposed to be done, and they just want somebody that's going to demand a lot and stay on them. I think they do want
tough love. I'm obviously I played the position and I'm a little younger, so I'm not afraid to challenge him and push them. But you know it's easy for It's easy for me. They do all the work, you know, like they buy in, They come out here day in and day out. They work pretty hard. So you know they make my job a lot easier.
That's receivers coach the Keel Schortz a good hire by Mark Stoops by all accounts, and speaking to Stoops, Brian Milem said that he believes and agrees with me that this could be a real pivotal season for the UK coach.
Yeah, this season is big because he tried to do what he wants to do, and that is coach football and not be a salesman to go out and get money the way. That's all he has done. He told me in a function about well is right before the day before I left for the College World Series, he said, this is all I do. I don't get to coach anymore. And so I think he is excited for this season, but he's got a lot to prove.
Because the divisions being gone.
Yeah, that really throws you right into the lions Den where in the past you could avoid certain situations, but now, yeah, you're right in the thick of it with everybody. And and when you just look at the schedule from thirty thousand feet, you don't see a ten win season. Yeah, you don't see a nine win season unless you get some great breaks along the way.
That was the week that was We'll come back with Heroes, Fools of Flakes and just a man on the big Moor side of six wlap. None was let it go. Welcome back to the Big Blue Cider, final segment of our show. Time only for Heroes, fools and flakes, and our hero tonight is whoever was with the Atlanta Falcons who approved water park day for kirk Cousin's birthday. And this of course comes during training camp and it had to start at the top and be approved in several spots.
But kirk Cousins said he had been dreaming about a water park day during draining gm throughout his career, and he posted photos said today our dream was fulfilled. Coach surprised us after the morning lift and meetings, and he said we took full advantage. Instagram's got all kinds of pictures on it. I don't know what the Falcons are going to do this year. They should be okay. I don't know how smarter dumbing was to draft Michael Pennix
after you spent one hundred million on Kirk Cousins. But taking your team to a water park that can only result, I think in good things for an NFL squad, And if it worked, I guarantee you if they have a good season, there's gonna be a lot of NFL teams going to water parks next year. Are fool tonight is whoever was in charge of the Delaware State bus schedule,
because the Hornets missed their flight to Hawaii. They were going to Hawaii to play football, and they missed their flight, which tells me they weren't even going charter because charter you take off when you're ready to go. So they had to read book a ten and a half hour flight for an entire college football team. So they lose a day of preparation. They play tomorrow and Delaware State is coming off of one to ten season, so the
odds are pretty long on them winning anyhow. Not that Hawaii was great last year, the Warriors were five and eight, But you're going to be tired anyhow, and you lose an entire day of rest by going a daylight thanks to whoever didn't check on traffic or didn't scout the situation. But yeah, that's a tough one for an entire football team to miss a flight. Our flate tonight and I guess this is normal normal. I don't know, but a
normal situation. Simone Biles talked about the fact that she was at a Paris club and really, I just think this was fraud. Somebody tried to do it to spending twenty six thousand dollars for a bottle of champagne. This was during a night out following the closing ceremony. Now, she won three gold medals and a silver but she knew she was smart enough to know that even that didn't merit a twenty six thousand dollars bottle of champagne. File said. She told the guy who ended the bill,
are you insane? Fortunately she hadn't yet opened the bottle, so all ended. Well, that's going to do it for this edition. In this week in a Big Blue Insider. Next Monday night, it's the Statewide Show with Billy Rutledge and Aaron Gershwan It's also going to be the first night for the Mark Stoop Show and BBN Radio and one week from tomorrow it's the Kentucky Football Opener. That's a good night from the garage in Lexington. Got a slight weight problem. No, yeah, I did, Yeah, I did
it anywhere. I went to this doctor.
Well he told me I swallow a lot of aggression along with a lot of pizzas.