KSR Today: 18 Days Until Kentucky Football Season

Good morning, friends. We’ve hit one of those late summer Tuesdays where all the news hangs on the horizon, just out of reach. University of Kentucky sports don’t kick off until later this week with women’s and men’s soccer, the Olympics are over, the men’s basketball team is on break, and even our usual Tuesday fall camp practice media opportunity was moved up to Monday. Alas, our rundown of things happening today in UK sports feels a bit bare.

So, with 18 days until Kentucky Football season, I figured I’d honor some past great 18s. This being KSR, the list starts with Freddie Maggard, who wore the No. 18 at Kentucky from 1987-91 because it was the only quarterback number left when UK equipment manager Tom Kalinowski distributed jerseys/numbers to incoming freshmen. In his first year as the starter, Freddie led Kentucky to a 6-5 record in Jerry Claiborne’s final season in Lexington. He finished his career ranked as a top-ten passer in UK history with 2,566 yards.

Freddie would tell you he’s far from the best to wear No. 18 at Kentucky . This being me, I would very much disagree, but there’s no denying that since Freddie, several greats have worn that number, including Jacob Tamme, Randall Cobb, and Boom Williams. This year, freshman defensive back Cam Dooley sports No. 18. No pressure on him to live up to those expectations.

Freddie has retired from the blogging/podcasting/radio life to focus on his health, and I’m happy to report that he’s embracing and enjoying life. My spies in Danville tell me that Jacob Tamme is doing well too and looking forward to Boyle County football season (Go Ads). Cobb is also exploring life after football, joining the SEC Network as a college football studio analyst this season. He’ll also co-host “Out of Pocket” with Alyssa Lang. Boom Williams has taken his talents to the IFL, the Indoor Football League, suiting up for the Jacksonville Sharks.

One thing all those Nos. 18 have in common? They are beyond ready for the Kentucky Football season to start in 18 days. Same.

On that note, let’s run through some headlines.

We got updates from Kentucky’s offense on Monday

As mentioned, Kentucky shook up the schedule this week, having Bush Hamdan and members of the Kentucky offense speak with reporters on Monday instead of Tuesday. Most of the talk centered around Saturday’s scrimmage, with Hamdan, wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin , and Demie Sumo-Karngbaye sharing their excitement for a big day for Kentucky’s offense, particularly quarterback Brock Vandagriff .

Here’s a rundown of our coverage and the complete interviews if you need something to watch with your second cup of coffee.

• First Down Kentucky: Brock Vandagriff is locked in
• Ja’Mori Maclin says Kentucky offense defeated defense in Saturday scrimmage
• Demie Sumo-Karngbaye says Bush Hamdan’s offense is a ‘dream come true’
• Throw the ball ‘anywhere around’ Dane Key and he’s coming down with a catch
• Brock Vandagriff doesn’t cuss

I did a double-take when I heard that last one too. Good on you, Brock.

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Do you need more info on Saturday’s scrimmage? Adam Luckett shared what he heard on a new episode of “11 Personnel” last night on the KSR YouTube Channel , along with the five biggest developments in fall camp thus far. You may need a whole pot of coffee for that one.

The new LED lights at Kroger Field look cool

Last week, Kentucky teased the new LED lighting system at Kroger Field with a short video. Last night, we got another sneak peek of the stadium bathed in blue light. It’s pretty awesome.

Kentucky Basketball is on break

While football prepares for the 2024 season, the men’s basketball team is taking a break. Mark Pope’s Cats are off until August 22 to enjoy some time off with friends and family at home or take vacations. Practice reports won’t start back up until August 26, the beginning of preseason workouts.

While news on the actual team may be slow until then, basketball recruiting is heating back up. Jasper Johnson will announce his decision in the next two weeks and buzz continues to build with another in-state star, Malachi Moreno . On Monday, Travis Branham submitted a Crystal Ball prediction in Kentucky’s favor for the 6-11, 230 lbs. Great Crossing star, who is expected to make his decision before the early signing period. He’ll be staying in the Bluegrass for his senior year of high school too, shooting down a rumor that he was considering transferring to IMG Academy in Florida. Let’s hope Mark Pope can keep him home even longer than that.

Happy Birthday, DeMarcus Cousins!

Boogie turns 34 today. Cousins just wrapped up another successful run in The Asian Tournament, sweeping the final leg with Filipino squad Zamboanga Valientes . He also won the Taiwan leg of the event with the Taiwan Mustangs. Cousins had 21 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks vs. the Macau Black Bears in the finals. Hopefully, he’s enjoying his birthday on a beautiful beach in Boracay.

SINGO at KSBar and Grille

Looking for something to do tonight? SINGO returns to KSBar and Grille and 7 p.m., the perfect opportunity to get out of the house and have some fun on a Tuesday night.

God Bless Ryan Lemond

If you go to SINGO, you may see Ryan Lemond, who was tasked with hitting putts on the 18th green at the Lexington Golf Scramble on Monday. Some of his cohosts didn’t think he’d make more than one but Ryan made three out of 36 in a performance for the ages. Enjoy the recap below.

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