Welcome to the Big Lowinsider. Dick Gabriel with you on a Thursday edition of our program. Coming up tonight, lots of cat's talk. As always, at the bottom of the hour, we're gonna hear from a former Wildcat, Jalen Whitlow, who played quarterback in Joker Phillips system his Jokers last year and then played under Mark Stoops and Stoops' first season at Kentucky. So in twenty twelve and twenty thirteen. Those were some rough times. Whitlow played fairly well for teams
that were just overmatched and out manned. He transferred to Eastern Illinois, which was in the Ohio Valley Conference at
the time, and believe it or not, still is. It's up in Charleston, Illinois and is probably best known at least among people who have KEP kept an eye on that program for a while as the alma mater of Tony Romo and in fact, in a huge game toward the end of Roy Kidds's career, I remember e KU went up there needing a win over Eastern Illinois to remain in a hunt and maybe to win what would
have been Roy's last OVC championship. If memory serves me, and Romo scored on some incredibly athletic play, got himself into the end zone, and the closing seconds kind of broke our hearts because we were hoping that Roy kid could win that last OVC championship. But that's Eastern Illinois and that's where Jalen Witlow ended up and a couple
of really nice seasons up there. Since then, he has become a high school coach, a trainer of quarterbacks, and has written a book about being recruited and that sort of thing. So we'll chat with him at the bottom of the hour. Coming up. In hour number two, Ryan Black of the Career Journal covers the UK beat for the CJ. Also covered the Kentucky Derby, as everybody who
writes for the Courier Journal. It's all hands on deck that week at Churchill Down, really for two weeks at Churchill Downs, and justin Rowland of Cats Illustrated part of the Rivals Network, we'll talk with us about the expansion of the Kentucky football roster and the basketball roster as well, which now officially includes Rhys Potter. You heard him talking
on the show the other night. He has since made the rounds of other media outlets, but he has signed, so Kentucky was allowed to follow through with the official press release. Although we all found out I think Sunday night. I think David Sisk might have had it first for Cats Illustrated and the Rivals Network. This is a guy will clearly be a depth guy. I don't know how
many minutes he's going to command. He was a nice player in high school Region eleventh region player of the Year out of election and Catholic eighteen points nearly nine rebounds a game, a team captain who went on to as you know, Miami of Ohio and played well there, but got the opportunity to come home. He stepped into the portal, wanted to come to Kentucky, as he told us the other night, But even when he got the offer from Mark Pope, he kind of slow played it.
You know, he wasn't trying to maneuver himself at all. But he did the smart thing, and he thought about it and really studied the situation and then decided he would become the eighty eighth UK player from the city of Lexington. And that doesn't seem like a lot. But I mentioned this a couple of times this week on the show, Joeby Hall told me, and I got to
think other coaches have mentioned the same look. Just because a kid is from Lexingon, it doesn't mean, you know, you want to burn a scolly on him just because he's going to be excited to play for the Wildcats. It's got to be somebody who can help you win. And as Joeb told me, he said he only took a kid he thought could either play a lot or start because there's so much pressure on local players to
get minutes to get playing time. So eighty eight players all time from the city of Lexingon, and now he is part of a seven member class of newcomers to go along with Denzel Aberdeen, Mohammed Diabate from Alabama, Andrea Jellovich, Jalen Low, Jayden Quaintons, and Cam Williams. Jayden Quainton's appeared on Aaron Torres podcast yesterday. He is, of course rehabbing
from knee surgery. Quaints from the Cleveland area and had committed to Kentucky as you may well remember, under John Calipari, but when Caliperi left, Quayton's asked for his relief from release from his scholarship and he got it. Winds up at Arizona State. Had a nice year, but in late February he went down with a torn acl in his right knee as he was driving to the bucket. He had surgery on March nineteenth, and his rehabbing now, and
he told Torres, rehab is coming along well. He's working on his flexibility and the goal is to become ready to play ready, as he said, for contact essentially in practicing and pickup games by September. And if that's the case, and you don't want to put the cart before the proverbial horse, but if that's the case, then you think
he would be ready for the season opener. But you know as well as I they're going to take it really slow with his kid and make sure he's one hundred percent before he becomes at least on the floor a Kentucky Wildcat. He's a Kentucky Wildcat now. He has signed and he talked with Torres about why UK was the choice. When he came through the portal.
I had to find a program I felt fit my play style a little bit better, and I felt like Kentucky was that perfect spot. You know, they have a better basketball environment as well. You know, they have a lot more fans support, so I felt like that was a big part of it as well as, yeah, just fitting my place style a little bit better so I could show off my versatility more and you know, kind of flourish in a different role.
Obviously, Quaintans knew all about the Wildcats from when he was previously recruited. He had previously committed and signed, so that familiarity really played a large role in his decision to essentially come back to Kentucky.
Already did my official visit. I had unofficial visits there as well, so I'm very familiar with, you know, the fan support that's there. Even when I was on my visit, you know how many people were there getting to see the court and the energy that surrounds the program. So that was already there beforehand that I already got to see. And then the new coaching staff as well, they just kind of showed a lot of support and they felt
like it felt like they really wanted here. It wasn't like I was committed previously, so they thought the defense wanted to be there, but like they thought I fit very well into their system and I could really help them make like make a difference next year.
That's Jaden Quainton's courtesy of the Aaron Torres podcast, And it's just going to take a while for him to get back to where he was before he was injured. At Arizona State, he played about thirty minutes a game, average nine and a half points, averaged two and a half block shots, and eight rebound So that's the size that you've been hearing about. When you consider the new roster and Mark Pope and company have put together, it's
going to be a bigger, more physical Kentucky team. Before we hit the break, we've been talking this week about the portal. Of course, we talk about that every week in NIL and was talking with the Sean Woods about it on the show last night, and he sent me a clip from a podcast where Penny Hardaway was talking to Mike Miller, remember him from Florida. Really good player at Florida out of South Dakota, I believe, and went
on to a good career in the NBA. But Penny Hardaway, now the head coach at Memphis, was talking about it was kind of like one of these kids today kinds of comments. But he talked about how challenging it is when you were trying to coach kids who are making all kinds of money.
We could give up to pass the ball, rebound it.
Come on, man, I mean when you were coaching here with me, you understand how hard it is being basketball savants and guys that played the game. Mike, you came up like the same way we did, grinding everything out. Nothing was given to you how to get it and
to see it. Now it's way different from seven years ago when you were first with me, Like, now it's to pay someone millions of dollars and then he might come to practice and go, I don't feel like practicing today, Or if he's out there practicing, he's not getting back on defense. And if you make the team run, he still might be the slowest job. He might not be sprinting. So you make the team continus he run, you just got to kick him out of the gym and you
give him a million dollars. So to me, that's just not what we were raised on.
It's just how it is today.
Up next, craziness in the NBA, and one of those big games last night involved a former Wildcat. Also, Bill Belichick is dealing with what one of his former players calls a distraction, something that they tried at all costs to avoid when they were all together up in New England. And Tom Brady checks in on Shador Sanders. He's been accused of having something to do with Sanders dropping in the NFL. We'll hear what Brady has to say about that next on six point thirty WLP Welcome back to
the Big Blue Insider. Coming up at the bottom of the hour, Jaln Whitlow, the former Kentucky quarterback, will look back on the final days of the Joker Phillips era, but the early days of the Mark Stoops era, and we'll talk to Jalen about the book he's written about being recruited as a college football player. A little bit later on Ryan Black at the Courier Journal and Justin
Rowland of Cats Illustrated. If you follow the NBA playoffs, I know around here not a lot of people like the NBA, but they get into it when the playoffs begin. It has been crazy so far, with a road team in the playoffs winning like six times, including the New York Knickerbockers twice, beating the Boston Celtics in Boston. I mean they were just dismissed. The Knicks were about midway through the year, looked like they might make a run, and now they're like nope, and the Celtics are the
defending champs. But the somehow the Knicks have come through, including last night when the Celtics were down a point but had the ball after a Jalen bruns and free throw made it ninety one to ninety, and the Celts did not call time out, came down, put the ball in the hands, of course of Jason Tatum, and then well, the Knicks depended on defense. Here's the call from Knicks radio Tyler Murray with.
The call second three, twelve for BRUNSI got them both. That one was a swish. Knicks by one, ninety one to ninety, Celtics not using the timeout. Tatum across McCourt with ten, top of the ky with eight defended by Robinson, was seven right wing, three across over foul line with four left block step back stole it by Bridges, Pridges sucks it down fourth. They've done it again.
They've done it again.
The New York Knicks take both in Boston and a two only to.
The Mecca Now that's how it sounded to Knicks fans. Here's what it sounded like on Celtics radio with Sean grand.
Cross half court, Tatum behind the Horford screen, Tatum five seconds, Tatum at the freight throw line, Tatum falling away in the baseline is passed block by Bridges, and the Knicks have done it again. The Celtics do not get a shot away, and the New York Knicks, written off as a championship contender midway through this season, have just recorded three extraordinary victories on the road to put themselves up two games to none in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Remember, these Knicks traded former Wildcat Julius Randall to Minnesota and in that deal they got Carl Anthony Towns, and it turned out to be a really good deal for the Knicks. And in fact, Towns last night had twenty one points and seventeen rebounds, so a huge night for the former Wildcat. Wildcat, always a Wildcat. There are no former Wildcats right now on the Celtics roster. There is
a Kentucky connection, Luke Cornet playing for the Celtics. Luke's dad is Frank Cornet, who played at election and Catholic went on to play at Vandy and then met Tracy, his wife, who went finished her schooling at uk tot. One point, she was the morning news anchor at w l EX here in town and now works TV in Nashville. And Frank had a long NBA career. Now his son is playing in the NBA. But that's the only Kentucky
connection there. But still I always like to listen to the radio calls on those last second shots from both sides. That was kind of fun. I mentioned Bill Belichick, and of course there's all kind of chatter about him and his girlfriend and whether or not she handled things properly during the interview, and you know in her background, she's making all kinds of money now in real estate since she started dating Belichick. Say what you will, judge how
you might if you will, about all of this. What I find the most interesting is that none of this has anything to do with Belichick coaching football at North Carolina. Now, this interview with CBS was supposed to be as much about his book as anything, but it has become a distraction. And I'm not saying just saying that a lot of people who used to play for Belichick are saying that people around the situation. And one of those guys who commented was Julian Edelman. He was on with Colin Cowhard
on Fox Radio. And Edelman who played at Kent State and became it was a quarterback option QB became a tremendous receiver on those great Patriot teams. He talked about the fact that it was becoming a distraction, something they tried to avoid. He took all measure to avoid. In New England.
The number one thing we used to talk about all the time in New England was distractions. Let's not make distractions. The game's already as hard as it is to prepare for to play, to coach and and you know, regardless of what her role is. Jordan h Yeah, I thought he got an unfair public opinion on the whole thing, because that happens all the time. Sure time we're doing behind the scenes this that you got someone who represents you,
they're gonna jump in. But now that it's it's gained and it's snowball to the what it's become right now where we're talking about it three weeks later, it's becoming a distraction.
So that's what.
I'm sure that's what we all think right now. This is becoming a distraction. We gotta we gotta gotta gotta practice what we preach.
Here not a bad point by Edelman, who played as a collegiate against Kentucky, and I always go back to
this story. It's one of my favorite stories that my man, Jeremy Jarmon told once we were talking about the interview process prior to the National Football League Draft that he went through, of course, and was taken by Washington, the Washington Football Club, and he was asked by I don't know which team might have been Washington, to name a player who impressed him the most with their knowledge of the game, an opposing player, and without hesitation, Jarman said,
Julian Edelman, of course, was the QB at the time for an option Kent State team, and Edelman played well against Kentucky and the Wildcats had to dig deep to beat that Kent State team. But Jeremy told me that that was the answer he immediately gave. And it's surprised whoever asked him the question he was expecting. Whoever was an answer about some mighty SEC player or a player on a mighty SEC team, but instead it was an undersized QB went on to play receiver, never batted an eye.
Edelman didn't about changing positions, but it was an undersized QB from a MAC team. And of course when you watched him play, you know he wasn't a burner, he wasn't huge as a receiver, wasn't a monster, but he knew how to get open, how to make plays and as a result, was part of that championship run up in New England. So I always love that answer. And when I heard Edelman making comments about Belichick, I had
to sit up and take notice. Speaking of Belichick, Tom Brady was talking about not North Carolina, not Belichick, but Shador Sanders, because Skip Bayless take him for what it's worth. I kind of think he's brilliant, but I think he's a bit of a shyster. I think he's just all about clickbait and attention. I think he says things he probably doesn't mean just to get attention. He made a fortune doing that on television before he finally lost his gig.
But anyhow, Tom Brady was on a podcast this week called Impulsive, and the host asked him about Sanders as it relates to comments Bayles's made blaming in part, Brady for Sanders dropping down in the draft. Bayless tweeted this, and I'm quoting it is now pretty clear Tom Brady, who mentored Shador, told the Raiders not in all caps, to take Shadeur duly noted that's what Skip Bayless said, with no context, with no attribution. He just tweeted that. And so Brady was asked about.
That, why did he go so late in the draft?
And there's I.
It's a good question. I was I wouldn't have part of any evaluation process or otherwise. I know, Well, everyone's got every you know, that's a problem with media is everyone can just say whatever they want or get away with it. It's kind of unfortunate because there actually used to be a lot of integrity in media and there's way less now because everyone needs crazy voices to get heard.
That's it. And it's not just the media. I know people like the point fingers and yes, we the media can be blamed for this, that and the other thing. But there's so much out there that is garbage on social media that non traditional media members throw out their fans and people who fancy themselves experts because they anchor a podcast at a mom's basement and they're never held accountable. And that's the problem with what Baylis did and what he's done all along, is he can make these outrageous
statements and he's never held accountable. And I don't know if anybody ever held him accountable when he said Johnny Manziel would become a bigger deal in Cleveland than Lebron James. He's been all kinds of comments like that and people pointed out, but they don't point it out directly to him, or if they have, I've not heard him held accountable. So I don't blame Brady for being disgusted by stuff like that. And as a broadcaster now, he's got to
be held more accountable to what he says. So up next, Jalen Witlow, former UK quarterback. A little bit later, Ryan Black at a CJ and Justin Rowland of Cats illustrated on six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue Sider, joining us now as a young man. I spoke to him several years ago on several occasions, but it's been a minute to talk to Jalen Witlow, former Kentucky quarterback, transfer it over to Eastern Illinois now works with young quarterbacks. He's also also a published author.
How are you, man, I'm doing well. Man, cannot complain. Man doing well? Stand busy? How about you?
Well, we've been good here. We've been watching watching football evolve at Kentucky, and I wanted to ask you, just not only to get caught up, but just to ask you to take us back to those early years. You were there for the changeover Joker Phillips to Mark Stoops. That was a tough time for Kentucky fans for some of the players. You've played well here but decided to go elsewhere and that worked out for you. Talk about
that in a minute. But what is that like for a young guy like you, especially a quarterback, a guy who is trying to be a leader and things just aren't going that well and then you get a new coach coming in. Tell me about that.
Yeah, it's uh, you know, it's not good man, obviously, but you know, it was definitely a learning process. You definitely learned a lot, you know, not from from coaches but also from players, but definitely from situations. Uh, you know, I think it was it was a huge deal. Uh, moving forward for me to go through that, But at the same time, you know, in the midst of it,
it wasn't easy. I mean, you know, we kind of we had a we had an idea freshman year, especially after the Vanderbield game, that there was going to be a change uh in staff. And once that game was over, we knew that it was a pretty good chance. And then we got the news. So that wasn't that wasn't cool man to see, you know, coach that that that recruited you and uh, you know head coach and offs the corner of Randy Sanders as well. You know, you know kind of you know getting let go, uh due
to how we were playing, and that's never a good feeling. Uh, you know, so we had to change, and you know, coach Stokes came in and you know, and his staff and implemented some things, and you know, I thought we were The record didn't really show, but we were better in a lot of areas. Yeah, you know, I thought we had a good enough team to be a lot
better than what our record show though. I mean when you look back at the defense, I mean we have four or five guys that played in the pros two of them are still playing right now, you know, so we we uh, you know, we were better than when our record showed. I think we have more talent at least than our record show. But you know, those times, weren't They weren't easy, man, being a quarterback on you know, at a big university like that and not really being successful.
The first time in my life that I wasn't really successful playing football, and and what it wasn't the easiest thing to go through.
How much of that did you carry emotionally being the quarterback?
Well, you know, you you still carry it in ways, you know, because it's like I said, it was my first time in my life that I wasn't successful playing quarterback. Yeah, wasn't successful playing football. I've never experienced anything like that, you know, to be on, I've always won growing up. You know, I had the luxury of always being around good players and good coaches. And not saying that we weren't around good players and good coaches. But obviously the
States are a lot higher at Kentucky. Obviously the talent is a lot, uh you know that the competition is a lot stiffer. But I've always you know, I was always lucky enough to be around winning situations and that wasn't the case at Kentucky unfortunately for a lot of different reas that you know, some of those reasons may
not include the people that we think they include. You know, so you know, it was what it was, man, But you know, it wasn't easy obviously, but you know it was what it was, and we you know, uh, it definitely was a learning a learning experience.
What do you think of Mark Stoops when you first met him when you started playing for him, because I remember he had a lot of respect for you. But what do you recall about him as your new head coach?
Yeah, I appreciate him because he was always you know, I was always fortunate with coaches that were just you know, I would rather be told the truth to my face and he would always do it. Uh. Coach Sanders would always do it. Under the Joker Phillips Eric regime, Uh, coach Phillis would always do it. You know, they were always telling the truth. For Coach Tups would always tell me the god out his truth, uh, to my face. On what's going on with the program, what's going on
with the offense. You know the position, you know, quarterback and he would be honest and I and I appreciate that because as a coach myself now, I think that that's a big deal for young men to always, uh, always have somebody around him that's going to be honest with them, but also not not honest in a negative way, but honest in a positive way and also given giving uh, you know, constructive criticism on how how can they approve from where they are right now? Where can we go
from now? From here? Where can we move? That's positive? Uh? And I thought he always did that, and you know, under his leadership, his coaches did the same. So you know, I thought I thought that that was good. I always liked coach too. I always appreciated him. He was always a player's coach. Uh. Like I said, real honest uh. And he always had a really good I was having a conversation recently about this. He always had a really
good feel for how his players were feeling. You know, he always had a really good he had a really good uh, you know, temperature of the team. He always had a really good thermometer when it came into that.
Uh.
And all of his players will tell you that, you know, because that's not always the case. With some coaches. Some coaches kind of disconnected and they are kind of robotic in ways that they go about business. We would get you know, he would be at the games and he would always have a good feel on what type of game it was and what do we need as a team on a Sunday or Monday. And he was always real good about that. And that's something that I took and learned from him. Uh, you know, as I got
in a coach, because I think that's really important. You know, he was he was the best I've ever seen that understanding his team and understanding, you know, where do we need to go from where we are right now and adjusting thing. He was never afraid to adjust practice schedules, adjustice the training, adjust things, you know, in the heat of the moment based on what we were feeling and based on where we were.
Uh.
And I thought, I don't think he get enough credit for that. I don't think he get enough credit for what he's doing at Kentucky. But I think that was that was one of the areas that I learned a lot from him.
So being flexible like that, it sounds like you're telling me that you don't see that and a lot of coaches, especially football coaches. True.
Yeah, I mean there's something that do with you just you know, football is a brute sport, always been a brute sport, always will be. But I think at some point you do have to understand, you know, you just got back at two am from a road trip to the University of South Carolina, and your players need a couple extra hours of sleep, or your players need another day to recover, or you know, maybe less running here and more time put into walkthrough and corrections. And he
always had a good feel for it. And I know that that bothers a lot of coaches because a lot of coaches are are real, uh you know, they're schedule in regimented guys, so they want to stay on schedule and stay on regiment. But I do think there's a there's a human element to it that the good coaches can feel and they can kind of taper what's on the schedule to make sure that it's lining up with how their players are are are feeling, you know, the
physical and men to help with the players. So I think he always really good at that.
Talking to Jalen Willow, former UK quarterback he transferred to Eastern Illinois, where he was an All Conference performer. But right now, looking back on his days at Kentucky, you mentioned Randy Sanders, who I think is one of the more underappreciated offensive coordinators. You know, not just the year he spent with you, but you go back and look at some of the years he was a Kentucky and the work he did with quarterbacks and went on to
be a head coach before he retired. You know what was his strength, Jalen as an oc.
His strength was Frank McGinn your ass and check, you know, that was his strength. He was He was extremely knowledgeable. I mean coming from high school, I have a really good coach in high school, some of the best around. But you know how it is. You know, when you're moving up a level, there's a lot that you don't know.
And I learned a lot just on how to how to go about being in the meeting room, how to go about being you know, I've always been a guy that's been on time, but being on time, not only being on time, but being on time. And we practiced early, and we met early and being on time and having you know, you know, your energy in the right area.
You know, not being a sleepy guy a meeting being you know, having good posture, speaking loud and clear, commanding the huddle, you know things that you know, all quarterbacks you would assume would learn, and you do learn, but
it's ratcheted up with notes. When you're in a room at eighteen with a bunch of guys that's twenty one and twenty two, it's a different it's a different deal when you just you know, you just got out of the huddle with fifteen and sixteen year olders and now you're in a huddle with twenty one and twenty twenty two year olders. Things change really quick, and I think he did a good job of kind of getting us
caught up to speed when it comes to that. Obviously, he's a really good coach when it comes to the edges and nose as well fundamentals as well. I still remember him post pictures on my locker of when I was in good body positions in the pocket and when I wasn't, And uh, you know, I still chuckle at those those memories, but uh, he was always great. He actually recruited a quarterback that I coached, Gaston Moore, that played at Tennessee Yeah, the past four years. He recruited Gaston.
I coached Gassing down in South Carolina. Hilton had our high school, and uh he recruited Gaston when he was the head coach at East Tennessee State. Uh So, I, you know, we kept in touch pretty well over the years. You know. So he was great man. I definitely appreciate it, appreciating the time I had with him.
Talking to Jalen Widlow, former Kentucky quarterback. He's now author. He's also part of the Believe in Kentucky podcast. We'll talk about that on the other side of the break as well. Here on the Big Blue Sider six thirty w l a P. Welcome back. We're talking with Jalen Whitlow here on the Big Blue and Sider. Jalen, of course,
the former Kentucky quarterback, transferred up to Eastern Illinois. Had a terrific time up there as an all conference quarterback at the FCS level, and that seemed like based on your numbers, I followed you a little bit jailing after you left, a pretty good fit for you. The offense you all ran. You were one of the top dual qbs coming out of high school, one of the top
fifteen in the country coming out of Montgomery, Alabama. So when you got up to the eastern Illinois, I got to think that felt a little more comfortable for it.
True, Yeah, you know, you know, in a few ways, I think it was a lot different. You know, I definitely enjoyed election. Elect was was tough to beat. When it comes to the town, you know, Charleston Lnoy, smaller ye college town, smaller school, you know, different situation when it's every everything was different, I'll be honest with you. But when it comes to the football piece, it was a great fit. You know, when it comes to the
style on offense. You know, we had a really good coach, coach Greg Stevens, one of the best office coordinators I've been around, one of the best football coaches I've been around with the country to an ex and those standpoint, you know, we did a lot and it was really good. I learned a lot of football from from that guy. And he was, you know, really well versed in how he taught and you know, the ways we did things at practice and whatnot. So yeah, he was a good fit.
You know. You know, we I got there in summer of twenty fourteen, right, and we kind of we kind of got rolling, man, and you know, they were coming off two great years of conference championships with coach Dino Babers, and uh, we got there in twenty fourteen, and you know and uh kind of kept that thing going. To look, we weren't as successful, but you know, we did have some games where we we lost in the quote unquote
conference championship game the Jackson State Jacksonville State. That was you know, it wasn't the conference championship game, but whoever won that game won at all. And they end up beating us, and they end up going to the NETS championship that year and losing in North Dakota State. But we put us some pretty good numbers. You know, we had some good players around us, and uh, you know it was it was a fun office to play in for sure.
Yeah, you wound up one of the all time leaders at e IU in total offense and uh and based on the numbers, it looked like you had some fun up there. And now you're putting your knowledge to good use for sharing it via the podcast Tell me about Believe in Kentucky. You got some guys on there that I've I've interviewed and and talked to.
Yeah, I love the podcast. I haven't been able to do it as much recently, man, I've been so busy with everything else. But I love I love doing it. I love talking football, you know. I just think it's it's something that that I enjoyed doing. Man, when we start talking football. So, uh, you know those guys are great, man. You know, it's they they put a lot of effort into it. You know, they kind of handled everything from a uh from that side of it, from you know,
getting everything going. And you know, I luckily have the uh, you know, the the ability to just hop on the on the zone or hop on online and and and just you know, talk football. So Vinnie and Aaron are the guys that that thing there. I'm just the h I'm just the guy that you know that can get on there and and and kind of talk from a little bit of experience. So just a good thing. You know, they do a good job.
Minnie Hardy and Aaron Gershawan, they know their UK sports been on my show many times. They are good guys to talk to. Uh, you're also a published author. You work with young quarterbacks now, I know, Uh, but tell me about especially. I think it was your first book called Prepared the Guy to a Successful Collegiate Experience for athletes and parents. Man, it seems like this was a real there was a real need for this book. Tell me about that.
Yeah, I just, you know, got in a writing I've always been a pretty good writer for the most part, you know, and I just got in a writing mood. I just felt like, you know, uh, that's something that I didn't have coming out of high school. I was around a lot of guys at my high school that was playing college ball. So I knew a whole bunch of guys that played college ball, but nobody had anything like a manual of what to do and how to
do it in certain situations, you know. So it's just something that I thought about, and I thought it would be valuable to you know, student athletes, you know, lead going to college. I thought it would be valuable. How to you know, how to build relationships, you know, just my experience on you know, forming relationships with players or students, I should say, outside of the athletic programs. You know,
just things in that nature. You know, how to build a schedule, how to be disciplined in the schedule, how to stay on schedule when it comes to you know, class workouts, meals, you know, practice how to go about your business really and you know how to handle you know, adverse situations as a student athlete, because they happen, you know, you know, just everything from that standpoint, you know, with something that I needed as a freshman, you know, an easy read if I could have you know, if I
would have had it. Maybe it was some information from a different perspective that you gather and you say, hey, I like this, and I'm going to apply this to my every day you know. So that's that's just what it is.
It's a great idea for a book. Has it been pretty well accepted.
Yes, it's been definitely well accepted. So I appreciate everybody who supported it, you know, so it's definitely well accepted. I'm gonna I'm looking to, you know, kind of add a different volume to it nowadays with NIL and transfer portal. I think there's some information out there that that you know, some of the seventeen eighteen nineteen year olds probably probably
need to hear in a very easy read. And I say very easy because I'm sure most of them spend ninety percent of the time thinking about how much money they can make and you know, if they want, if they want to transfer, and all of that. And I think some of them need to kind of it down and really think about these things. And you know, understand that. And I talked about it in the book as well, like transferring. You know how big of a deal that was.
I didn't realize how big of a deal it was until it hit the news the day I the day I told, you know, Coach Stoups and Coach Brown, I don't I didn't realize how big of a deal is.
I mean, you don't know. I mean, you know, being eighteen years old at the time, I mean, you just you know, you're going off of the you know, they they you know, we have a conversation and I leave and I go talk to the people that I care about that probably have more experience than I have, and they advised me on a few things, and I made a decision. And boy, man, I tell you that the next few days, you know, we're kind of crazy, and I, you know, I think there's some there was some way
I could have handled those things in certain ways. And I hated that, you know, I hated that I didn't handle those situations a little bit better. Some things I probably could have done better from a leadership standpoint, you know, when the quarterbacks leaving the program, and I didn't do those things. So I I you know, not that it was anything terrible. I didn't, you know, I didn't. I didn't feel like I disrespected anybody, but I just felt like, you know, some of the things I could have I
could have done a little bit better, you know. But it's you know, the book is just that, like, how do you handle those situations you don't want to write? Yeah, and most of these, you know, I was lucky to have people around me to advise me on certain things. But maybe maybe some players out there don't have as much support as I am, so I just think it'll be good for them.
You can find it on Amazon. It's called Prepared type in either Prepared or Jalen's Name or both. Did you say you're working on a second book.
Well, I wrote a second book called sign Uh And it's really about you know, quarterbacks getting recruited at the end of the day and what they need to be to get what they need to do to get recruited, and like I said, you know, it's funny how quick things change. Uh, that book is really good and it's really valuable, but nowadays, you know, I think there's some things that could be updated, especially in that one, because
you know, things have changed since twenty twenty two. Man, in twenty twenty one, so you know, it's only been four years or so, but a lot has changed. So yeah, I've done that. You know, I would like that. I thought about, you know, kind of you know, editing or adding to the first book prepare as we move forward. So we'll see.
Jalen Widlow is a coach. He helped train and prepare young quarterbacks. He's a published author, and of course, the former Wildcat quarterback went on to even more success at Eastern Illinois and as part of the Believe in Kentucky podcast occasionally with Vinnie and Aaron and Hey, I really appreciate chatting with you. Let's stay in touch. We'll do it again. I want to ask you next time we chat about just working with young qbs. But thanks for your time.
Oh, no problem, anytime, man, anytime.
That's it for our number one coming up and now number dude justin Rowland Katz illustrated and Ryan Black from the Courier Journal now on six point thirty wlaping.
Any such such stating the canning anything can.
Welcome back to the Big Blue and sider joining us now is Ryan Black of the Courier Journal. Covers the Wildcats and a lot of other stuff. We see Ryan all the time on the beat. Haven't had him on the show for a while. Welcome them back.
Hey, Dick, thanks so much for having me on. Glad to be back.
You survived the derby in all the weather, but I know you're pulled in every direction. We've talked about this before. When you joined the CJ, you knew that you were going to have to learn horse racing. Did you know much about it before you got here? Dick?
You know what's funny is I I guess I'd always followed horse racing from Afar before I ever got to Kentucky. And you know I followed I pretty much. Mean, you know, I would try to watch the Triple Crown races every year. You know, I'm not someone who had like the daily racing form and was making bets, but I could at least tell you that I remember the first year I ever watched it was O two and that was the year that War Emblem won the first two legs of
the Triple Crown and then lost to the Belmont. And the following year it was Funny Side, and then in two thousand and four was Marty Jones, and then two thousand and eight was a Big Brown. So all of these horses, who you know, I'll be honest, Dick, I just kind of thought that it just seemed like the Triple Crown was such a difficult thing to accomplish, kind of thought, after seeing so many near misses, that I
would go my lifetime without seeing one. And then of course right here in the last decade we've seen we've seen two. So like, So, I mean, I at least knew kind a lot about the history, for sure, Dick. But but I can't I can't tell you that I was like to literally watching every single race or golf stream or things like that. But no, I was at least knew probably more than a lot of people to see J's hired over the years, simply because I've just always always loved it, always loved it.
Well, it's a great event of grade spectacles. Yeah, and before we move over to UK stuff, your response, your thoughts, uh, your reaction to the fact that Sovereignty will not run in the Preakness.
You know, Dick, I'm so split on this because you know, certainly there are quite a few people, including you know, our own columns CJ. C. L. Brown, you know, who penned things to the effect of, hey, you know, we need to change up the dates of the Triple Crown
races so we can avoid this happening. And I get that because again, it is about, at the end of the day, you know, Dick, the health of these horses, and you don't, you know, if these owners and trainers think it's too risky to run them in such a you know, three races in a five week fan. I get that. The flip side is, though, Dick, does it cheapen the Triple Crown accomplishment because it takes a special
horse to accomplish it. So I guess I'm just so split on whether I agree with moving the Triple Crown dates. I don't know if you feel differently, but I I'm always not crazy about messing with traditions.
Yeah, and you know what, I was that way for such a long time. This week, I've been talking about it a lot again, I kind of likened it to, you know, digging in against the designated hitter. But time's changed.
Oh yeah.
But the other thing too is the breed has changed. They breed out for speed more than stamina. But the other thing too is Ryan. You go back and look through the history books, the Preakness has not been run when it's run for the last one hundred and fifty years. There was a point where the Preakness was running New York in the Bronx or Colonia Island and a different dates. And in nineteen ninety team Sir Barton wins the Triple Crown. He won the Preakness Ryan four days after the Kentucky Derby.
So there's tradition and then there's traditions. So anyhow, let's do what's best for the horse.
Uh.
Speaking of horses, there were brothers talk about first of basketball Wildcats. What do you think of the way Mark Pope has put his roster together for the upcoming season.
Well, I mean, Dicky, I think it's kind of hard not to like, you know, everything they've done, you know, and I know this is kind of like something we talked a little bit about last year, right was you know, early on, there were there were guys who you know, we heard maybe they had targeted, whether it was you know, Donovan din or this, that and the other. And then
he ended up going to UCLA for instance. But like you know, like there's always that unrest of the fan base, you know, after early on it seemed like quote unquote Kentucky had missed on guys. And now you know we're sitting here a few days, you know, a week into May, and and right, Dick and me, I think anybody would tell you it looks like on paper, on paper, they Kentucky had the top five roster heading into next year.
You depending on how you feel about you know, Saint John, how you feel about Louisville, you know, then there's some other good rosters out there. But I mean, I don't I don't think there's any question what what the And then I was going to say, we just the big kind of piece is weally what Okaya Oway does? I mean, I think everyone assumes he will come back, barring just blowing away NBA scouts and talent evaluators. That that's you know, the combine. But but you know, you get him back.
I just don't see any way that that Kentucky certainly is out of the top ten, if not out of the top five preseasons you know in the poll.
Well obviously Nio dollars. Now when it comes to oh way, uh, it's a huge advantage for Kentucky because he could literally make more coming back to college. But you know, he misses out on that proverbial second contract in the NBA. You know how guys want to get in there and get their clocks started. So this is the sport itself is in such a state of flux. It's interesting and frustrating at the same time.
Isn't it It is you know, indiction.
I feel like it's something we talked about, you know, in previous years, and you've had me on this shows that it's I guess. For one. In one sense, I do like the transfer portal and some of this stuff in that it gives you more content and news to
talk about throughout kind of after March. But on the flip side, it's like, you know, I hate that, you know, we can't really speak with any amount of certainty about any sport anymore about like, hey, you know, the Bowl game or whatever, maybe decent for football, and now you have no clue what got It's just it's a weird. It's a weird time to be covering college sports in
that sense, but like there's nothing else. I'm sure it makes your job easier in that way, right, I mean, it gives you so much more to talk about in terms of what the roster things and all that constantly kind of changing and things not being get set and stone as they want for Yeah.
Well it's it's You're right, it's it's content. Uh. But again, there's so many question marks and everybody wants to be first. You know how the competitive nature is. But there are so many people out there on the Internet throwing out at what they perceive to be information that it makes it pretty confusing. But I do believe Ryan that the pendulum has swung so far in one direction, and so
much of sports is cyclical. I'm mixing my metaphors, but I do think the pendulum will start to swing back toward a more manageable situation, as in only one freebie when it comes to transferring. And I'm sure someone will challenge that in court, but you got to think the powers would be can see that coming and do what's best for college sports, or is that pie in the sky. Do you think no?
And I think to Dick, I know we're still kind of waiting on all this stuff with the revenue sharing,
this that and the other house. And I think, you know, whenever that maybe goes through or however that maybe gets settled, I think you know you're going to see, right, Dick, kind of what's aching the pro contract is that, hey, you know, if you whether you're allowed to actually break the contract or if you do, then you have to give back the I mean, I just I do think I know you you'd say there's always the cynical type who would tell you that college sports has been pro
sport for however many decades maybe, But I do think that we have certainly moved more and more and more and more and more towards this professional like model, and I think it's only going to continue to get that way. I think the most interesting potential kind of concept, Dick, and I don't think this would ever maybe go through unless we do completely completely you know, untether college sports from the universities themselves is like trade, like you know,
could could could you actually do? Trade?
Youse?
People joke about what happened to right about it? Yeah, you know, because I think then you're you know, then you're gonna say, well, hey, that's not fair to the student athlete or whatever term you want us to to you know, trade him from uh as Zus Kentucky, from Kentucky to Ohio State, or a player to be named later in the future, recruit you know, I don't know. I mean, it's it's it's just you think it's so it's just like kind of a constantly changing field that
we're on right now. Right there's and there's just so much still up in the air until we get a little more clarity from the court system.
Yeah, you're right, and everything's gonna end up in court, so yeah, sure, you know, and people talk about the fact that whoever has been trying cases for the NCAA or defending cases have done a terrible job, you know, I mean they've lost every case. But you know, things you've got to.
Turn around and I'll say this this. You know, I've certainly had this opinion way before some of these recent moves kind of in college athletics, but that I do think that you know, maybe in the next fifteen years, especially football, you know, the other sports are harder to predict but I think you're going to see a point where college football is completely outside of they're going to license the you know, hey, like the football Burgers are going to license the right to put UK on the
helmet and the uniforms and things like that. But outside of that, they're going to basically be you know, Triple A or semi pro you know, Triple A football teams really, you know, and uh, it's it's it's unfortunate.
I think that.
It feels like education now is it doesn't really matter to a lot of guys, because I mean I can't imagine and you know, Dick, I mean some of these guys who are now maybe the fourth or hits school, I mean, what have you been able to, like how many of your credits have transferred to? How much did
you really retain out of all these schools. But you know, I understand the end of the day, you know, hey, you're you're wanting to go play sports somewhere, and you're going to go where you think gives you the best opportunity, and you'll figure out the educational stuff later maybe.
Yeah. And you know, people might roll their eyes at this kind of conversation when it comes to uh two academics and Kentucky's got a good record when it comes to the APR. You know, the graduation rates and GPS and all that stuff. And we've got to remember that the athletes that you and I cover right about, talk about, broadcast about, they are the tail wagging the dog. And as we all know, less than two percent of these kids make it to the major professional levels. I know
that you can run track and make a nice living. Well, when you're talking about the NBA and the NFL, you're talking about a minuscule number of of kids, men and women w NBA who go play. So you got to have, you know, and you can make a ton of money in college. Where's that going to be in five years?
Yep?
Well, and Dick, that's what I would say to anybody who I can. I just you know, Dick, I think I maybe said this on this show. The fact, I do hate that. I feel like there are people who just completely they just like to they roll their eyes at the whole education, this education that. But like but Dick, every athlete's career comes to an end at some point, and so what do you have to fall back on after that? You know, if you don't have an education.
What do you have?
You know me, unless you just were able to invest whatever pro earning so smartly. Uh, you know, you're probably you're going to be coming up against Bill at some point that you know.
And and you know what, we we all talk about the fact. Yeah, the answers all fall back on the money I made. And yet you read these horror stories about athletes who three years after the done playing, they're broke, you know. So yeah, it's it's it's a tried and true story. Ryan Black is my guess from the Courier Journal, will come back and talk Kentucky football on the other side of the break here on six thirty WLAP Welcome back. Ryan Black is my guest beat writer for the Courier
Journal and covers the Wildcats. And you got to keep an eye on the football roster too. Seemed like every day for quite a while you were seeing a new name added, either an old lineman or a wide receiver. And thirty odd new faces now so many of them are old linemen. And obviously that's the key this coming here, isn't It doesn't matter what else they do, Ryan, If
whoever's behind center, whatever quarterback's back there. If he's running for his life as he has for the last three years, it doesn't matter what they do, Am I right?
I mean, Dick, I know that. I mean I hate falling back on anything that sounds like a cliche, but I mean everything does when football start up front, right, As like you said, I mean, you can certainly, if you're a great running back what have you, you can maybe make one defender missus like you just cannot continually expect anybody to fight off oncoming rushers and uh you know, past or us type specialists if you don't have any productions,
you know, from the get go. And so I think it's like you said that, it basically doesn't matter how much you upgrade the skill position. If if the offensive line uh you know, doesn't play like it needs to, nothing else is really gonna matter.
Yeah, you had a chance to talk to some of these kids. What was your takeaway from it?
Well, you know, Jacka and I wrote about this in kind of my Spring Takeaway thing and I'd love to get it's your opinion, and someone's kind of touched on. I think it was Jeff Drummond who asked SUPs after the Spring Showcase in terms of just arm talent. I mean, how that Tew's out of the news guy they've got. I mean, the ball just absolutely rifles out of his things. Yes, And I'm just curious, out of the years you've covered this scene, where does he rank in terms of this.
I'm not talking about like accuracy or just I'm talking about pure arm talent. Where does he kind of rank in your mind?
I need to more, But that made me sit up straight. You're right on the day of the showcase quote unquote, you know, and i'd heard well cut her ball the's arms, you know, and I see Calzada in a game situation.
I'm impressed. And the first thing I thought was is this, if these kids can get open, I think he can throw them open, you know, or hit that window, that sec window where as you know, you might have six to eight inches of a target where you got to put it there, as Will Levis did in his first year when he had protection and he had won Dall Robinson. I think he could be up there, and he might if he could make better decisions than Will and and people get open. This could be a lot of fun.
Yeah.
No, And I you know, I think that Monte and Quisenberry really spring circase. Well, I mean, and it seems like you know that was that was the one thing you know, Dick last year, you know, because I did. That's part of what I also mentioned this spring wrap up store.
I did it.
I don't know if you knew this when your back look at the number, but that uh, you know, Dame Key ended up moving on. He had forty seven your receptions, which is far and away number one on the team five seasons. Right, But that when you combine number two number three were Barry on Brown and Demmy schumerccarn Bay, they combined for forty nine. So it's like, I don't think Kentucky will be nearly as reliant on just one guy in the passing game as they were last year.
And agree for Dankee again, right, I mean that you don't need to give these sec defenses any more easier assignments if like, hey, we really need to kind of guard one guy. And I think so, I think the fact they have you know, uh look on paper, you know, Dick, let's say on paper, it doesn't they have more options in the passing game.
Petting, No, I couldn't agree more. And you think back to first of all, it was the biggest win of the year last year at Old Miss and most puzzling because you're like, where did that team go? But yeah, that day you might recall Old Miss sold out to try to stop Dan Key. This is what impressed me the most. He still had a good game, still made big catches, even though they doubled him everywhere. They were
hanging on him, hitting him across the middle, sometimes illegally. Uh. But that was a team that made no bones about the fact that, hey, you are not going to beat us with Dane Key. And still to a degree they did. So yeah, I'm with you. I want to see how they spread the football out. Do they throw them more to the running backs?
Uh?
You know?
And and is it more of a dangerous attack? I think it will be.
Well in one hundred percent. I mean I think that you know too, if you remember too, Dick, And I've written this goodness Grace. So it feels like, I mean, how many times since the end the last season, But is that you know, at as the you know, last month of the season last year, that's when really when Jamor McLain came on. And I kind of meant, you know, most times like Hey, uh, I'm playing Mackland. My thought Macklin, Uh that uh kind of by then. Unfortunately for Kentucky
was like a little too little, too late. But I think, you know, getting him back, and it seems like he already and he was one who obviously praised and you remembered that press conference after after the spring show cause he was the one who praised has out his arm, and so I just think that that what they've got, Like I said, Dick, you know, I know, it's always easy to try to make proximations in the spring after certain things you've seen, but it just does seem that
they might have a more well rounded receiver room than what they.
Definitely definitely which means I'm not saying that it was bad last year, Yeah, but I got to think it makes for better chemistry, you know. Yeah, although no, go ahead, sorry going to it.
Why was it to say that that, you know, certainly for all the all the great things he did, you know on special teams, I mean they were definitely, I mean, I mean they just really too many times that barry On Brown just just disappeared in the PAP game. I mean, like you wouldn't even know this out there. This was puzzling.
Yeah, I'm really curious to see how he fares at LSU. I've only got about a minute left or so. But uh, you are going to be a busy man this coming fall, and do you have any plans for the summer You're going to try to because I know you're a car guy, anything fun coming up?
You know, that's a great question, I am. You know, I saw this yesterday that the USA today they did like a ten best like tractions for car lover people, and number two on that list, ironically enough, was the Corvette Museum. You know, the one time I kind of did not have as much time to really I was. I was with other people that day, so and I'm one of the people would like to look at everything. Yeah, I need to go back there at some point and
just really take everything in. So maybe I'll make just a trip down to Bowling Green for the day.
That's a good plan. Let me know how that goes and well, and tell everybody how to follow you on Twitter.
Yes, sir, Yeah, Matt Ryan a black.
That's it. That's as simple as that.
But be sure you include the a right, Uh, you know, if you don't, if you don't include the A I don't know where you want to know?
All right, man, thanks so much. We'll see you around the ballpark.
All right, Thanks so much to appreciate it.
Through the years, I've gotten to know the beat writer from the Courier Journal. In terms of the UK beat has to cover both football and basketball. Of course, the Harold Leader many many years ago split that beat because it's hard to do service to both sports, especially now with the Internet and play. But when you sign up to write for the Louisville Courier Journal, even if you're not in sports, the odds are you're gonna have to write something about the Kentucky Derby, but especially if you're
in sports. And sadly now there's no turf writers. And when Jenny Reese left the newspaper took the early buyout, they did not replace her at all with the turf writer, so they kind of spread it out and Ryan does a good job with his assignments. Up next, Justin Rowland of Cats Illustrated on six point thirty, Welcome back to the Big Oeland Insider, joining us now as a guy we haven't talked with. Justin Rowland of Cats Illustrated. You heard him on this morning with Tom Leach. Justin, thanks
for joining us. I want to follow up to your conversation with Tom because there's so much to talk about. But you guys touched on something that everybody's wondering about with the football wildcast. That's the additions to the roster and you know the old line. He's got so many new old linemen. Now he just brought in a new wide receiver. But what concerns me the most, Justin and you guys touched again on this and everybody's talking about it, is can you develop as a unit in such a
short amount of time. But that's where we are with the portal right now, isn't it.
Yeah, the expectation just has to be that these guys are going to be pros. Now that they're paid like pros. They've got to have more of a pro mindset and a pro approach. That's a lot to ask for a younger guy. But coaches also, I think are going to benefit from honest communication. Like if you get a guy in your program and he knows where he stands and he knows what's expected and what is on the table for him one year, as opposed to maybe he's got to wait a year for his turn versus just making
all kinds of promises. And there's so much turnover right now. The relationship between the position coach and the guy that he's recruited to be WILLI So they're probably hoping that it's a better dynamic in the receiver room for since there's just so many new faces. I mean, they got like thirty new guys just from the portal alone, so you're almost talking about a completely new team.
Well, let's talk about that element of professionalism involved. And of course, if you're on a professional team and you're not performing properly, you can get cut. I mean they might still have to pay your contract, maybe not in the NFL they have terrible contracts, but they'll cut you and go get somebody else, you know, and you really can't do that. There are some windows where you can in college ball, but for the most part, you can't
do that. So that puts a different kind of pressure on everybody.
Doesn't it.
Yeah, yeah, it does, and I think the whole cut thing has become probably more common. You don't hear what those conversations are like at the end of the year, but you know, if a coach. Let's say he's a linebacker coach and a guy just hasn't cut it all season. It's probably gonna be honest with you and say, look, you probably better off having a chance to play somewhere else.
We want the best for you.
But you know what, if he doesn't want to leave, then that's its own situation. But I mean, look, you got thirty guys transferring in and thirty guys transferring out. There are some hard decisions and hard conversations being made, and even right up until now, as they're adding guys, there's a domino effect. Like when Hardley Gilmour comes back into the program from Nebraska, what's Fred Ferrier thinking, I've got one year left and I probably just moved down
in the pecking order a spot. So it's tough for everybody.
Yeah, at least when it comes to receivers, you've got the slot versus the wide app But it's also a matter of how many balls are coming my way, you know, And I know it sounds selfish, but that's almost where these kids have put themselves in a situation now, and offensive coordinators have to think about that kind of thing now, justin that's what's nuts about it. Am I getting the
ball to this guy enough? Because I know I have to and you know, I guess the term keeping him happy now is is is more relevant than ever, isn't it?
Yeah?
You have to and you got to decide how important somebody is. Yeah, you can see some weeks there's clearly a game plan to get somebody involved, and you know, maybe it's a week when you can afford to do that, or maybe you take a shot and just get somebody a chance on a big stage. But yeah, it's an interesting climate. So it's much more professional at at every level.
Oh yeah, we're talking to Justin Rowland of Cats Illustrated part of the Rivals Network. You referred to wide receiver and of course Kentucky adds a former four star who played at SMU and at Oregon and it was highly touted coming out. But I'm wondering about Ashton Kozwart. Is he just going to provide depth or does he have a shot at being a part of a relevant rotation. What do you know about him?
I mean, he's a guy that's talented. He's six two six three, so he's got size and they wanted to get more size and recruiting receiver room for a while, and he ran a four four two forty in high school. And so you had Oklahoma and Oregon and some schools that have put out some really good receivers over the years were intrigued with him in high school. He's a committed to Oklahoma and he signed with Oregon. He transferred
out of Oregon after one year. Yeah, so that that immediately makes you wonder was it a deal where he just saw he was not going to play anytime soon and what does that mean forecasting forward for us? He didn't see a lot of action at SMU, but the talent has.
Always been there.
I think in this case, they're they're they're looking for guys that are in they have interesting traits, but maybe they're not great college football players. Yes, and Cozart is big and he's fast and that so that counts for a lot.
And was a broad jumper, So if you need a lob in the corner of the end zone, maybe that's your guy. Clearly very twitchy. But I'm like you, I kind of wonder I could see getting swept up at Oregon, you know, with their offense and they've got a lot of talent kind of getting lost in the sh shuffle. I'm surprised he didn't do more at SMU, which had a good program, has had a good program in the last couple of years. But uh, did that surprise you at all?
Well, I mean, they're they. I think they went undefeated in the ACC just about so they they they came in and SMU has been throwing a lot of money around. Yeah, and uh, yeah, so they I'm not saying they're they're talented on the level of Oregon. You would have liked to see him produce a little bit more. But again, you're you're you're not saying we're promising you a starting spot.
It's you're probably coming in and try to be a part of the rotation your first year, and then you'll have a good chance to play after that.
Yeah, this is a really interesting time for recruiters, isn't it. Justin you've got to you've got to really keep an eye and keep track of everybody you recruited who signed to go elsewhere, you know, in track their progress or lack of same, don't you.
Yeah, And a lot of times, let's say, let's say this, I'm recruiting a running back. He's going to go to Florida State. They're they're they're going to host for an official visit to Marii Thomas, who's a running back committed to Florida State. Even if he doesn't go to even if he goes to Florida State, there's a really strong possibility that in the next one or two years, he's
going to be recruited again. And what we see is the schools that were involved with those players the first time around have a much better chance of getting them the second time around. So recruiting is the long game now as much as it's like the here and now in the portal, but it's the long game.
With high school kids.
It's like, maybe maybe I don't have to be number one now, but I want to be in the conversation.
That's a great way to put it, or playing the long game. And think about Wandale Robinson for whatever reason that he decided he needed to be closer to home. It was the relationship he maintained with Vince Merrill, right.
That's right, yeah, yeah, And how you handle maybe not not being chosen, how things go after that, and then a lot of times it's kind of an interesting dynamic. I mean, assistant coaches turn over a lot. And I'm not saying this for Kentucky, but just in general, an assistant coach might be offering kids just knowing I'm probably just going to be somewhere else I'm problem, but their
relationship with this kid is going to carry. And so these relationships are the currency in the world of assistant college football coaching, and their value is the relationships they have with these players. So they're recruiting kids even if they don't think they have a great shot at them.
Right now, let me run something by you, and I've discussed it with several people. I just think it's really fascinating and it's kind of low hanging fruit when it comes to Kentucky football, But the revolving door for quarterbacks, I'm really fascinated by this season as much as any Cutter bowlie. And you know the kids they brought in that quarterback room, and you can trace it back to Drew Barker's injury. I know, you remember when they signed
him and what that meant that class of fourteen. God that was ten years ago, but that was supposed to be when Barker would become the eyes and the face and the right arm of the Kentucky passing game in the football program, and his injury just set that revolving door spinning. You know what, You've got Juko's coming in, Transfers coming in. Some were very successful, Steven Johnson, Terry Wilson,
you know. And but when is the last time and when will they ever be able to recruit a QB, groom him and get him under center for you know, two and a half three straight seasons. I just wonder, now is that even possible?
Yeah, how often does that happen? It's more like it's more like you get a kid for one year and then you just hope you can convince him to stay for a second, not go into the portal, or not go to the draft. That's just where they're at. So yeah, I guess in a sense, Kentucky was ahead of the curve when with quarterbacks.
I guess now that you mention it.
Yeah, it's been crazy. It's surprising that they have had as much success until recently as they did with his little quarterback development as took place. But it's just not a quarterback featured program some other I mean, you think about probably what it was like to be a cornerback for Mike Leach at Texas Tech. It's not a glamorous position, right,
but it's still an opportunity. It's an opportunity for a power on a power conference stage, for somebody to go and say, hey, Will Levis did it, and he had a high draft spot. So maybe I believe in myself and just have the opportunity, then I can make something happen. That's why it's still still in attractive spot.
Now, you're right, you know, you just got to hope if you get your shot, that you've got an NFL already made line in front of you like Levis did when he got here, and an NFL slot back in an NFL running back. But you know, that's why you play at the highest level. He is Justin Rowland. He is the publisher of Cats Illustrated. We'll come back and talk basketball with Justin on the other side of the break here on six thirty w as welcome back. We're
talking with Justin Rowland of Cats Illustrated. We were talking about football, of course, but we need to talk a about basketball. It's kind of weird though, Justin that one of the headlines these days is the uk U of
L basketball game. And I was talking on the show yesterday about the fact that when Bill Curry and Howard Schnellenberger put together the agreement to start playing football again in the early nineties, it was just to redirect discussions in the offseason about UK sports to football in that basketball. But that's where we are at a different age right now. And this is a headline, of course, the earliest k
U of L basketball game ever. It's all about TV on the one hand, but I understand that this is when Kelsey wanted to play this game. What was your take on this? What was your reaction when you heard the news.
Of the game November eleven? Yes, that's yeah, it's crazy. I mean, it's a month and a half before you ever expected to take place. But I guess, I mean, it's just just the unfamiliarity of it. There's nothing essential about the game that it makes it bad. As an opener, we've seen the talk about win the football game should be played back in the day, it should be the first game, should be the last game. And Kentucky has played in the Champions Classic against Marquee teams very early
in the season before. But I mean, I guess the bright side is that's the heck of a way to start college basketball. Oh yeah, so yeah, but earlier than I'd like to see it.
Yeah see, and I I talked about this too. I have always been a proponent of football being the first game because I'm in the hype business and it makes for great hype in the summer. You know, with all due respect, Kentucky playing a MAC team. You know, people think, oh, football's coming and then that's it. But it's the smack talks. It makes it fun. Uh So, yeah, that's that's that's a nice way to look at it. At Koube early but Tuesday night, early November before they played a football
game is just weird looking at Mark Pope's team. So he just added a couple of players, two bigs. One of them will provide depth. Let's put it to you that way in rhes Potter. The other the kid from Croatia, Yelich. How do you see him fitting in.
It's kind of that modern that modern big and it's hard for He's hard for me to tell because the game is so different. When you watch his highlights, like the game that he's been playing is just there's a different flow to it. There's a different energy to it.
I'm not expecting him to get obviously starter level minutes, but I feel like for Pope, there's a chance to be a fifteen minute game guy and then a game a guy, and then are you somebody who fades off when you get into the tournament or maybe like Chandler and Garrison, do they lean a little bit more on you when it gets close to the tournament. So that's where he's the basket that i'd put him in right now.
But certainly a skilled player, and it wouldn't surprise me if he took off and had a bigger role in I expected.
Yeah, And it's gonna come down as well to how well does he shoot from the outside. You know, if Pope is still bent on getting thirty to thirty five threes up and we know the guy's coming in from Europe like to play that style of ball. I also think it's fascinating that Pope is not backing down. In fact, people kind of gently on his calling show. I don't know if you heard it, but challenged him this year about his quote unquote substitution pattern, which is a term
that should be retired. But you know, he said he's he was. Basically, he never invoked Patino's name, but Patino, as you know, Patino's teams play this way. You know, you go like crazy for two to three minutes and we'll sub you. And so he would go deeply into his bench, and that's the way Pope wants to play now. So I don't see him trimming his rotation back at all to you, No, I don't think so.
I mean, there's an adjustment from the Caliperi era when the rotation was definitely tighter and you knew that guys were going to be playing thirty thirty five minutes when the tournament rolled around. But just if you want to keep guys around, and it's harder in the Portal era, but if you want to keep guys around, and if you want to develop multi year guys in the program,
then you just have to give them minutes. And there are gonna be some cases and it's like maybe this guy would be better, maybe he's more ready, maybe he's deducing better. But the long play again is you're running a program. You're not just trying to win this one game, and you have to give guys minutes and reps and opportunities and you saw the payoff as lay like Chandler last year.
Oh yeah. And to that end, were you surprised or no, that Travis Perry decided to leave because I'm I know he noticed Chandler getting better.
Yeah, I mean, I guess he fulfilled the dream of playing for Kentucky and there's nothing to say he might not be able to come back at some point. But I mean, once you get that taste, it's like, well, what's next for my basketball career? And there's probably just better opportunity for him in the here and now elsewhere. So I mean the decision made sense. I understood it.
If he thought he was going to struggle to have an expanded roller to grow in the program when somebody else is saying, hey, we got a great plan for you, I understand it.
Yeah. Do you like that fit at all, miss, because the way they played last year, I'm not entirely sure where I see Travis Perry fitting in down there.
Yeah, I don't. He's not an obvious fit at Old Man. But aside from the fact that it seemed like we heard that Chris Beard has always liked him, yeah, that he liked that, he liked him and thought that he was a tough, gretty player. And look, it's kind of like Kentucky recruiting these backup offensive linemen and receivers and stuff.
I mean, if you value a guy, you think somebody can be a great shooter for you and he can spell you five ten minutes when there are injuries or foul problems, and there is value in a role like that. Absolutely there. There were games when he gave him five to ten minutes and the plus minus when he was in the game was pretty much even, And there's huge value in having a point guard like that.
You're exactly right. A couple of minutes slept with Justin Rowland. You mentioned Chris Beard, and he's fascinating to me. He was on the fast track and then he had some off the court problems. Now he's back. He's got a good job at Ole Miss in the best conference. But I wonder what's next for him or does he stay there and build it into what he's hoping it can
be and everybody down there hoping it can be. Because I can't forget about the fact that when the eye you job opened up and Rick Patino said no, thank you to an interviewer, but he said, if it were up to me, I'd hire Chris Beard. I mean, none other than Rick Pattino endorsed Chris Beard. I think that's fascinating.
I'm not saying that it's going to happen this way, but I almost wonder if the increase, the improved prestige of the SEC and the conference committing more and investing more in basketball makes it more likely that Beard stays there. It seemed even when he was hired. Even when he was hired, Yeah, so you got I mean, Nate Oakes has been at Alabama longer than I expected, and Pearl
seems continued. These SEC jobs might become destination jobs in the same way as some of the big Easter or ATC jobs used to be back in the day.
Exactly, unless you've got a geographical yearning like Buzz Williams wanted to get back up to the East. Cost he could have stayed at A and M and made truckloads of money. An he already wherever they go they are. But no, I agree with that, because where do you go from the SEC? You have a specific want or need or something.
Like that, and uh, go ahead and Bed and Beard coached in Lubbock. So Oxford is probably not not the worst thing in the world.
Now, love it, trust me, it's a nice campus, but it's out there. Uh and uh uh. And I will say this as well.
Ole Miss.
Did you ever go to the old arena down there before the renovate so you remember what it was like? And now, man, and it's been a while and they've renovated I think again since then. But they've done a lot of a lot of great things. And I put all of this as we wrap this up, honestly justin it maybe oversimplication, but I think it's March Madness. I think when March Madness started to really blow up and and small schools we were getting all kinds of great attention.
I got to think there were presidents and chancellors across the big school scene. Why aren't we involved there? And of course we all know the SEC hired people to see to it, that basketball group. But they've done it the right way, haven't they.
Yeah? Yeah, the first I mean I remember the first round they were talking about the SEC is committing to basketball is when like Alabama hired Anthony Grant And it was around right around that time. Yes, and it was like another wave of that investment before it really paid off, and it was probably buoyed by the by the portal and the and the SEC money and whatnot. But it's not going to be like it was last year every
single year. But I do think that they're they're going to be the deepest conference right up there with a big ten and maybe the Big twill just about every single year because of the way the sport.
Is now, and we may not see a season like last year. I don't know. I don't know if I want to say ever again. But then on the other hand, way the way rosters fluctuate, we might see it again this year.
You know, you never know, you never know.
The SEC's got a lot, a lot of money. Yeah, we'll see.
Well, I heard somebody. I was playing cards with some friends last night. We were talking about all the money and thrown around for football, and one of them kind of muttered, that's why Kentucky will never be great at football, you know, with the reference to all the money that is being spent. But that's a topic for another discussion another time. Justin thank you so much for joining us, and we'll talk to you again soon. I hope.
All right, thanks, well, that'll do it.
Thanks to my guest justin Rowland, Thanks to Ryan Black, and to Jalen Witlow. Tomorrow night it's Kentucky baseball as a Wildcats take on Oklahoma. Darren Hedricks got the call for you six fifteen pregame, six thirty first pitch, Doug Finn and I will have it for you on TV side on SEC plubs. That's it. Good night from the garage in Leximon.
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