Welcome to the Big Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel with you on a Thursday edition of our program. Coming up tonight, Chris Doring of the SEC Network will join us. We'll talk about the transfer portal. We'll talk about college football in general. We talked before there was any new info about Niko Yam Malieva down at the Tennessee moving on probably to UCLA. Some say it's a done deal, but some say it's not. We'll come back to that in just a minute. But we'll talk with Chris about a
number of things in our second hour. Coming up at the bottom of this hour, Jeff Pikoro is going to join us. We'll talk about the portal. We'll talk about spring football as well. I haven't had a chance to talk to Jeff yet about spring football. He was not here for the Spring Football Showcase, but that's okay. He was on vacation actually, But Jeff has gone to practice several times, so he's seen a lot more than we would have He would have seen and the rest of
us saw on Saturday. So we'll get caught up with Jeff on that and get his thoughts on Nico as well. And I can tell you that and I've mentioned this many times. Nobody likes beating Tennessee more. Nobody hates Tennessee more. And two of my colleagues on the UK Network, jeffiicorro Jack Gibbons, because they both grew up in Lexington and they both played against Tennessee when Tennessee was the art rival in both football and basketball. So we'll talk with
Jeff about that, as well as Chris Doring. You may have heard this already. I mentioned this yesterday as a possibility, and apparently it's happening. Hartley Gilmore the fourth coming back to Kentucky. He was a guy who was kind of shown the door when he was here before. You know, you might remember a couple of years back, Mark Stoops after the season talked about, actually it was last year, talked about how some guys needed to move on, and
Gilmore did. Went to Nebraska, but things didn't work out there. He was dismissed from the team, so he's heading back to UK. It was according to the Nebraska coach, it was nothing outside the program, nothing criminal, but he just couldn't keep him on the team. So Gilmore heading back
to the Gators. And he is a three star prospect coming in and it looked like was going to play a big role for Kentucky, but broke his collarbone in fall camp, had to miss the first five games of the year, so you know, at every press conference from the middle of the year on, we were asking, hey,
what about Gilmour and that sort of thing. He started against Murray State and finished the year with only six catches for one hundred and fifty three He did have, remember that fifty two yard touchdown catch and then went over Murray State cutter bullies began and forgive me, but Murray State, in a total rebuild, was the worst team in one Double A football FCS football, not big boy football, not full skylly, you know, eighty five Scholarship football, sixty
five Scholarship Football Division. Murray State again with a new head coach, trying like crazy to rebuild back to where it was Murray State used to be a real player in one Double A. So anyhow, Gilmore transferred out along with Dane Key and remember UK's previous wide receivers coach to Keill Schwartz, who was very popular with the players and very good went to Nebraska after just one year in lexingon it really ticked off Mark Stoops really annoyed him when he left, So Gilmore goes as well. But
now he's back. But he joined Key and Barry and Brown and Anthony Brown, Stevens and Brandon White. So the Wildcats picked up depth they needed in the wide receiver room to go along with Jamoory Macklin and Fred Ferrier, along with Kendrick Law of Alabama, of the Alabama transfer who came in and had a chance to watch him in the spring football showcase, along with David Washington and Montavian Quisenberry. You're gonna like him. You're gonna like Montavian
quisenbarr if you haven't seen him play. I don't know that they're gonna get True Edwards, the kid from Louisiana Tech. Everything I've heard has been it doesn't look good for him. But as Chris Fisher pointed out with two four to seven Sports, UK last year passing offense fourteenth out of sixteen teams. So they got it up their game there. So that's the word on that particular transfer. The word on Nico is he is going to UCLA, which had been reported. Now I heard a guy with Vauquest against
Brent Hobbs shot that down. I heard him on the SEC network. He said that wasn't going to happen. So he either had some bad intel and he's a pretty good reporter, or there was a change of heart somewhere. But it looks like Nico is going to go to UCLA.
One of the top probably the top listed name in the transfer portal, but Yahoo Sports ranked the top ten and they included at number nine Kennedy Erlocker, a safety leaving Notre Dame Brian Urlacker's son, but he was buried on the depth chart, so he's leaving still on the list. From what I understand is Blake Steen. He's an old tackle from Virginia and his brother is an old lineman
with the Eagles, the Super Bowl champs, Tyler Stein. And this kid apparently played more than seven hundred snaps this past year and allowed just two sacks according to Pro Football Focus. I don't know how good he is, but I gotta think a guy like that, if he's that good an old lineman, he's going to go maybe quicker than the guys ahead of him. So one of the other headlines for OH by the way, speaking of transfers, urban Meyer has chimed in on the Nico situation, and
he announced Tennessee is screwed. Well, yeah, in the short term. Right now, Tennessee's in trouble when it comes to quarterbacks. He said this on the Triple Option podcast. He said, they just don't have a quarterback right now. Well, yeah, they know this, but that doesn't surprise me that a guy like urban Meyer is implying that. And he said, you know, everybody's saying Tennessee, nice job, Tennessee taking a stand, But he said, I got a little comment on that.
Tennessee plays Florida usually every year in October. Can you imagine that game going the other way in Josh Hypel grabbing the microphone and stands on the fifty yard line in Nalen Stadium and says, it's okay, I made a stand way back then. It's okay, I made a stand way back when. That's a typical urban Meyer response if you ask me, because what he's implying is Tennessee should have given in to a kid. He was trying to
hold his team hostage. Keep in mind, this is a guy who when he ran the team in Florida, there was no discipline. You had guys in trouble with deeply, deeply in trouble with the law, and Erbamier looked the other way. Anything it takes to win, no matter what his kids were doing off the field, anything it takes to win. And urban that is such a tone deaf comment by a guy who has spent much of his career making tone deaf moves. Yes, he won, and I know a lot of people say, well, as long as
they win, but no, that's not the case. And there are people who disagree with us as well. But I do think Hypel made the right move because how do you put that kid back in the locker room? And now that you're UCLA, you sign this kid. If I'm in that locker room, I'm looking at him thinking, when are you going to do this to us? Why did you do this to your other teammates? How do I know I can trust you? This is a real curious move in the UCLA probably obviously believed it needed to make,
but may end up regretting at some point. A couple of other college football notes. One of them involves rules changes, and this is significant. One of them involves a modification that he injury timeout rule in football beginning with the upcoming season. Under the new rule, if medical personnel entered the field to evaluate an injured player after the ball is spotted by the officiating crew for the next play, meaning you've seen it, the umpire puts the ball down
and the signal lets go. But if that's when medical personnel run onto the field because some player just magically fell down, that player's team will be charged a timeout. It's not a medical stoppage, it's a full timeout. And if that team doesn't have any timeouts remaining. In other words, if a kid falls down and he's really hurt, but he's done it too late, five yard delay of game penalty against that team. This was proposed by the nca
Football Rules Committee. Why, because so many teams were faking injuries to stop the opposition's momentum or avoid using an allotted time out. They've been talking about this a lot in recent years, and back before the twenty twenty one season, you might recall this, they came up with a rule that allows a school or a conference to request postgame video review to question actions involving injuries. Well, what good
does that do you? You know, it might involve possible disciplinary action or a fine or something, but it doesn't help you win or lose. The avoid losing the game, and so much of this was left to the interpretation of the officials. So now it's much more immediate. It's automatic. If they spot the ball and your kid go down, you're done. It's time out or penalty. That's a good rule. Change one other. They have a new rule for overtime timeouts.
When it goes overtime, game goes overtime, you get a timeout for each ot right now after the third ot. You don't get bonus overtimes. You gotta take care of the overtime you have. That's when they start alternating to two point plays. They're trying to keep the action moving. So if the game reaches a third overtime, each team will have one timeout beginning with the third overtime until the winner is determined. It could go seven ots, you still have just the one timeout. That's a good rule
as well. Gotta keep it moving, gotta keep it moving. And the final note is the this is melancholy, but Lee Corso's hanging it up thirty eight years on television. You gotta understand. When I was a kid when I was in high school, Leek Corso was the head coach at Louisville and I know you hate Loewill, but back then the teams didn't play, so we'd have to choose. UK was terrible and it was fun rooting for u of L. They had a fun team to watch. And
think about this. His last year at Louisville nine to one, ranked sixteenth in the country in no bull bid. That's one reason he went up to Indiana. Didn't have a lot of success, but he needed to make a jump after he gets fired from the last job he had. He went from Indiana to Northern Illinois for a year. Then he coached the Orlando Renegades via the US League or the World Football League, one of those. It was a USFL five and thirteen and retired. Okay, he logs
on with ESPN. They put him on the air nineteen eighty seven, hired as an analyst for Saturday's College Game Day show. They started to originate it from sites in nineteen ninety three. That's when it really caught on. And of course he will always be remembered for a catchphrase not so fast, and like all great catchphrases, it was born organically. He just started saying it to Herb Street or whoever was sitting next to him, and it became very popular. So now when anybody says that, that's who
they're quoting. Of course, I had a stroke a few years ago and I interviewed him at the UK U of L media day they used to have preseason, This one was over in Louisville, and he told me he admitted he said after the stroke, he said, I can still Essentially what he told me was he could read scripts and do prepared stuff, but it was the ad libbing that he couldn't much do anymore. And that's where he was so great because he was so funny. Now
I will tell you this. He went to Florida State and while he was at U of L, he did not have a lot of love for UK, of course because they got more coverage. And I don't think he was a big Frank Cursey fan because he always picked against Kentucky. And I do remember one year when UK was struggling early in the year with his defense and he said it on ESPN, Kentucky might other worst defense in all of college football, and that motivated UK so
he will work one more weekend. He'll work opening weekend Week one, the college game day, and that will be his last. Their chance to say goodbye to Lee Corso. Up next Jeff piicorro the UK Sports Network on six point thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue and Sider. Coming up in a few minutes, Jefpikor from the UK Sports Network will join us. We'll talk about the transfer portal,
the rule changes in college football and more. A few days ago, just before the start of the NBA Playing Tournament, UK released the names of players former Wildcats who will be active in the NBA playoffs. Twenty eight former Wildcats involved in postseason play in the NBA, and last night, some of those ex Cats had big nights, including Anthony
Davis for the Dallas Mavericks. Of course, the team well, the GM much maligned after trading its best player for Anthony Davis, but ad healthy can help a team, and he did it last night twenty seven points, nine rebounds,
three blocks. Klay Thompson, of course, came over from Golden State kind of revived his career, had sixteen of his twenty three points in the second quarter, both of them playing their first postseason games as Mavericks as they beat the Kings one twenty to one oh six, and that's pretty amazing. But you you know, look at the injuries those guys have dealt with, and you know, if Davis weren't so beset with injuries, that's a big If the
outcry wouldn't have been quite so bad. With Luca Dons that's being traded away, it would have still been bad. But you know, Davis could have been a franchise changer if he had just been able to stay healthy. He's still a heck of a player in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Heat beat the Chicago Bulls and it was the former Wildcats show with bam Adebaio and Tyler Hero having big games for Miami. And now Miami will play Atlanta and the winner of that one gets the eighth seed
in the East. But Miami jumped out to a big lead early and then fought off. It was a I mean, seventy one to forty seven at one point. Tyler Herro twenty three points in the first half alone, was eight of eight from the field, including three of three from beyond the arc. He finished with thirty eight points, five rebounds, and four assists. Bam Adebio chipped in fifteen points and twelve rebounds to a double double for bam If you follow the NBA, it's kind of fun. Like I said,
to follow the former Wildcats. Coming up tomorrow night Kentucky Baseball. The Wildcats are in Knoxville, and boy, last year I mentioned this last night, the Tennessee series at Kentucky Pop Park was absolutely phenomenal. There were three really good games Tennessee beat Kentucky went on to win the national title, but the Wildcats might have won the series with a break here or there. And of course Kentucky gets to
Omaha as well. But the lines outside the stadium an hour or two before the games began each day were just incredible and marked I think a new chapter in the history of Kentucky baseball. I mean, that team was so good and so much fun to watch, and it was such a vital series with Kentucky racing for an SEC championship, which it eventually won but had to share
with Tennessee. Because of that series, and because there was a game against Vanderbilt, the third game of the series against Vandy that Kentucky had clinched to share the title the night before, kind of had it emotional let down the next day. If it had beaten Vandy, it would have won it outright, but Vandy won it still though, that Tennessee series was something people are still talking about. But it's going to be really tough down there in
Knoxville because that's a ballpark. Let's turn it around. That's a team built so well for that ballpark. And talking to Nick Minjee in this past week preparing for the Texas series, the SEC Network announcers, we had a zoom call with men's two of those three games, of course, where Dave Neil and Greg Olsen, but Doug and I sat in on the zoom calls as well, and Nick talked about the fact that Kentucky Proud Park, probably more than any other stadium in the league, is a fair ballpark.
It doesn't favor hitters, it doesn't favor pitchers any more than the other depends on what the win's doing, that sort of thing. You can hit home runs there, whether the wind is blowing, you know, extremely well out or not. It looks like a pitchers park for some reason, but it's not. You can hit on Kentucky hit a lot of home runs last year. But it's a good pitchers park in one way because if the wind's blowing in
obviously any stadiums like that. But there's a lot of foul territory, so pop fouls are eminently more reachable for the defense at Kentucky Proud Park. But it's not a launching pad, is my point, as is the Georgia Stadium. The Tennessee Stadium different. You know, the ballpark down the Texas A and M can be, but the Tennessee Ballpark, I mean, Kentucky's gone down there and hit home runs.
But if your team isn't tailored for a ballpark, and now you get into VP and you start trying to hit home runs the way teams did at Cliff Hagen Stadium with a really short right field porch, it's going to screw you up. And it did. We saw that year after year, team after team would come into the Cliff, have all kinds of fun hitting bombs in batting practice, and then they try to do the same in the game.
And the Kentucky pitchers were so good at burying, which is in the strike zone, that they won more than they lost. And in the meantime, Kentucky hitters took advantage of that ballpark, So it's gonna be tough for the Whilkay. Plus it's just a really good Tennessee team. But Kentucky's going in on a high note after coming back, well didn't come back. It kind of felt like it against
Miami of Ohio. They actually blew a three to nothing lead and the momentum belonged to the Red Hawks, and it looked like we were heading for extras with two out and two on in the bottom of the ninth inning. But that's when Ethan Hindle came through and surprised everybody by squaring and dropping down a bunt with two outs. The Miami third baseman charge looked like he had a shot. It was not a good bunt, It's bad he popped
it up. The Miami kid fortunately had to dive straight ahead, and because of his momentum, the ball hit the heel of his glove. I've watched it like six times. The ball hit the heel of his love. His momentum kind of pushed back against the ball and it popped out of his mitt and rolled into foul territory. But he played up immediately signaled fair runner came home, Kentucky wins it.
But what struck me immediately was Ethan Hindle was the hero, one of them on Saturday and the upset went over Texas because his bottom of anne run tied the game and sent that game into extras when Kentucky won it. So within a span of four days, Hindle has a home run and then a bunt. I don't know if he went as a single or whatever, but a bunt that drove in the winning run. Here's how Darren Hedrick called, in case you haven't heard it yet. One one.
He squares and lays down the bunt to third and it's.
Best hits a fair ball.
Kentucky wins the third basement. Kurpinski made a diving attempt and came up short.
The ball hit fair and Kentucky walks it off.
Ethan Hindle is the hero. That's how it sounded on Tuesday night. Kentucky's gonna need and breaks like that to win at least one down in Knoxville, but win one on the road. Take care of business at home, and you're in good shape. Gonna be tough, but we'll have it for you right here. Six thirty, first pitch, six
point fifteen pregame with Darren coming up tomorrow night. Up next, Jeff Pikorro of the UK Sports Network on six point thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider, as promised Jeff Picicorro of the UK Sports Network on our Celebrity Hotline. Jeff, as I mentioned earlier, you actually snuck in a vacation and good for you when you weren't
here for the football showcase. But you've seen more of the Wildcats than most of us because you've gone to a few practices and you've gotten to see it more eleven on eleven work. And I know in your job at Channel thirty six you can't really report technically on what you've seen, but give me your overall impressions, starting with Let's start with the offensive line, because you were there with me. We were kind of side by side interviewing some of these new kids before spring even began.
We were impressed with the way they presented themselves.
Look, yeah, you know, I think they look pretty good. I still am really shocked at Unamba. To me, that's a I don't know what he's looking for, that kid who came from New Mexico. And then on what is today, Thursday, on Wednesday. I guess he decided that, you know, he wanted to go somewhere else. And here's the guy that really was running second team and the thing he gives Kentucky with him and Malachi, would you get two guys that started last year? You know a lot of games.
He ten games with the Lobos last year, six hundred and ninety nine snaps didn't allow a sack at right tackles. So that's that's pretty damn good. Yeah, and you know he was gonna play a lot because he can he can play guard. He was running guard and tackle. And then you got Malachi. So now you've got that really a seven man and if you include Jagger Burton or Wiberly whoever doesn't start at center, you got that eight
man kind of rotation. Now that that Schlarman made so popular here, and I just don't know what he was looking for or or what happened. I can't wait to talk to uh to coach Wolferton and and also Stoops and see what what the problem was. Got about that guy was really going to be a lynchpin of this offensive line. So I think that was a huge loss mother than that Wibberly missed a lot of spring the center from Western Kentucky. So Jagger is is running the
number one at center right now. It's gonna be really interesting to see how that plays out before Fall gets here as well. That to me is is a huge position. And you know, we know what happened last time Jagger it was moved to center, and you know he's a year older and we'll see what happens. But that, that to me, is the biggest question mark right now on the whole offense. Is is that center spot?
Yeah, and it's going to be a question mark really through the first through the first conference game really yeah, because you know they looked pretty good last year against Sutthern miss and then the conference games came. Although last year is going to be a puzzlement to me forever because Kentucky goes into Oxford and pulls that upset and
look terrific, but struggled much of the time. But yeah, I mean the guys we talked to, the huge kid from New Mexico State, the transfers they brought in look the part, but can they pull it together? And that's a tall order. Isn't a no pun intended? To act as a you know, guys that you know the best lines as you know, you played with guys like this, were together two and three years. These guys got to get it done in a few months.
Yeah, that's that's the biggest thing that you hit the nail on the head. Look, they're bigger, they're stronger, they're faster than they were last year on the offensive line, they're cheaper than they were last year on the offensive line. But continuity is huge because you know, it's like it's like a ballet up front. You know, if you're pulling, you've got to take the exact right steps. You can't do it drop step, you can't do crossovers. It's got to be this step and to get that down timing
wise with the guy next you. Simply it takes time. Yes, all these guys have played. All these guys are accomplished at their position. I mean, you're getting an All SEC performer, you're getting an All a AC performer. You're you know, these guys are coming in here with a lot of credentials, but they haven't played with each other right, and so it's going to be imperative that you get those five guys out there as many snaps as they can really before that what second or third game of the season,
you know, when you got an SEC game. So it's gonna be huge for that.
I'm going to play the interview that I did. I think you were in on the same interview with Dante Dowdell from a couple of weeks ago. But he apparently right now is the number one running back. But they still need help, don't they at the running back spot?
Yeah, you've got you really have three proven guys there, will Cox and Patterson and and and and then you have a question mark and Mazel. He's a guy that's coming back from a really bad knee injury. But he's strong as an ox. He's he's more of that bull runner between the tackle kind of guy. And that's it.
That's what they have. Four guys. So do you go out and get another guy, even if it's just for practice, if it's a guy that you know is kind of like a bo Allen type player, that's an emergency type player there. Although bow Ali got a lot of snaps in the spring, he really did. I think they're going to be leaning heavily on those three main guys. Kausata h Cutter and him. But yes, I really think that they're going to try to go about and get themselves
into the running back. They got themselves a receiver today of crazy. There were reports that Hardley Gilmour was in town yesterday. Uh, we didn't say anything about it because I don't like speculating and things like that. Maybe he was just in town to see the coaching.
You never know.
And then now today we out that he is coming back to UK and it stops has opened his arms to him. A great talent, but he's got two strikes against him.
Yep.
And I applaud coach for for allowing this kid back, but I think that they made it extremely clear that look, man, this is it. You've got two strikes, you're out.
Yeah you know. Yeah, Now that's said, let me shift you off UK for just a minute. Because we all went to launch the other day and talked about this, me and you and Tom and our man Mike Dotson. Nico apparently is going to land at U c l A. Some have denied it, but apparently it is a done deal. And urban Meyer I talked about this a minute ago. Urban Meyer was critical of Tennessee for letting that kid get away. I don't know what they were supposed to do.
That kid didn't want to stay in Knoxville. But he was critical of Josh Heipel. But I mean, I thought Hypel had to let him go. And if you're a UCLA player, what is your reaction when they bring him in? Yeah, you're going to be, oh, we got a good quarterback. But what else are you thinking.
When he does? Okay, Thursday night, they the Thursday night before the spring game in Tennessee, they have the quarterbacks. Coach and his wife hosts the quarterbacks at their house and they had Tacko's. This is something they've been doing for a long time. And he was there Thursday night and left, went back to his apartment and Friday morning at practice he didn't show up and no one knew
where he was. And all day Friday, his position coach, the recruiting recordinator and coach Hypel called and called and called. He didn't return the calls. Okay, So if I'm the coach, what am I supposed to think? Here's a guy that's basically ghosting me. He didn't show up for practice, and I'm supposed to roll over and you know, have open arms.
For him the next day.
No, because what happened on Friday when you get there to practice and you're the other players and you're the other quarterbacks, and you're like, where's Nico. Yeah, you look, he lost the team Nico did At that point, there's no coming back from that. You know, you you you ran out on us, and now we're supposed to bring you back with open arms. No. No, as a player, you're like, the heck with you, We're we moved on. You know, Joe's our quarterback now. And that's that's the
way it is. And I think it's ridiculous, but that's what happens. That's what happens when parents get involved and you're talking money now and it's this is it's the first time this is gonna happen. What a parent always thinks. And Dick, you know this from doing baseball for so many years, how many people have come up to you and said, my son throws ninety five miles an hour, you know, and you're like, okay, hey, let me let me see, and you go watch him. He throws about
maybe eighty, you know, not ninety five. Kid cans throw that football through a tire at sixty yards and he can't throw at twenty yards in the backyard. You always think your kids better than what he is. Two and a half million dollars. Two point two million dollars is a heck of a lot of money for a kid in college. And for him it was eight million for four years, and it ended up being two point two
a year, and he wanted more. Brock Perry, who started in the Super Bowl two years ago, doesn't make that yet in the NFL. So I have no compassion whatsoever for Nico or his family because they put this upon themselves, and now they're going to UCLA, which does not have the money that Tennessee has, does not have the fan base that Tennessee has, doesn't have the team that Tennessee has, and you're getting a okay quarterback. Nico didn't set the
world on fire. He didn't. He's not, you know, to me, he was what fourth or fifth best quarterback maybe six best quarterback?
And he has QBR Jeff in the league?
Nice there are nine?
Yeah?
Is that is that a guy that is worth four million dollars? I don't think the arch Manning's not getting four million dollars. Quen Youwers didn't get four million dollars, not from the.
Not from the the nil collective. Now they might have in endorsements, but yeah uh and and now you know he's gonna have to prove himself all over again with all eyes on it. Jeff of Corro's my guess, will come back and talk more football with Jeff on the other side of the break here on six point thirty WLAP. Welcome back. We're talking with Jeff of Coro, the UK Sports Network and Jeff, you are one of a zillion sportscasters who when games slow down, when they bogged down,
you let your audience know how unhappy you are. So is mister leash Uh. I got to think you like this rule change now where the old rules oversight panel says if they spot the ball and say let's go, and suddenly a player mystically magically goes down with an injury, you're charged a full time out and if you don't have one, you're penalized. You're loving that, aren't you?
Applaud that? Thank you, thank you, thank you. How many times have we seen and you know, I think it started when Nick Saban Gosh, I don't know what was it, maybe ten years ago was complaining about the hurry out, no huddle offense. You know, yeah, hey, they've got to get in the huddle. They can't snap at every pen sake? Why not?
Yeah, you know, And.
So you say, okay, Steve fall down, oh my leg. Yeah, the trainers come out, they sit over him for twenty seconds. He jumps up and runs off the field. That's not sportsmanship, you know, to me. But the same thing happened in the NFL when the Bengals, you know, and the Buffalo bill started doing that. But you learn, and now you know, you're just not doing it. I think that's a I think it's a great rule because you relish timeouts and if a team's rolling, you're gonna do something to stop them,
you know. And now if you if you take that fake penalty, I mean, you take fake injury, you're gonna pay for it with with a timeout. That I think it's huge, and it's not the timeouts in five yards.
They also added the rule about overtimes, timeouts and overtimes, but you know, how often is that gonna come up? But this one, this one, I mean, we watched it, we watched it happen, uh you know, was it was it Florida where a kid in the backfield just all of a sudden fell down. I mean, uh, I'm sure, I'm sure UK's pulled that a couple of times as well. Uh stoops is not stupid, But yeah, they they've got to they've got to keep it moving. And the next thing you got to do is come up with something
to streamline the reviews. And not just football, but really I think more more than anything basketball. But that's where I think, Jeff, you need to have a panel of coaches sit in a room for three days and figure that out, you know what I mean?
Yeah, you know, here's here's the thing that that that
is interesting to me. If you have the replay official officials are already there, they need to have something some way of buzzing the officials, you know, if it's a good play or bad play, right, yeah, either way, if it's if it's a penalty or not a penalty, or something like that where they can just buzz down and and then the official just has some way of communicating with that person they say that's you know, play on or uh yeah you might want to look at that
one again. Uh, Something where you don't have to stop the game, because to me, that's that is just becoming. You know, I don't know.
If that nam is the right word, but yeah, it's.
Meedious and you're like please, and and everybody complains about it. I'm and every announcer complains about a TV radio everybody and every fan, like I said, if they're already Yeah, every play is reviewed. That's the thing that people don't understand. They're watching, they're watching every play.
Yeah, you're right, which is fine, but it's just a matter of I think football manages and regulation better than basketball, does I really do?
I agree? I agree, and more harder with basketball. But still, you got a guy, you have that third official, right that's sitting there at the scorer's table. Why not have him with the headset on watching the game? Right?
But my thing too is, look, if you want to limit you're not You can't remove it. But if you want to limit it, you've got to accept the fact that there are times when your team will not be able to ask for a review, and if that happens, you might lose the game because you want more of an expedited process. If you're willing to accept that, are coach is willing to accept that Okay, we're not going to stop the game as much, but you're probably gonna
lose a game somewhere. And you know how it is, Jeff, And in college sports anymore, you lose the wrong game, you're done.
One game is the difference.
Can people accept that? I wonder about that.
You know, we we just talked about that the other day too. With baseball, you know, you some of these games that you're losing, that Kentucky's losing right now. I lost the Xavier, they lost to who was the Miami. You can't lose those games because at the end, it's that one or two games that keeps you out. Remember what was it three years ago? I think Kentucky was one game away basically. Yeah, and you're like, gosh, every game counts, man.
Yeah, And we've got the technology to get it right, right, But people, people are before I leave you go, I'll let you go. Your Reds were looking good for a while lost last night. Are you paying attention at all?
You know what, They've got one of the best pitchers in baseball now and Hunter Green, what he's doing is amazing. You've got an Era, Yeah, he's got Era under one. He's got a whip that's zero point five eight. He's got thirty one strikeouts in four starts. So yeah, am I paying attention? Yes. Plus, they have one of the most exciting players in baseball and Elliot the Cruz, and they've got a great manager in Terry Francoin I said when they made the higher he's good for six wins
a year. Yeah, I mean, so whatever, if they won seventy five last year, they're winning eighty one this year because of him. That's how good he is as a manager. This team didn't look good the first what three or four or five games, then they won four in a row. They've won seven out of last ten. They're rounding in shape, but again they have to stay healthy, especially on the pitching staff. Lodolo I said this before this season. Lodolo and Green together have to have fifty to sixty starts.
If they don't, then this team isn't going anywhere. If they do get sixty starts out of those two guys, then then they've got a chance because they have elected and once on the right side, once in the left they're electric pitchers and they can carry a team.
Tito francona three time manager of the year. He knows what he's doing. My contention was, if this doesn't work, it ain't gonna be on him, It's gonna be on management, front office moves they make. You know, guy's got to get hits and guy's got to make pitches. You know, That's what it comes down to. He is Jeff Pecorrel. Watch for his work on WTVQ each night Monday through Friday, and also listen for him on the UK Sports Network. I know I will thank you, sir, Thanks Bud, I'll
do it for our number one. Coming up in hour number two, we're gonna chat with Chris Doring of the SEC Network. We'll find out his thoughts on what's going on with the transfert choral. A little bit later on some of the new football Wildcats are conversations with them earlier in the spring. That's a hit on six thirty Lap.
Then Sat.
Tact do.
Anything on.
Welcome back to the Big Blue and sider joining us now as a guy. We haven't talked to Chris Doring of the SEC Network since football season and Chris uh since then. We're going to talk football. But first of all, welcome back, good to have you again.
Good to be with you too, Dick. Thanks for having me.
Congratulations on the Florida Gators national championship. Great to be a Florida Gator right now, isn't it.
Yeah?
You know it's funny man. As we started this call, I was going to say, I'm so rusty on football stuff because I've been so entrenched in what's going on with this basketball team over the last few months that nobody could better understand that than you and the rest of my friends there at Big Blue Nation with the love of basketball that you guys have. So it was a fun season covering the set basketball the way I
do on Serious tex Sam. Yeah, and getting traveled with my team and you know, we all we all love this league, but the emotional ties that we have to our our schools, our alma maters is uh his next level. And getting experience that in San Antonio with my son right next to it was a really special appearance occurring.
I heard you on the air from there, I saw some of your posts. I'll come back to that in a minute, but people need to understand you here. You are as an every day or most of the week host and anchor on SEC Radio and on the SEC TV network. You got to know it all. I mean, you got to know baseball, football, basketball, women's sports. But this was obviously a labor of love for you, wasn't it.
It was I got to go as a fan, which doesn't happen often, and certainly over the last decade. I'd just finished my tenth year with the SEC Network, and the majority of the trips that I've been on have involved championships for Georgia or Alabama or last Tennessee playoff game like these are all, you know, my childhood nemesis nemesis,
but getting to cover them is certainly great. But when you have your own team and your own fan base there and you get to go as a fan and experience it with I mean, we had loads of Gator fans that just showed up waves upon waves, and I think it reflected the first for you know, any sort of real success in the major sports. It's been so long, and Florida fans celebrated, And I also think it was a bit of a cathartic experience getting some of that frustration and bad case out of the mouth.
You know, I heard you talking about that on the air the other day, about the fact that you got a generation of Florida fans, you know, not a twenty five year generation, but Florida fans of late haven't had a whole lot to cheer about with football. Baseball got to the World Series, but you know, it's not been the powerhouse Florida Gators baseball program that it's ordinarily or basketball for a while. So this was kind of refreshing for you guys, wasn't it. It was?
You know, and in an interesting you know, all of us as sports fans, your perspective is based on the era that you grew up, and you know, you're largely impacted by those players that were playing when you were you know, ten, eleven, twelve years old. Those guys seemed larger than life and the success or lack thereof your team. You know, I grew up an eighties Gators fan where
it was always wait till next year. The disappointment of Boots you along the way, I think that was, you know, we lost the game to Kentucky late in the season that prevented some success. I think the you know, the Georgia being the thorn in the side of the Gators was something that impacted me. So we all have perspectives, and it was interesting. I had my son and my
daughter's boyfriend with me. He finished up school last semester, and he said, man, we the whole time he was there, from twenty twenty to twenty twenty five or twenty twenty four, like, they never had any real success, and so it just doesn't seem right to have that perspective. So for those folks and the newer Gator fans, I was really happy for him.
I still can't get over the fact that Kentucky beat Florida earlier in the year. Although Gators that day, as you know, missed a lot of freeze rows. But I did have Florida winning the title. Now, that didn't take any great amount of insight because I thought they were the best team in the country going into the tournament. I think you did too, But how concerned were you going into the brackets about Duke?
You know what's funny is is that I believe, off the top of my head, I think that score that was the first game of the conference schedule early January, Florida goes to rough And and Florida loses one oh six to one. I believe. I just think, well, it seemed like a moral win for Florida. You know, not that we celebrate moral victories, but it seemed like a win going in there being that competitive with with the coach Pope's team, and I think in a way it
was something that that Florida built on. And then you come back soon after and beat Tennessee by thirty and I think the conference level grew as you went on, obviously down underpead pre conference schedule, but that's that's what being on a team is about it and maybe maybe not as much as as football, but basketball baseball is about, you know, getting better and better and peaking at the end of the season. I think this is a team that that did that. They were fun to want, even
if you weren't a Gator fan. They were a fun team to watch, full of underdogs and mis bits and guys with chips on their shoulders, and so they played that way. But as you mentioned the Duke game, we were at the semifinals and stayed for a part of the Duke Houston game. Duke fields that big twelve, fourteen point lead, and we're like, oh, this thing's over here, let's get out of here. You know, we would have much rather I think seen Houston than Duke with as
you know what. They seem to be invincible and then they choke it at the end of the ball game. So it seemed like a win. But man, that's Houston team. The way they play defense, their attention to detail, their physicality. It was a tough challenge for Florida, But I do give the Gator's a lot of credit. There's a lot of teams that get a little nervous when they find themselves down. I think Florida's actually better when they were
at second half deficits. They've They've shown all year long that they could come back, and they did it throughout the tournament, whether they're talking about Yukon or Texas Tech, or and Auburn and into the finals to get Uston.
What do you think makes Golden such an effective coach. I mean, he's a young guy. I know he's an analytics guy, but he's I mean, part of it, I know is the ability to put a team together, which he.
Did think about that though Dick like, yeah, one, he's young. I think his relatability. I think I think being able to relate to your players now more than ever, it's important because of the you know, the the nil and the transfer portal and all that stuff. So I do think it's it's important to be able to be on the same page with those guys. But you know, I just talked about it, like Walter Clayton, four star basket, four star football recruiting, zero star basketball guy, nobody want
to knew that. I want to, like a handloged him. Was at at Marshall. You know, every one of these players were at these small schools. They were under recruited and overlooked, and and you know, coach Golden and his staff went out there and found guys that were hungry, found guys that would fit into the schemes that they were running, but most importantly, found guys that would fit
into the culture. You know, this being around sports as long as you have, you see certain teams that you say, that's the close knit team right there, that that team loves each other, and I think this team genuinely did. He was able to bring a bunch of guys together. The analytics. I mean, in that Texas Tech game, they fouled way earlier than traditionally most coaches would, but it was because they knew the free throw percentage of who they were fouling. They knew, so he wasn't wasn't, wasn't
very good at the line and paid off. So I just I think they integrate, you know a lot of culture stuff with some new age analytics and science and and it just it seems to work. And his his firing us on the sideline, his willingness to show emotion, and you know, slapping dudes on the butt when they're hitting the hitting the ground and helping guys up when
they're taking charges. Man, that that stuff, along with the way that he shows emotion with the fans, that resonates with Florida folk, and a lot of people want to compare him to Billy Donovan. Actually compare more to Coach Burrier, a guy that that wasn't his emotions on his sleeve
as the head coach on the sideline. I think I think fans can sense that authenticity, and honestly, you know, a lot of water fan has been frustrated with the lack of emotion that Billy Naper has shown on the football sideline.
We're talking with Chris Doring of the SEC Network, former Florida Gator wide receiver also an NFL veteran back with more and just a minute on the Big Blue and Side or six thirty WLAP talking to Chris Doring of the SEC Network. He is a Florida Gator and celebrating the Gators basketball championship. And as I said, you talked to every coach in the conference, men, women, whatever the sport. What was it like for you? How did you enjoy assuming that you did? You guys kind of rotate the
anchor desk. But did you have much of an opportunity to talk to Mark Pope this year?
I did multiple times we had him on the show. I'm a fan, you know this, Dick. I'm a fan of playing for guys that played at that level and even more so played at that level in that particular school. That's what I got the experience and much burrier like even at the NFL level, Like I've had receiver coaches that played in the NFL at the wide receiver spot or were head coaches that played in the NFL. Those
guys have instant credibility. You can you can believe in what they're telling you is because something they've done themselves. That's how they read the book, right. I think Mark Pope, you know coming back to his alma Monerary won a national championship. Nobody can speak from a better perspective as to what it takes to be successful and be successful at the Big Blue Nation. So I just I think it's a perfect fit. I'm excited about the brand of basketball.
I'm excited about what they can continue to do to recruit. But I think he's one of those guys that that that injects confidence into a team because he's on the sideline. And you know, it was like a it felt I didn't make it any games there this year, but it felt like a nice reset there in in rough arena this year.
Oh, it absolutely was, you know. And and to your point, it's always interesting when kids are playing for coaches who have been where they want to be. You know, Uh, he played you know, six years and any NBA played overseas has a championship ring. That was his message when he got there. And then you know, you've played with and four guys who played in the league. So yeah, when they walk in the room, they've got that instant attention, don't they They.
Do have that instant attention. They have the credibility because they've done it before and they leed. You know Cosberger Bloodarnge and blue. I know that cause Pope breeds blue and white. Like it's not a not a sales pitch. You know, You're not some hired mercenary. You're a guy that that that came from those ranks, So that matters.
But also, you know, one of the interviews we did with Mark Pope this year, he talked about extending the regular season and and how how hard it was when he got into the professional ranks because he hits the wall in you know, about three quarters into the season, and how extending the season in college would help prepare guys better for the the next level. And I think, you know a lot of times college coaches, whether we're talking about basketball or football or whatever, think about how
they can best be served by the athletes now. But when you take that longer term approach and what can I do that's gonna benefit us as a team as a program now within the college rank, but also get my guy ready for the next level the best he can and having done it himself, I mean, nobody has more authority to speak on that than somebody like Mark Pope.
Yeah, you know, and he wants forty games. He has said that unabashedly. My question is that's great for the guys going pro, but doesn't that where on the guys who are not. It wears on everybody pretty much the same.
Right it does it doesn't. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with it, but I don't know that I have the background to speak to it. I could say this, though. You remember when I was in school, I think it was eleven regular season games and then we'd have the SEC championship and everybody was like, Oh, we don't need to extend the season longer. You know, you're gonna worry about injuries and everything else. All that stuff doesn't matter now when you're talking about out the amount of money
that can be made. And I look at, you know, put myself in position to these players. Now, if I can have a chance to play in a twelve team playoff field, or you know, maybe I have to play sixteen or seventeen games when it's all sat and down. But man, I love getting to go out there, put the uniform on and trap it up with my teammates like I would love that.
I don't.
I don't necessarily have a problem with playing more games. You know, I think, you know, the idea that we'll worry about player safety brings a little hollow with some of the changes that they've actually made.
It does, especially when they start talking about extending the NFL season, you know, and they talk about CTE this and that and player health. Oh but let's add let's get up to eighteen games, for crying high out. I used to play twelve games. So yeah, that's that's a tough read. Chris Doring is my guest. He is a host and anchor on the SEC Network. Well, let's talk
Kentucky football disappointing last year. To be sure, I know you haven't been up here in a little while, but I'm sure you've seen some of the clip with Mark Steups talking about his team. It seems like he's got a new sort of a new burst of energy. Have you gotten that vibe from him?
I have gotten that vibe from him, and I've talked to some people up there. You know, I think there's a bit of addition by subtraction to some degree. You know, it sounds like a fresh start with a lot of the roster has benefitted at him and his team thirty one new players. From what I understand, for the spring period practice period. I know he's healthier now after some
surgeries and feeling reinvigorated. And also I understanding they've taken some stuff off of his desk as it relates to dealing with the peripheral stuff and he's able to go back and just coach, which I think. You know, this is a guy that loves ball, loves exus and oh so I'm excited, Like I think people forget about Kentucky and
I'm not sure how it plays out this year. I'm kind of excited about Zach Calzada and his path and maybe the the reinvigoration that that he experienced after being out of football for a little bit in the past that he's had to travel to get back to the SEC. But like, this is a team that I don't think
people are thinking about a lot. And let's be honest, Kentucky operated best under Mark Stups and people weren't talking about us, and I think it's when they started talking about him that, you know, the expectation level maybe got to be a little too much at time.
No, I fully agree with you, and uh, you know it's the old chip on the shoulder kind of you can call it a cliche or whatever, but give me a better way to explain it.
Uh.
And I always talk about the fact that you and then Peter Burns were some of the earliest guys to get on that Mark Stuops train several years ago. So you know what he's capable of doing. And something I've been saying of late Chris. You you referenced, you know,
nil on the portal and all that. You know, when Mark Stups got here, he had a plan, he followed it and it was very successful, to the point of ten wins and talking about Kentucky in the playoff and all that stuff, or at least in getting to Atlanta a few years ago. But with all this, all the changes, he wasn't able to coach football the way he wanted. But I got to tell you, and I'm sure you'll agree, most coaches can't right now. That's not what they signed up for, is it.
No, it's not at all. And I you know, I'm worried about losing quality coaches due to you know, not want to put up with all the stuff that it requires. I mean, the calendar and of itself is messed up.
I mean, think about like.
The basketball transfer portal was open in the midst of the March madness taking place, so we got we got the football portal open during the college football playoffs. It makes zero sense. And I don't know, you know, I know, excuse I know, we're in the midst of like dealing with all of this different stuff that that's turning some fans off and and that's really knowing where the future headed. But like all of this could have been at least tempered if you had some sort of leadership. Some I'm
hoping that void and leadership is being filled. And I think changing the schedule first and foremost is what needed most even just to help prevent burnout from these coaches and what's required of them nowadays.
Yeah, yeah, I agree, And I know some of that has to do with the structure at the schools that are semesters or their quarters and things like that. But it's like I always say, everybody in charge, they all have college degrees, they're smart people. They can figure it out. But Stoops was talking about the calendar three years ago. They keep saying we've got to change the calendar. Uh, And there's no question about that. And you've got I
understand the need for the spring calendar. But what that's done is put an end to spring games because nobody wants to show off their their their their personnel for fear that someone's gonna come in and poach them. Man, the most.
Encouraging thing that I heard the NCAA. I know they turned down Colorado and Syracuse's request to play a spring game. You like the language that they use, the language that they used in terms of, hey, it would be an unfair competitive advantage for you two to do it, but it's not the time for everybody else to do it. Right, not to meet sounded like I'm in the near future, we were going to have that opportunity, and I think,
you know, it may have. It may have been a sucky spring this year with us not being able to travel and go see these these games and putting them on television. But if it leads to where we're having some some inner squad practices and games in the spring, going for it, man, I'm all for that.
Well.
And what he's referred to folks, as you have talked in the past about teams playing against each other, not just yea, you know, good on good right.
Yep, yep. I can tell you like you're going to get way more out of going against somebody else's team from a player's perspective or being able to evaluate that from a coach's perspective like that, why would we not do that?
What?
I don't even I don't even know how you could give me an argument of why that wouldn't be good? What are you gonna tell me again that you're worried about player safety after you've extended the season to sixteen or seventeen games, you can't speak out of both sides of your mouth, But.
Do you have the roster you need? You have everybody in place the way you need them at that time, You've still got transfers coming in, incoming freshmen coming, and people still learning where to go on campus. And suddenly you're playing what essentially is a real game. You've played this exhibition.
It's an exhibit. I mean we've gone you remember the even shooting the fall in the preseason in the NFL, Like no bekids to damn about that. It's a great it's a great barometer from where your team is. For me as a guy that like had to prove myself to make teams, it's a great opportunity and I think
players need to look at it from that perspective. If I can go up against somebody else that's not you know, doesn't know our our our signals, that doesn't know our teams, that I can test myself about against another great player, man, that's going to help me not only show the coaches that I'm ready, but it's going to help my development considerably.
Yeah. I know, I thought you were talking about playing like a real game instead of an exhibition. I'm good, I'm talking about it.
I'm talking about playing a real spring game. I mean it's an exhibition. It's'count for it like an I'm going to take.
Yeah.
But yeah, yeah, I'm good for that.
I'm good with that. My guest is Chris Doring of the sec Nelwork. We'll come back with more in just a minute. On the Big Blue Sider, we're going to talk about what's happening or what was happening down in Knoxville here on six point thirty WLAP. Before I let you go, I got to ask you about what's been going on down to Tennessee. Everybody's got an opinion. It seemed like people that worked the college side of the
street are saying Hey, good for Tennessee. I've heard a lot of former pro players, either on social media or on the air somewhere saying, yeah, this kid had every right to do this, and that My contention is, yeah, you know, we're all for the kids getting what they can get, but there's a way to do it. And he held his team and his teammates hostage, and that ain't to me. That ain't the way to go about it. What do you say.
I can't stand listening to some of the former players that I've heard talk about, go get your money and and forget what the fans think. The only reason that there's money there to be gotten is because of the fans, and the fans become disenchanted with the sport, and and that the players that have no connection to the team, that that goose that lays the golden egg is gonna it's gonna croak before too long. So you have to be sensitive to all of that. And I'm just maybe
I'm different. I certainly am different as it relates to how I grew up and my ties at the University of Florida. I know that Nikos is from California and doesn't have those tides of Tennessee. But like, hop out the ties to your teammates, howbout the ties to your coach? How how about the commitment that you made. How about the fact that I didn't earn any more money. If anything, he should be giving money back based upon the way you played last year. So I don't I just I
don't have a lot of respect. It's not even for him as much as it is the adults around him that the guidance that he's gotten. You know, it's it's unfortunate because I just last week was a great reminder to me, and I talked about it earlier, being in San Antonio, watching my team win a national championship, coming home on Saturday and begin at the spring game and watching the next generation of Florida football and watching the basketball team get celebrated like Niko's never going to have
that at Tennessee and it was playing good. Champion's not gonna have it anywhere. And let's not forget what it means to be a part of one of these alumni bases and what you can do to leverage your future. Maybe they're maybe they don't need to do it, you know anything, because they're gonna make so much money now, but just a lot of life to live, and there's much too narrow of a vision field at this point in time for a lot of these athletes.
I didn't make this up myself, and I heard some analysts on the air saying, you know, let's say, wherever as we speak, he hasn't signed with anybody, but wherever he goes he will not. Odds are he won't play at a program like Tennessee and I'm in Kentucky, but you know, my respect to Tennessee football. They could have been a contender this year, ideally with him in the SEC best conference in the world, which puts him in a position to perhaps sign a pretty good pro contract, which he
may still get. But maybe he's damaged his chances. So what has he gained. He hasn't gained anything taking a step back.
It was funny because they were lifting off potential landing spots of what he would be looking for and everything that they listed with what he had in Knoxville. Like you know, it's the old you know, be careful what you wish for, and pastors aren't always greeners. So I I I'm glad that Tennessee stood their ground, and you know, I'm anxious to see. And the thing, I don't know
if it's true. I assume it's true. But the fact that Dan Lanning had something to do with kipping off Josh Heipel that this was, you know, some fishing going on for a new deal. I love that as well, he too.
Yeah, coach looking out for coach h yep, And Uh, were you surprised at the stance, hypel took.
I'm not surprised at that stance at all, man. I mean, you know, he verbalized it very well. Nobody's been than the Power Team himself included. And if you're gonna build like I think, I think that changes the way you recruit going forward, Like you have to be aware of, you know, what kind of person am I bringing into the locker room. Is it about some money solely or
is it about something more than that? So I think coaches are going to be much more sensitive to that and vet these guys a little bit more than just you know, what they look like on the field and taking into consideration the holistic nature of the players are the person.
To Now he's on the move again, we know what the portal has been like. Uh, there are guys who were playing for their fourth or fifth or sixth college team. Kentucky's got a QB. He's playing for his third no fourth team now or with his fourth program, and he gets to play for Auburn. But as a former player, I know you would have loved you. You were just you. You just love being a Gator. You grew up in Gainesville. Uh, but you can relate the guys who needed to move
around for their own career. But how would you feel about one time only moved through the portal without sitting out?
Like in terms of you only get one opportunity to.
Get you get one freebe then after that you got a city here.
I just have a hard time believing that the NCAA is going to make any sort of restriction. They're terrified of litigation. They they're like, uh, you know who was at Prairie View A and M back in the day and that every time they showed up they got beat. Like the nca is not a terrible losing street. I just don't think they want to take their chances, so they let anything go for now and restricting a student.
It's amazing how far the other direction the pendulum has swung from all the restrictions in the favor of the collegists, so the other way where the players have the ultimate power. And you mentioned it, like, yeah, I probably have a little bit of that, you know, jealousy, and like I would have made a pretty good amount of money at Florida, I imagine with what I was able to do in
my story of the past and board. But at the same time, it's still meant something to me to put on those colors and out on that field and and be a part of that that uh, that tradition.
Oh yeah, yeah, and you made the most of it, obviously, And I'm glad to hear you use that metaphor. That's what I use. A pendulum And it swings so wildly, doesn't it.
It does, It does, And I don't think we've ever seen a more drastic shift in the landscape of college athletics and wealth experience in the last five years.
No, and it's not for the best. Uh you do you remember what Kyle Zada was able to do at A and M. And of course he never get to play at Auburn. He was hurt, but uh, although I heard he was healthy by the time he was done at Auburn. Just didn't get get on the field. But uh, do you like what you think he's going to do for Kentucky?
Yeah, I mean I like, I like the position that he's in going until we talked about Florida. It's a guy that that teams hungary that from what I understand, without a football and got a different appreciation and and and traveled a path that probably never expected to but went through all that to put him in a position to get back into the SEC. And I think there's something to be said for experience and and and maturity
and hunger and desire like those things. I just I knew last year and talking to folks around the program that Rock Vandergriff would not the answer. But I have much more hope and optimism about what that caels otican well, looking back on it, like this about these guys on offensive, finally got an offensive coordinator for the second year in a row.
For the time that helps Well, oh yeah, I was about to say, uh, you know, we'll never know about Vandergriff because a uh, he just he just was beaten to death behind that O line. And you know, I think got an all new for the most part O line, including a full blooded Navajo offensive tackle who you're you're gonna love him when you get a chance to talk to him, who's six eight and whatever and doesn't have
an ounce of body fat. But yeah, and OC for the second time, second year in a row, and you know what that means.
And I know Bush Hampton's a good, good offensive mine. Yeah, I knew him back in his early days of Florida continuity there as well.
Yeah, I once had a player after I think it was during the Courry era when Bill kept changing his offense and a guy who was a player was injured and he was sitting on the sidelines pregame and he kind of motioned the team out there and he says, see those guys warming up. They're on their fourth offensive coordinator in four years. I said, yeah, he goes that pisses players off, and that's what That's what brought it home for me. Uh So, Yeah, they got a chance
to to play for a guy they already know. We already know Chris during. We already know he is a great college football analyst with the SEC Network in ESPN. Thank you, brother, We'll we'll talk again soon. I hope Gounny cool trips lined up you took your son with you to the final four? What about I know you guys like to travel a little bit.
Yeah, I went on, man, I was on a pretty aggressive run.
Man.
I went to Vegas home for four hours, to the Bahamas for the Lang's wedding, home for about four days before I went to San Antonio home for a couple of days before doing Charlotte for some spring football show. I'm home now for a week, and then I'll head back to Charlotte for the first round of the NFL Draft in the SEC Network studio, and then heading to Oxford, Mississippi for a little double decker down there, which will be fun.
Wow. Sounds good. Hey, we'll be watching and listening. Thanks so much as always for the time and to have a great summer. We'll talk again soon.
Sounds goody, Thanks man, take care.
We'll come back and wrap up this edition of The Big Boone Sider in just a minute here on six point thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big Blue and Sider, final segment of our program. I'm gonna stick with football because we got to share with you some of the conversations we've had with the football Wildcats during the spring starting with Dante Downdel. He is the running back who it looks like right now is running number one. If you're going by what we saw in the spring football showcase,
he was out there were the ones. He got the most carries, not that many, you know, comparatively speaking, but if you try to pick out who's going to be the starter, it looks like this is the guy. Multiple schools, of course. Started off at Oregon in twenty twenty three, played in six games, seventeen carries, ninety yards, and one touchdown.
Then he transferred to Nebraska, started seven games, played in twelve, led Nebraska in rushing but one hundred and forty three carries and six hundred and fourteen rushing yards, scored twelve touchdowns, caught seven balls for twenty one yards, and in fact, those twelve rushing tds were the most buy in Nebraska running back since twenty eighteen. But decided to transfer to the Wildcats. And I asked him what brought him to Lexington? Why are you here? What brought you to Kentucky?
His Jared or running backs?
You know?
Second a thousand yard rushes in draft picks are running backs, you know, cause stops when I was standing they see coach after saving left, So I like to you.
Know, the way teams are spraying the ball all over the field these days, it still gets back to running the football, doesn't it move in the chains? Yeah? Where do you fit into all that?
I mean, I feel I can run the ball. You know, if you can run the ball on the team, you can win. If you can run the ball you play at defense, you can win the game.
You mentioned the history of running backs. What are what are the names you took note of? Who do you know that was here?
Uh, Benny Sneil Ray, David See he just came here one year, but he was good. Yeah, and then uh see Rodd Yeah, Christma Mariguez. I watched him play versus Ill missed when I was getting recruited. And then Williams, will Williams and stuff like that. I watch all of them.
How confident are you that you can be the next guy?
I feel like I'm confident, you know what I'm saying. I get the opportunity, you feel like I can make it happen.
They've had some issues on the old line. They got a brand new old that's going to be in front of you. What do you know about them so far?
Uh, I'm going they brought in some guys, you know, new guys. Guy from Arkansas and the guy from another school I fly, I fly in mash By together.
Just looking at him over there, they are pretty athletic looking, aren't they.
Yeah, they look very athletic.
How do they look on the field? And what's what's been your impression of Lexian and and being here at the UK so far?
Uh? The flag is good, I mean I I think I think the girls look a little bit better than Nebraska.
Interesting link between Nebraska and Kentucky. Remember Vince Merrill was working at Nebraska when Stoops was hired and brought him here. You had Wandale Robinson transferring from Nebraska to Kentucky and doing great things. And you had Dane Key who just transferred from Kentucky to Nebraska. So uh, maybe more than coincidence, who knows, but it's working out apparently for both. Dando's gonna have to run behind some good offensive linemen in Kentucky.
Brought in a lot of new faces through the portal, and I had a chance to talk to a couple of them, including Joshua Braun six six three forty two, played at Arkansas, played at Florida. He is a grad student who is now a Wildcat. A lot of new faces this year on the old line. What's that like?
Oh, you know, it's just the day and age of college football that we live in. I mean, players are gonna leave, players a gonna come in. Every year, it's
gonna be a different group. And I think so far these past two months, we've done a good job of trying to come together in Jael as an offensive line, it definitely helps when we have older guys like Jagger Alex, just people who've been around the block who know how to essentially form an offensive line once the coaches bring the players in, but then it's up to us to jail and become an actual offensive line.
Jelling is the key, though, for this position, more than any right, Yes, sir.
I mean there's five players that make up the offensive line, and we got to act as one unit. We have to be of one mind.
And yet you're used to that, you know that. What's the challenge in making that happen?
Yeah, the challenge is just recreating a game scenario before we actually get to the season, and so when the bullets start flying Week one, Week two. You have to know how you're gonna handle it, and you have to have gone through it through workouts like we did today.
Walk throughs. You have to have high energy, high stress environments that you can work through as an offensive line to really come together and see how each part of the offensive line operates under pressure and how each guy responds to what we're being asked of.
So, what are the workouts like today that you just made?
It was just a bunch of station work, agility, things of that nature. But it's really just right now, it's more of the mental side of things. They're trying to make it hard for us mentally because you can only text a body so much. And I mean, they're building us into incredible athletes, and so at a certain point, no matter what the workout is, they're gonna have us prepared and it's not gonna be as hard as it
was when we were eighteen nineteen freshman sophomores. I was talking to Jaalen Farmer today, I'm like, dude, I'm twenty four, Like I've been doing this six years. I can go through a workout like this and it's just like the thousand I've done before it, But for right now, what we're trying to do is get the mental side of it. How you attack each rep in the workout, how you attack you know you have a hard lift coming up. Say yesterday we had front squats. We knew we were
gonna have front squats. We knew it was gonna be hard. It's just how you attack the weight. Are you going to let it be menacing? Are you gonna let it take control of you? Are you going to take control of it?
The foundation of Stoops's success has been the big blue wall. It's been the run game, protecting a quarterback, all that, because it dictates the entire game. I know you guys are aware of that, arenswer?
Yes, sir? In the SEC games are won in the trenches, and if we want to have a successful season, it's up to the offensive line to set the standard for the team. And that's what we're working on right now. We want to be an offensive line that leads and we don't want to hold back our team in any way.
How much different is this works?
So I've been asked that question a lot because this is the second I've transferred to an SEC school in particular, and what I always say, is the SEC is the SEC. To compete in this league, you have to have a certain standard, you have to operate a certain way, and so transferring within the SEC is not easy per se, but it's definitely familiar. And so each program's gonna do
basically the same thing. There will be little nuances, and in those nuances that's where you get teams that are going to excel or the teams that are gonna be held back. And I think what we have here is gonna set us up to excel in the season.
So other than money, why why Kentucky? What was it that kind of and when I want to go play there?
Coach Wolford. So, Coach Wolford recruited me out of high school to South Carolina. We met. He actually told me yesterday that my name and his phone is still Josh Braun, twenty seventeen recruit. So we've known each other seven seven years. And so when I decided to get in the portal, he was interested. And I knew I wanted to play for a coach like coach Wolford, one that will demand your best every day, and I know he's gonna get
the best out of me. And if I do what he asks of me, I will be successful.
That's Joshua Lebron and one of his teammates new teammates on the old line is Alex Wohlschlager, who came in from Bowling Green, and he talked about the difference between the Mac and the larger conferences, particularly the SEC.
I think it comes down to the speed of the game, you know. I mean, even Wolf said it when he recruited me. We started with Penn State, and then it was texting A them and Penn State. It was almost like I was lagging behind a little. And then A and M since I already played Penn State, I got used to the speed more and A and M he said, I played better. But you know, you can feel it. It's it's definitely just the speed of play. I feel
like increases. And those are the types of games as like a Mac player where you just had to make sure you were dialed in because you need to not think about the play at all. You just gotta be dialed into all right, what's this guy gonna do? What's his tell this and that? So, but no, you can feel it. I don't think it's terrible though, so I gotta get used to it. This year, it's gonna be every game.
So you've talked about being a captain at your last stop and basically earning your way here. Is it hard? Do you have to bite your tongue sometimes, like, you know, wanting to get out there and be more of a leader, as much of a leader as you can be.
Honestly, the one thing I kind of noticed as a captain was like everybody receives leadership differently. You know, not everybody wants a guy who's just gonna be kind of on them the whole time. You see, young, some guys just need like pat on the bat back separately, like whispering the air like let's go. You got this kind of thing. Other guys they want to get in your
face kind of motivation. And so, you know, I did my best because I'm more of an introverted person, you know, I'm not that, you know, let's go type of guy. I did my best of Yeah, i might not be speaking or in your face, young, but I'm gonna make sure that if you look at me, you can see an example of what's what's to be expected. You know, no hands on the knees, but you know, warriors posture, running through the line, doing everything, showing up early, all
that stuff. So but I feel like each person just has their own kind of style of leadership that they want to follow us.
It's gonna be a lot of question marks, but it's all gonna come down to the O line again. And by all accounts, it looks like they've done a good job the Kentucky staff of bringing in guys who can compete in the SEC. Can they pull it all together though and build that front? You know, they don't have the luxury of playing together all those years and developing, so they got a lot of work to do. But it's going to be fun to watch, I hope. If it's not, it's going to be another long year. All right,
that's going to do it. Thanks to Jefficole, that Chris Dorn, that's it. Good night from the garage in Lexington.
Thompson.
Yeah, do you know what I'm gonna do?
No, I don't.
I'm going to take a path.
And then left the media such sat out, such status.
Taging anything on such sat out, such sting thin toast from tape, the doting do