KSR Today: ‘Stevie Got Loose’ days away from kickoff

The countdown to kickoff has officially ticked under the two-week mark as Kentucky’s home-opener sits just ‘Stevie Got Loose’ days away — 13 days until the Wildcats take on Southern Miss at Kroger Field not this coming Saturday, but next.

It will be the Cats vs. Golden Eagles inside Kroger Field on Sat. August 31 at 7:45 p.m. ET, broadcast live on SEC Network. It’s our first official look at Brock Vandagriff leading the offense as the starting quarterback in Mark Stoops’ 12th season as head coach, the defense led by Deone Walker and Maxwell Hairston. The schedule is a doozy, obviously, but the talent is there for Kentucky to throw some haymakers in the SEC.

And it’s about time to step into the ring.

Stoops talks injury updates, Saturday scrimmage

We may be 13 days away from kickoff, but we’re one day removed following the Wildcats’ second scrimmage of fall camp. It’s usually a pivotal session for Stoops as it leads to a quick break for the team going into the semester with classes starting — a reset period before ramping back up ahead of game preparation. This time, though, classes start a week later, giving the team more time for walkthroughs and meetings while still getting much-needed rest ahead of the season.

“We need to take advantage of that,” Stoops said of the upcoming stretch.

How did things go in the scrimmage on Saturday? And more importantly, just how healthy is the team coming out of it?

“I feel good about where we’re at. Last week when I talked to you, I said I thought we got out of the scrimmage unscathed. That didn’t really happen — there were a few things that popped up on us after that,” Stoops said. “Two guys with some significant time missed that are important to us, but other than that, just bumps and bruises for a few days, some guys who just missed a little bit of time this week.”

Combining brief situational reps with the starters and extended action for the backups, Stoops believes Kentucky came out of scrimmage two ‘pretty clean’ — later confirmed by the official injury report, he hopes.

“With this scrimmage, we did a lot of work with the younger guys. We feel we have young talent that needs to just play football, and we did that. We got the ones some good work, as well,” he said. “I think we had a 12- or 13-play drive, that was good to just get the wind of both sides and used to a long drive. We got some good situational work with the ones and the twos and threes just got a lot of plays. I just let them play ball. We’re getting good work. …

“Until I get the report, I never know, but it looks like we came out of this one pretty clean and pretty healthy. That was important.”

Jasper Johnson puts on a show at Dame Lillard’s camp

It was a huge week in Phoenix at Damian Lillard’s Formula Zero Elite Camp , Kentucky guard Koby Brea selected as one of 20 college counselors to participate alongside the likes of Ohio State’s Aaron Bradshaw, North Carolina’s Ian Jackson, Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, Kansas’ AJ Storr and Louisville’s James Scott. Joining them? 20 of the top high school players in the nation, namely UK targets Darryn Peterson , Jasper Johnson , Tounde Yessoufou , Mikel Brown Jr. and Acaden Lewis .

Of that group, Lexington’s own Jasper Johnson stood out among top participants, and we have the footage to back that up.

Take a look at the five-star guard put on a show in front of the eight-time NBA All-Star:

We know Jasper can play, but where is he going to school? KSBoard has all of the latest intel on his recruitment, including a new update here . Click here to sign up for KSR+ where you can use the promo code “HOMEGROWN” for a 50 percent discount on annual subscriptions.

He’ll be committing the last week of August. Will he stay home?

Malachi Moreno stays home

We’re waiting on Jasper to figure out where he’s going, but we know for certain where the nation’s No. 1 center will play his college ball. Malachi Moreno, a top-25 prospect out of Georgetown, is officially a Cat, choosing Kentucky over Indiana, Ohio State, Louisville and Arkansas, among others. It’s a big one for Mark Pope as it’s his first pledge of 2025, the perfect frontcourt anchor to build a class around.

The coverage has been extensive here at KSR, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Check out all of the written work breaking down the commitment and what it means for Kentucky:

• No. 1 center Malachi Moreno commits to Kentucky: “There is no better place than home.”
• Film Room: Malachi Moreno
• The moment Malachi Moreno knew he was going to Kentucky
• Prep schools tried to pull Malachi Moreno out of KY, but leaving Great Crossing ‘didn’t feel right’
• Malachi Moreno: “You know where home is, Jasper”
• ‘I’m gonna make sure he puts this (Kentucky shirt) on.’ Malachi Moreno making his pitch to Braylon Mullins
• New Kentucky commit Malachi Moreno is ‘coming to hang banners’
• With Malachi Moreno’s commitment, Pope plants a stake into the ground

And the announcement itself, live from Great Crossing High School on Friday:

Followed by KSR’s Rapid Reaction featuring Moreno himself:

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Josh Paschal got Patrick Mahomes’d

You may have seen the viral clip of Patrick Mahomes’ behind-the-back pass to Travis Kelce in Kansas City’s preseason matchup against Detroit on Saturday. It was magic, the most electric seven-yard reception you’ll find to convert a 3rd & 3.

But did you see who was in the backfield looking to make the stop? No. 93 is none other than Kentucky great Josh Paschal, a key piece on the defensive line for the Lions.

He’s been solid and rising as a potential star in Detroit, but unfortunately for the former Cat, he was the victim of Mahomes’ wizardry this weekend.

Let’s close out the rest of the weekend with a bang, folks. Football season is here.

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