Who will be Kentucky football’s offensive coordinator for 2024? | 11 Personnel

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We are live this is 11 personnel I’m Nick Rous he’s Adam Lett your favorite Kentucky football podcasters are presented by your favorite Bank the Monella Bank where they’ve been putting people first where people matter why they’ve been in business for 128,000 years I I I was exaggerating

There it was 128 years right yeah 128 there might be more now I’m I’m bad at my math like it just a little bit off but there are 21 locations across the state conveniently located wherever and they’ll go wherever you go with the gobc mobile app or visit them at NBC

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It’s the offseason so um I got to do my hobbies outside of it which is Watch 60 minutes and interest rates probably going down soon so that’s good because I’ve got a house I can refinance that um we were hoping they would go down when we were in the process of building this

House never did so that is good news for me uh and then in this versions of today Nick and Adam are 58 years old yes yes talking 60 Minutes um Miss Jeopardy tonight though did take some Tums before the show started because the the burger you’re checking all the boxes I did go

To your favorite local establishment today too so I just I’ve been doing good on my diet and exercising but we kind of you know you cheat every once in a while um so we had to extra Tums it um and I you know I’m kind

Of I wish it was a bit of a stress reliever because there’s part of me that’s just there’s just a lot of nervous energy right now Luckett because I felt like we spent a month just waiting for Coen to dump us and now we’re we’re looking for the next girl

And you you’ve got matches on all these dating apps but nobody’s replying back on them and you’re just like but I you matched so you had to at least be interest said are you not going to reach out and say say hey how’s it going and that’s that’s where we’re at right now

They’re they’re plotting there’s somebody out there there’s an eligible Bachelorette out there and some something magical is going to happen but we’re just in this weird limbo and um yeah it sucks there’s really no other way to put it yeah I think every time we go through

One of these Nick it’s a good reminder for how this works typically we F follow this stuff from afar but Kentucky hasn’t had a head coaching search and a decade and a half now usually these things are really quiet for the first week as long as games aren’t being

Played like if this it’s correct firing mid-season it’s obviously different but usually these are real quiet for a week and then you start to hear some names pop up it’s been about a week haven’t heard um any names or any confirmation there’s been two names that have been kind of

Mentioned um but they’re not really reported either yeah they haven’t yeah it was just kind of specul one was speculation the other one was some internet sleuthing uh right so so that’s just we’re in a holding pattern right that waiting is the hardest part here and we’re just going to have to be

Patient I know that’s not something any of us want to do but I do find it unique in that like this is really like the slowest probably part of the calendar they’ve had since right after July 4th when they take their vacations or whatever like they

Have like a couple weeks here where they don’t really have to do anything right they just had the big Junior Day signing day just wrapped up um I believe another recruiting Dead period just started so they’re kind of like this is when they can kind of catch their breath a little

Bit um and so maybe Mark sups is using that as a way to take his time with this hire because what like me what what’s the difference if the guy was hired tomorrow or next Saturday there’s really no difference um they’re already going to bump spring practice back as far as

They can um with this change and so I mean what is that going to give players six six days to learn the Playbook sooner I mean you know uh so I think they’re already so late in the process that you just have to take your time and make the right higher but

It it is frustrating when you don’t you know there there’s snow names out there we don’t we have no idea where we have an idea of the direction they’re looking but we don’t have any confirmed names or style or anything like that and so we’re just playing the waiting game we’re in a

Holding pattern waiting is the hardest part yeah and the the only we’re probably more impatient than normal too because the last hire we knew it was Liam Cohen I mean I think even before Rich was fired but we you couldn’t say it right like it was it was

A weird it was a whole weird ordeal Cohen actually s signed his contract 13 days before it became official um which was which was kind of amusing uh and then in Rich Rich’s case Cen left so late in Spring practice was already on the docket they I mean it was within a week

We had heard like three or four names uh d lgin uh calib and and before we got to Rich I don’t I don’t even know if there was another one in that one but that that happened very fast because out of necessity yeah Chris Chris batty Troy Walters were other two

Names in there at that time but that one we knew it was NFL like we’re going to people that have worked with McVey or Shanahan that’s where we’re looking this time at least I think it’s gon to be like power five college experience I think is a must here

Um for what they’re looking for I don’t think they want to do the NFL thing again but I don’t know that that’s just speculation on my part and so we’ll have to see how that plays out um but yeah it’s it’s five six day six seven almost

Seven days in now we don’t know a name I thought by I thought by Friday we would know we would have an idea of at least who the leading candidate was as of right now that doesn’t seem like the case but maybe that’ll happen to tomorrow well me we’ll have to wait

See and I know we have a lot of impatient people too on the ks board where I don’t and on here when we talked about it last week and I feel partially responsible for maybe setting the timetable a little bit ahead and I didn’t intend to get H expectations up

Um so if if I did my apologies I think if you look at it from the other side of the coin um you could say like really at the end of the day how fast or how slow he hires somebody is irrelevant right now I mean they just got to be good no

One’s going to remember that on week two yeah right gonna be like you know why couldn’t they get that third and seven well they didn’t get the damn coordinator in here for spring practice I mean that’s not no one wants to hear that excuse No One’s Gonna Give that

Excuse right and the the other part of it too for me is I I think I’m just more frustrated just because of the like this is is on the tail end of a lot of other stuff that was nobody’s talking and everybody’s making this difficult on everybody so that might be

More of my frustration um I also saw we we you know uh friend of the program Justin Roland put out the every time I’ve inquired about the search the response has been stupid been taking his time to get it right and you know that’s fun to say and

I’m not trying to discredit anything Justin’s saying whoever’s telling him that like just full of two different kinds of you know what like just no like if you want to like lie to us and give us any sort of bull crap just it’s it’s it’s an exhaustive search and they’re

Leaving every stone on turn but I just that’s even a load of bull crap too so really they’re in a spot where it’s a no- win situation for me you either leak names and it’s a good name and we like it or you leak a name and we all get mad

And then they got to start it over so I I there there is a lot of just angst right now um and and I think the biggest reason why is because the last time we got left this late in the process we got left with a big fat turd yeah you know

There was it was dog poop that was on the porch that was on fire so like I’m not you know that that that’s where I think some of this anxiousness is and the fact that you just expected Stoops to be ahead of schedule because Cohen started flirting with the Bears a month

Ago yeah we also don’t know what kind of private conversations they had um STS could have been under depression the Bears was that was going to be his only push and then he was focused and then he could have got hit with a a unexpected uppercut when he when the

B when that bucks development came uh but to the frustration and the lack of patience Nick I just think it’s been an exhausting and frustrating last two years right you know yeah ever since Cohen left that first time it’s been you know we don’t have to relive 2022 and

Then 2023 they kind of had a good off season and looked like the rose expectations again you get this new quarterback you’re feeling good about your team in a lot of areas you know the preseason talk around this team was as it it seemed like as optimistic or as

Excited um as a lot of people around the program were about a team and then it it just didn’t work out for whatever reason and so you’re sitting here with we’ve gone out we thrown the numbers out with two consecutive three and five SEC campaigns two consecutive uh bowl game

Losses one in kind of a you know was just a joke of a game the Iowa how that kind of played out and then you you grab defeat from the jaws of Victory against Clemson and so I just think it’s a frustrating time I think for supporters

Of the program and then like you just had to go through the thing again I mean that was I think for everyone that was frustrating I think for people in the building that was frustrating and I think for fans living with it that was pretty frustrating um because you were

Basically he had to wait until he left like for to do anything and so that’s just where we are and I think it’s been a frustrating couple of years and I think that has to do with a lot of the impatience yeah and so we just and and when you do when that

Happens eventually a name’s going to come out but if so I don’t know I say it’s like people getting their hopes up but it opens up for more criticism I would say when people wait wa this long and they feel like they’re waiting this long for

This this is the name we were waiting on to hear um but but you know I’ve talked about this I don’t think there’s a home run they just need to hit a double like they just need to hit a a good solid double and get raise the floor on

Offense to where they’re not where they’re not having the big dips like we saw in 2015 and 2022 just keep it going kind of like it is but definitely a a frustrating time and you really and you really just know know we can speculate but we don’t know for sure like what

Direction they’re going in on offense and that’s something we’re going to have to wait and see with this high and then see what stoop says that um after the hire’s made well let’s start by taking the few breadcrumbs that we have received and eating them up the first one of which

Was uh from Bruce Feldman who is along with Pete thel the two most prevalent coaching Carousel reporters I would say Bruce is number one in that regard he’s plugged in with all the agents and coaches that whole nine yards um and shortly after Cohen left yeah but

Before he started talking about how easy it was to leave Lexington and how happy he is to be in Tampa and just how quick he was to get out the door um Felman was saying you know name I’d keep an eye on Buster fauler uh Georgia Tech OC was good last

Year he uh worked for Brock grer Griff’s quality control assistant and that led us to kind of go down that Wormhole and I think the early Returns on response at least like it from what I got pretty okay I I I can be down for this guy I think most people are pretty

Sold on him there’s some that are like H I’d like a little bit more but for the most part it’s I haven’t heard too many people be out on Buster fauler yeah I think at first I think people were like but like Buster who’s Buster but then I think it’s people

Started to un find out who he is where he came from I think there’s a cell and I think really all that is Nick is he was at Georgia for three years and he worked with Brock Vandergriff and then he went to Georgia Tech and they had their best offense

Since they quit the option and so there’s I think some things to like about him uh I think you look at fauler he was an assistant coach who got an offensive coordinator job early um but kind of got stuck in the G5 like he was Middle Tennessee Arkansas State Southern

Miss for a long time um for about N9 years he was a play caller there so he goes to Georgia to kind of like reset his career and get some power five experience so he does that for three years it’s kind of Todd monins number

Two um was when monin was in the booth he was like essentially the quarterback’s coach on the sideline um so he wored right with ston Ben at JT Daniels won two national titles and so there’s obviously a connection between those two staffs think it’s any big secret that Mark stops and Kirby Smart

Seem to get along like each other and there’s Georgia players on Kentucky staff now and so I I think there’s that connection there and then what he did at Georgia Tech is obviously enticing with a quarterback haes King that is from a skill St standpoint similar to Brock Vandergriff so I think

There um is some stuff to like they with him and I I think a lot of that though Nick is he’s got the he’s got that Georgia G Kirby Smart stamp of approval on his resume that part is significant um it’s also one of those things you you’re led

To believe okay they can Kentucky can go high another Power 5oc even if it is late in the process because they have the resources well here’s what you have to remember it’s the big two now it’s the big two if you’re not in the SEC or Big 10

You have to wonder how how long do can you stay here before it just becomes too big of a gap right and you’re I think everyone’s goal is to get in these two conferences now so for fauler after just one year it’s a chance to do what I

Think he set out to do when he joined that Georgia staff was to become a Power five coordinator and then give himself to be a chance to be a head coach he’s still fairly young 42 years old and so this that’s an opportunity to go do that

Now but does he want to do it after one year in Georgia Tech a private school I believe so we don’t I don’t think the buyout number is public but he was making $700,000 700 $750,000 last year obviously Kentucky can more than pay that they were just paying Liam Cohen

1.8 and so um Rich garello even was making made 900 his first year so they can probably meet in the middle there bump him up to one and get him to Lexington but does does he want to leave that’s a big question um and so we don’t

We don’t really know and is he even a candidate again we’re just right speculation here but it makes he makes a lot of sense on paper Nick with just the connection with vaner Griff connection with Georgia all that my my favorite part in all this is that

Yes there’s very little to chew on here but we’ve gone far enough down the Wormhole to know that his family never moved from Athens does he want to leave Atlanta does he want to actually move his F that’s that’s the part of this leverage process that we’re at which uh

Right yeah yeah I I I love I just absolutely love it um we’re also the part where we’re watching who people are following on the internet and one of them is Bush homden is it hden hamon are we a ham hawk or are we a I think it’s hamen but I’m not 100%

Positive well he was a quarterback for Chris Peterson at Boise State yes pretty good quarterback um ended up being an offensive coordinator was was he the offensive coordinator for Peterson at Washington for two years 2018 2019 and then Jimmy Lake takes over and he hangs around is that correct he Jimmy

Lake takes over and Jimmy Lake fires him and replaces him with John Donovan which everyone knows what happened with Jimmy Lake Senor Washington yeah um it was a disaster but in between all that time he he had spent some time at Missouri which I’ll let you

G tella and he’s most recently he’s been back at his Alma moer uh was a candidate I get all these offensive coordinator searches confused like it but we mentioned him previously you’ve already first yeah lien first TI was when he his name U was out there along

With Brian brom’s name was out there at that time Nick and then then Joe Morehead Cohen um ended up being I think the top two candidates at the end of that search but that that’s those were the names um then during that search uh but Boise State they fired

Andy aalos in the middle of the year and he did all the offense the defensive coordinator was named interam and then I don’t think they lost again I think they won out might have had one more loss but uh if I’m not mistaken they won the Mountain West they did they won the

Mountain West Title then they lost the UCLA in the LA Bowl presented by Rob gronowski uh but their quarterback didn’t play Enter the portal he’s now at Arkansas he’s tailing green he’s going to be Bobby petrino’s quarterback this year and so um just with him Nick like

He was really young when he got that Washington gig he was like 34 when he became the offensive coordinator there 33 34 um all three of his offenses have finished in the top 40 in success rate and points per Drive he’s produced a thousand yard rusher each season as a

Play CER Jake Brownie and Jacob e each through for 3,000 yards Hunter Bryant tight end who play for the Cleveland Brown Nows was a top Target for e in 2019 with 52 receptions 825 yards three touchdowns um he also ran the quarterback this last year green had

Nearly 500 yards rush in nine touchdowns so for the UK fan checklist here Nick um the offense his offenses are efficient they they score at a decent clip they run the football uh the quarterbacks have thrown for 300,000 or 3,000 yards and they and he is featured a tight end

So just if if you did not have his name I think people would be excited about that now I think you dig in you do see Jimmy Lake fired him the offens has took a step back at Washington after Jonathan Smith left to go be the head coach at

Oregon State now he’s at Michigan State obviously so that was a pretty good coach they had in Seattle um so I think that is that’s a concern but even at Missouri he was kind of he lands there he was Eli drinkwitz is number two had some pretty good recruiting success at

Missouri and drinkwitz gave gave up plays in 2022 after the the Kentucky game uh when Kentucky went there and beat them and Missouri had their best three offensive games of the season when hamen was reportedly calling the plays they averaged nearly 33 points per game Brady cook played his best football of the

Season and so there is some result good results with him holding the call sheet um but there but that people have decided at least on our board that they don’t like him for whatever reason um I would have him and fauler in the same tier um as a play caller there’s obviously the

Connection to Vandergriff um that I think if fauler were to take the job I think that would be a good sign um if he’s willing to leave a quarterback that he just had for one year in hannes King and play and go with Brock Vandergriff I think that

Would be a good sign for fogner but with handen I think there’s some there’s some good stuff there on his resume I think he’s done a a good job um to this point in his career and there’s four years of SEC experience because he was a Florida receivers coach in

2012 well like let me tell you why the people aren’t as warm as him on the board um because he’s a West Coast guy that’s only trip to the other side of the country was to a program that we look down upon and think that we’re

Better then so it’s not like he spent time at Georgia the national Champion Georgia he was at Missouri with drink wits yeah Bush touchdown Buster is way cooler than touchdown Bush yeah but I do think that they’re very like you are correct that on I I think it’s a lot of

Superficial reasons and just the fact that we would feel much better if there was a guy who was willing to leave his first big Power five gig to coach Brock because he thought Brock was that good like there it’s almost like the will Lis reinforcement thing where

You know it’s like oh well they feel really good about each other you you you just get more confidence um I think that’s where a lot of it SS from yeah I think both of these guys like to me Nick I think we even heard Cohen talk about

This like this off season we got to figure out a way to modernize the offense blend in spread Concepts to play faster not get huddles um Hampton and fauler will both get their quarterback under Center and some short yard and stuff but they’re mainly out of the gun

Out of the pistol run to play ACX stuff out of the pistol and they’re using more spread formations Kentucky lived in condensed formations with Cohen they’re getting more out and stretching it more and they can sprinkle in some Tempo because they are in a no huddle operation they’re not huddling up

Typically and so I think from that aspect there’s a lot to like in them running the quarterback like to me that’s really important um they got to start running the quarterback here uh you just you got I’m not saying he needs to run it 200 times but um

Jaden Daniels just won the Heisman basically because of his two-way ability both as a runner and a passer and he’s probably going to be a top 10 pick in the draft you just look at it that’s how quarterbacks are playing now like you got to be able to run them a little bit

And so I think that’s important like guys that have have proven they’re willing to run the quarterback it’s something I like to see uh especially I think with Vander Griff’s skill set I think he can move around and run a little bit you got to take advantage of

It you have to make defenses respect the Zone Reed you have to sprinkle in a draw every now and then uh and so that’s something both of those guys have done um and I would be intrigued either with either one of them if they were the

Hired but we’ll have to see how that plays out yeah we all could be just and and another thing we’re handing he’s been a he’s been a legitimate power five assistant uh F Buster fauler was just a a he was a ga at Georgia and he was a

Quality control so he wasn’t you know you’re still doing some recruiting stuff but it’s not the same or hamen has been in this conference recruited um and he helped build the team that was everybody that’s every this the everybody’s like you know how much you know Missouri’s

Going to be the the flavor of the month is off SE God it’s disgusting how they’re doing the nil stuff how they stuck with drinka wits how they did this and that this and that they are the are kind of the apple of a lot of people’s eyes and he helped build

That just disgusting yeah absolutely disgusting um I’m not looking forward to it um I am looking forward to your you’re pal Nick still G to be at SEC media days you you excited about that you gonna talk personnel with him again maybe we uh Andy Staples can lend us his

Booth we can try to Wrangle him I’m sure it’ll be easy like he w won have anybody around him when he’s walking he’ll just be walking you know you know how Dereck Mason was just walking around talking to people eating a granola bar that I’m sure that’ll be Nick Savin in Dallas

This year no one’s gonna be around him you know we could just go up and talk to him I just can’t imagine Nick Sav like going around and Shilling Sun Bel granola bars or something you know what eating where’s his damn Little Debbie’s at yeah he he’s going to be off and you

Know where he’s going to he’s going to be in that corner with all the ESPN folks yeah you don’t see any of the TV people you’re just like oh there’s D there’s uh there’s Dar I haven’t seen him all day but he just shows up see see him at night

Yeah oh man this a story for another day yeah for another day uh but yeah Nick Sav St on ESPN like we kind of all expected um Jordan college game day going to do a few other events going to do the draft um which talk to Drew Phillips today too that that that

Interview I just transcribed a good oldfashioned Q&A style um the lightful interview with Drew Phillips who had a pretty solid week at the Senior Bowl um uh one thing too like it that it was just kind of nice to break almost like the fourth wall it wasn’t necessarily

Breaking the fourth wall but it’s just like I mean we’re doing all this work for a 40 yard run that lasts less than 5 Seconds like what it’s it’s it’s it’s insane what they do to just run in their underwear for less than five seconds it’s crazy absolutely crazy but let’s

Get refocus with our friends from refocus Fitness you’ve heard us talking about refocused Fitness for a while now they’re convenient gym that’s the name of their game convenience convenience with the plan because a lot of folks when they try to get in shape they just

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What they have personal trainers there with that initial eval it’s free they’ll get you on the right path to set your specific goals flexibility right range of motion like being able to grab your arms behind your back the whole nine yards they will make sure you’re on the

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So it’s a great time to be in the weight room and that’s other thing that’s nice about refocus Fitness 247 access conveniently located right off Nicholasville Road visit him at refocus fitness.com meet with him today no hassle no stress with refocus Fitness look it we did have national Signing

Day I I I miss I miss old NSD and I think what I missed most about it is having the month of January to give those guys Shan because we do it like it’s just it’s all it’s all at once so like January was a big time to interview all of these

Players and you know we would do the whole Drew Barker interview with Tim Couch right like they would do all that sort there was just a lot more to it um and then the day it felt like this big momentous day where now you’re shoehorned in with a transfer portal and

It does suck that it’s not the same um because it there’s still this muscle like in my armpit that twitches it’s like hey you need to be need to be doing something right like there you’re you’re supposed to be watching fax’s roll in right now Rous what the

Hell yeah and I think we would really pump out and go all in to building our coverage of that day and really make it a big party you can’t really do that anymore cuz it’s right in the middle of the Season essentially you have a 10 days to get

Ready for it and so it stinks they’ve they’ve taken the draft and they’ve put it right smack dab with they’ve joined it with free agency and then we get to have a supplemental draft in February um is essentially what it feels like and I wrote about this week um it’s

Not like it’s not really a thing anymore and that stinks this was kind of I think this was college football I think it was one of the five biggest days of the year for college football Nick I think you put Labor Day Saturday I think you put Thanksgiving

Saturday um or Black Friday you could kind of combine those two and then New Year’s Day and then this day I think it was one of the four biggest days and two of those really don’t even matter anymore New Year’s Day and this one and so it’s kind of you you

Pulling out some of uh some of the strong some fabric of the sport and that that stinks but uh I’m not sure how you even fix it at this point just toothpaste out of the two but I’m here’s the hoping that they can fix it some way

Down the road but it does it is disappointing um that that this is the way it is and they I give them credit they tried to change it for the good it just didn’t work out like that there’s unintended consequences coaches decided that we’re going to make this

Our number one signing day and now I’m wondering if they there’s some bio remorse over there if they’re like man if we could have just kept February significant we wouldn’t have to do all this bust our ass here during bull prep but I think they saw it as a

Way to get get everything done and get a head start on their next year’s recruiting and so they were kind of just trying to get you know a step ahead and it’s caused a bunch of I would say issues just um all their works now jammed into a little 3-we window there

In December and so the sport I wish we we need to find some calendar balance because there’s a lot of good stuff going on that we could really stretch out but we we don’t stretch it out we Jam literally everything in there um Carousel coaching Carousel transfer

Portal December Signing Day Nick it all happens in like a 2 and a half week period after the season ends it’s just insane but that’s where we’re at right now in college football you mentioned the toothpaste out of the tube look it I was getting some toothpaste out the other day

They’ve changed toothpaste tubes have you noticed that like this they’re like Square now well I don’t so I still have the tube but it’s made from a different material so like it it’s it’s like once you squeeze it out air fills it in and it almost like I it doesn’t completely deflate

Every single time so you know exactly how much toothpaste is in this little thing there’s like some air in there so when you get to the end and you got to do the little rolling trick to get all the toothpaste out it’s it’s more of a

Challenge I don’t know I don’t I don’t I feel like the the tube the tubing that they’re using now is worse so toothpaste tubes figure yourselves out not not correct tuitch sounds like you need to get on the phone with Colgate well they left across the river

They used to have a great Clock Tower over there when you turn on Jeopardy tomorrow you pull out uh your your L your landline and you dial up coate and you give them piece of your mind yes I had your Cate tooth Fae and it made me feel like oh classic classic

Old internet video call back there um I digress there were uh there were a couple of NSD editions we had some preferred walk ones quintavia Norman was the Edition Quinn Norman who you probably haven’t heard of because nobody had really heard of him he was

Going to Jo and I the the the the r i got on him like it you rarely get but he because there’s a lot of times they like yeah this guy’s only played a year football well this guy had only played a year football because of his academics

So it sounds like he was just so far behind in so many aspects and somebody found this kid they got him on the right path um he was going to go to Jo and keep keep taking his medicine and try to work his way in his older cousin or is

No his older brother is Tay Gallen who’s a cornerback for the Titans somebody kind of said hey you can go be at that level if you get your stuff together um and he seemingly got his stuff together Kentucky saw him and they’re they’re taking a swing on a big big rangy

Athlete with a a lot of raw tools yeah on three scouting service still has ranked him but he’s going to end up as like a consensus mid three Prospect three star so um he’s going to be right in the middle of kuy’s class is and you

Turn on the tape I think there’s some things to like about him he can move he strikes gets off blocks uh physical at the point of attack and I think with all with these Kentucky linebackers now I’m talking like guys who probably going to play off ball linebackers so not um

Jacob Smith or Caleb red here but all of these guys if you turn on their High School tape there’s not a lot of them playing in the Box a lot of them are like out on the edge um I think a lot of that is probably high school let’s get

Our best player and just let him play off the edge most explosive guy right yeah but I think all of these guys can really run and hit and go but there there’s definitely goingon to they need some development here I don’t no none of them are I would say a slam

Dunk to come in and play Early um they’re going to need some development here but I think they’re taking a lot of swings here Nick these is four guys that I think they’re going to be in Mike Stop’s room and Steven Souls quavian Norman Devin Smith and Antoine

Smith and three of those are from Georgia and then Souls is from East Tennessee and so I think they’re just they’re taking a bunch of swings here but all all of those guys bring some athletic traits to the table that are enticing now they just need to be

Developed so like in a couple years a couple of those guys will probably be out of the program because that’s just a lot in one class to hold on to um but if they can land one or two to be multi-year starters a potential impact

Player I think that’s uh would be a nice payoff but I think that’s the goal here they’re just take they’ve got room and they need linebackers in that room so they’re taking swings and they’re going to have a lot of turnover after after this year pop Dumis Johnson deark

Jackson David R are all out most likely after this year and you really don’t have anyone else so what does that mean they’re going to go to the portal to address the position but they don’t want to they probably don’t want to spend more than one scholarship they would

Like to just plug someone in and then team that with a transfer and so they’re going to see what they can do with some of these young guys um but if they they miss they can just go get multiple transfers so I think that’s just kind of where they’re at they’re taking some

Swings here at lineb um but from an athletic standpoint all those guys bring something to the table Yeah and the one thing I like about because there was another kid jvn Campbell who is going to be a senior at Western Hills next year he’s another guy who great looking athlete but hasn’t

Played a lot of football and I just love watching the tape of these guys who you can kind of see the flashes but you also see where they’ve only played football for a year in Norman it was in this case where it felt like he was really good about

Taking the right angles and getting his head on the right side of blocks um shedding block uh over you know not not not over pursuing but just making sure he’s in the right spot to make the play but then just not being good at tackling like just doing the sling where you kind

Of grab him by the hip and sling him around H they they called it the the rash sling back in the day because I would just grab jerseys and like just pull them because I couldn’t you know just all I can technical term for that I

Think is rap and drag tackler yeah yeah just just R rapping and slinging them around instead of hitting with your shoulder and driving in and that that’s part of just um just learning and playing the game and that’s also a good reminder U to all of the parents out

There who want to put their kids and tackle football when they’re four um you either got it or you don’t in a lot of these cases like you got the genetics or you don’t starting to play football early like it’s can only help you so much right

There’s only so many ladders you can run through if you ain’t that fast or that big or that strong it don’t matter um so let him play them all let him have some fun um I know uh I like having fun slinging slinging the rock around

Occasionally um I don’t know where I was going with that just back on Norman I think uh hot motor was the phrase I Ed to describe him oh hot motor need to check the carburetor he goes and you know it’s hard to tell on a highlight tape but he’s given Max

Effort on a lot of these plays and chasing the ball down away from where he’s at so a good Pursuit Defender if anything and so that I think that helps raise his floor um again I think playing linebacker at the next level it’s a lot of its

Instincts like you can either work your way through the box or you can’t you can either uh play recognition quick or you can’t like and so there’s definitely teaching there’s obviously teaching you can do with that but you’re going to learn pretty early with the linebackers if they have it or

Not uh speaking of instincts really like the player Kentucky added in 2025 and I’m just going to call him the first commitment because like it I don’t think anybody’s optimistic that stone Saunders is going to stick with UK I least appreciate him waiting it out until they

Somebody but that was clearly a Cohen commitment uh Quinton Simmons from Withrow is a Vince marrow recruit Vince Meo walking up a top 300 player without a play caller was that that’s impressive but um it’s one of these things too like it where they they fished in similar

Territories with guys like this from Kentucky from Ohio th this kid’s a ball player like he’s legit ball player and I I’m I’m wondering what his what he’s been clocked at and I I don’t know if he camped at UK or not last fall and I bet kck’s hoping he

Doesn’t do camps or doesn’t run anywhere when you watch him he’s a burner man he’s a burn and the thing that I like most about him too is he’s not just burning through the outsides man he is he’s not afraid to go through traffic I think this kid is I this was a

Great great get for one of your first commitments in the 2025 recruiting cycle yeah he’s a generator with the football in his hands they were looking for ways hunting for ways to get him the ball at Cincinnati with thr whether at running back um obviously in the quick game as a

Receiver but even on kick return punt return like he’s going to factor in I think at Kentucky as a return specialist pretty early uh in his career when he signs here um but I you know you mentioned the burner part Nick but I also thought he had some change of

Direction um like he could he’s got some wiggle in the open field and then his acceleration I mean he can he can get Z to 60 pretty quick and so I think there’s a lot to to like about about him from that aspect and he’s not a smaller

Receiver like he’s probably he’s legit 6 foot 61 he’s going to get to about 190 lbs um 190 lbs so there’s I think there’s a lot to like about him he looks the part on tape of a sec receiver I think he’s got wide for one potential U

But I also think the floor is pretty high for him mainly just because I think he’s going to be able to be a good returner here and so you’re going to be able to potentially play him like right away like he could have a role as a true

Freshman as a returner um so there’s a lot to like about him that is a very good recruiting win I think for Kentucky in Cincinnati and he’s following a guy that I also thinks a really good football player out of Cincinnati with thr and toyan Nichols who’s a guy could

Is a sneaky player to watch I think this spring and more so in Fall Camp because I think think he could potentially steal some snaps there um in the secondary in year one and that’s the other thing that I I really like about him is just the

Fact that he was playing I mean Nicholls was their other return guy you know and Simmons was still making plays the other receiver he’s lining up next to Chris Henry Jr is the best receiver in the class below him so he was on a talented team he was still like you said they

Were feeding him um and some of those barers can be a little you almost wonder if they’re fast because they’re afraid to get hit and I don’t get that sense from him like there’s some there’s some patience with his running style too and then you see

Him turn it on and then he gets to high strep and long striding down the field so I’m a big fan of this kid uh it makes me wish we would have gotten up to Withrow last year to see just all three of those guys on the same team it’s just

It’s tough during with high school and college and everything going on at the same time but um if you are in the Northern Kentucky area that’s a very cool historic High School like it’s uh the road just kind of goes past downtown along the Cincinnati Riverbank I found

Out that my grandfather actually went to high school there for a year back in the 20s before or maybe even the 1912s I had a really old grandfather uh but went to high school there for a year before moving to Louisville and going to uh Manuel um but yeah very old place very

Cool uh field so that was an aside and before I forget we just we got to bring up Michael’s teeth brushing story because u i was mentioning the toothpaste tube and he said he was brushing his teeth in dark one time and he grabbed the tube of preparation AG

Instead of the toothpaste it was fun so here’s the look it I don’t We’re not gonna get too crude here but the preparation eights there’s an applicator on the tip right like you would think that you would I mean I guess it’s a little pointy and so is I mean it

Depends how many cold beers you had that night Nick I mean it just you’re just going through the motions in there you could little details like that could just sneak right past you uh it was like the old uh Gilbert gnarly I’m I’m sounding like an old fart

Again but U who who he taste tested the Kentucky jelly and the flavor was bit neutral um if you never heard Gilbert garly I hope those calls are somewhere on there Gary Bank Cincinnati disc jocky in the 90s ah great stuff great stuff great comedy hope hopefully those are on

YouTube that you can go look up go look it up after our show this is the point where I cough and I had to hit mute so I apologize this is also the point where I remind you that FanDuel right now you can get $200

In bonus bets ahead of the Super Bowl so so you make a $5 wager on college basketball this weekend you win that $5 wager you get $200 in bonus bets they expire in seven days but you got 200 bonus bets that you you can use on the

Super duper Bowl so go ahead sign up today fanduel.com Personnel or download the app and use promo code Personnel FanDuel walk it up get your Wagers in there’s a lot at stake and you can use those bonus bets to win big on the Super Bowl and then you got a little

Bankroll for upcoming March Madness so must be 21 and over president in Kentucky bonus issue is n much trouble bonus betch expire seven days after receipt restrictions apply see terms at sports book. fanduel.com gambling problem call 1 1800 Gambler promod Personnel fanduel.com like it with this this is normally our

NFL segment and now it’s our preparation AG segment but we aren’t going to do our Super Bowl preview now we’re actually going to roll that out on the ksr YouTube channel Tomorrow full 20 30 minutes who knows how long we’ll go just breaking down the Super Bowl sharing

Some of our favorite bets on the big game um lu could I made a spreadsheet um so you’ll be proud you’ll be you’ll be really proud a derby spread are you tracking uh clock times at uh Santa Anita or wherever the hell some Derby horses train yeah yeah they’re at Santa

Anita right now nao’s kicked a lot of ass if you want a derby update they’re trying to keep bafford out again U but they shouldn’t because his horses are really good um but yeah uh it’s it’s some good stats I’m I’m really trying to Corner the market on the first touchdown

Wager that’s where I’m trying to to get some value so we’ll see we’ll see but um I I’m I’m I’m very excited about the Super Bowl but also there’s a little part of me that’s that’s sad to know that that will be the last football game for a while

You know UFL man we’re gonna pick a UFL team Nick and I’m gonna give weekly reports on our UFL team this off season okay so I will do some research next episode we’re I gotta look when the season starts but we’re going to pick a UFL team and we’re going to have

Luckett’s weekly reports here on 11 personnel does burn ham still have a team let’s I want the Birmingham team if they’ve got one they do not I don’t know if the stallions are coming over or not uh I mean do we need do we want to do the Bob stops

Team I I I mentioned UFL uh the Birmingham team just because uh the Birmingham still leag okay they got a cool Stadium UAB stadiums pretty kickass that’s why I’m kind of I’m for the St and weren’t they good the stallions two usfl champs that’s right but the battle Hawks have the best

Crowds of any of these teams in St Louis oh that’s an easier drive too we can go get Hammer theyve got coold jerseys the’re blue and silver they get Battle Haw yeah battle Hawk to is a great mascot because you’re like well is it like are

We giving armor to a and he’s going to go fight a war for us which if so I’m in count like sign me up I’m Tak Adrian Martinez is going to be birmingham’s quarterback Nick do you really want to ride the Adrien Martinez wagon look you

Know that I have a sick sick affinity for betting Nebraska football so yes I I I I would love to uh lose my money responsi on betting the usfl team so well may maybe I’ll be the stallions guy you’ll be the battle Haw um because the the stallions they’re the usfl they’re

The Underdogs I feel like the XFL is they got the upper hand in in this ordeal I think only three technically usfl teams survived but nevertheless Spring football it’s a great um oh that’s on and then you just kind of let it sit there and you look at it on the corner

Of your eye every once in a while it’s outstanding background television here at the luck house like games on just throw like on a Sunday shift XFL usfl games on just throw it on here in the office and get to see the wild twoo conversions the being at the combine one

Year it was snowing in Utah and that that was that was great TV just having a snow football game on while you’re eating shrimp cocktail at St Elmos great time which I what could I got a little bit of Super Bowl Envy this week seeing all those NFL

Heads out there doing all the radio row which radio row is just a giant convention center now with all these setups yeah it’s a monstrosity out there they uh some of them go out there for like eight days could you imagine just going somewhere for a week to cover a

Football game dude eight days in Vegas not just this isn’t like Indie where it’s built for big conventions and stuff like that it’s Vegas that would be it’d be hard for me the dis plan that would be needed there would be would be difficult uh I mean even just the eating

The food like there I would eat a meal and just like be in a coma for a day like there you know just food would be I could yeah that’s a lot but I could handle it it would be uh everything else that comes with Vegas um because you

Know just randomly you’re going to be on a table at 1:30 in the morning you’re like what the hell am I doing yeah and then all of a sudden Baker Mayfield walks up and you’re like Baker and you just start getting after it that’s where

I think it would be fun to be the Casual you know let’s say you live in Reno about an hour away or you know you you drive into town every once in a while this would be a fun just casual driving to Vegas and seeing who you run into

Because I bet there are some some people U gosh oh man Michael and the Preparation H talk in the chat he bought us a Preparation H too thank you Michael thank you Michael it’s it’s needed hey if you want to avoid the preparation age too really get off the rails here invest

In a bedet it’ll it’ll change your life you’ll think me later it’s pretty much the best decision my my wife it’s like the one Home Improvement suggestion I’ve made where she was like wow great job Nick you I’m proud of you you did something right I don’t do many things

Right I did recently take the stopper off of the sink because it was unclogged and the wife was having morning sickness I thought she was in a puke every time she went to use the sink so I did that without being told to do that and I

Didn’t break the sink wck it I was pretty proud of myself it was a job well done Mr Handyman rash how’s how’s the wets holding up we’re getting uh getting down the home stretch we’re nearly a month out um when I go to the combine that’s going

To be interesting I might get a few uh might need uh the the grandparents over here to help a little bit more than normal but uh it’s going it’s really an hour away you know something happens you can get home in a hurry yeah I’m not

Talking about that I’m more so just uh being you know helping stuff around daily stuff around the house uh but it’s going good uh Taylor’s the trooper she’s hanging in there uh you know Nick this is like honestly the worst part like the last month cuz it’s just it’s just

Yeah yeah you know you just everyone I think everyone’s miserable you’re just ready to let’s just get the show on the road kind of thing but then at the same time you’re like you’re also want the show to get on the road but you’re a little nervous about the show getting on

The road it’s just a little you’re just like all right let’s let’s let’s do this well best of luck godp speed you got any Waste Management winners did you did you ride anybody this weekend uh with everything going on I didn’t get a chance really look at the lineup much I

Did set one for the DFS and Justin Thomas was my number one pick so there you go if you’re looking for something that that’s who I’m riding this week but haven’t really gotten into that yet but once the major start we’ll be locked in we’ll get locked in for the players too

Here about a month I think the players is in a month so golf friends that are out there that I’m yeah I got a buddy out there this weekend too it’s uh it’s a good time JT poon though didn’t do great today two over

Not too not not not the they had a weird because they had that big delay so they’re probably going to be some guys overlapping and they might have to play Red Double up here on Friday or Saturday I just want to one time make that run or also just fall

Like start a domino you know cuz I saw all those people running today at the gate and I just thought how is nobody tripping and falling and there’s just like a pile of bodies in the middle of this it’s it’s crazy it’s it’s absolutely a wild wild scene um but hey

We need to get out of here if something crazy happens with this offensive coordinator search we’ll be on here talking about it within an hour or two so make sure you’re subscribed to the ksr YouTube channel and make sure you get notifications every time we go live

And tomorrow we’ll be back with our Super Bowl picks on Pig Skin preview for Adam mucket I’m Nick rash go cats and go Krogen