First Down Kentucky: How Ja'Mori Maclin could be used in Bush Hamdan's offense

Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff will be a first-time starter at quarterback when Kentucky opens the season against Southern Miss in Week 1. The former blue-chip recruit will be stepping into an offense with some good pieces surrounding him. Kentucky has one of the most experienced offensive lines in college football and some multi-year starters at wide receiver and tight end. But Kentucky added another wideout via the transfer portal to help upgrade that passing game.

After beginning his collegiate career at Missouri, Ja’Mori Maclin landed at North Texas and spent two seasons with the Mean Green. The former three-star recruit is coming off a career year where he led his offense in receptions (57), targets (100), receiving yards (1,004), and receiving touchdowns (11). Maclin is now being reunited with former position coach Bush Hamdan in Lexington and will be asked to create explosives but could see some different usage.

After playing only 93 total snaps in the slot through his first four seasons of college football, according to PFF data, Maclin will see more time in the slot at Kentucky this fall. The American Athletic Conference transfer is a fan of the position switch.

“That’s easy money,” Maclin told KSR. “That’s where I’m at with Dane and Barion outside, I’m in the slot, and I move in and out at times. I like the slot.”

“It’s a lot more spacing compared to outside. DBs are probably five, six, seven, eight yards off of where I can make my move. Gives me time to think about my move during the middle of the route.”

Kentucky is hopeful that the veteran can make a big splash in year one. First Down Kentucky is now going to take a closer at a true freshman making some noise in the offensive line room, Jim Harbaugh’s punishment at Michigan, and the injury bug in the SEC.

Aba Selm is making some noise

Independence (Ky.) Simon Kenton product Aba Selm was a top-500 recruiting win for Kentucky in the 2024 cycle and the highest-ranked offensive lineman in Kentucky’s class. Selm is quickly winning people over at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility.

The true freshman is running with the second unit at left guard and is impressing the coaching staff early.

“He can play center. Some people recruited him as a tackle. He can play guard. He’s very athletic. Wolf (Eric Wolford) really loves him. He’s going to be one of those guards that we’ve had here that’s going to be a big-time guy for the next years to come.”

Selm will likely take a redshirt this season, but he seems to be on a path to become a potential starter for the offensive line in year two.

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh receives NCAA show-cause

Jim Harbaugh no longer coaches college football, but if he decides to come back to college football, the NCAA has some big punishments waiting for him. The former Michigan head coach has been given a four-year show-cause and one-year suspension for violations concerning both recruiting and coaching activities by non-coaching staff members that occurred within the football program.

Michigan has agreed that it failed to properly monitor the football program during COVID-19 when impermissible recruiting contacts and inducements occurred. The Level II violations rose to Level I when Harbaugh refused to cooperate with the investigation and had “unethical conduct”.

These penalties are not part of the sign-stealing investigation that is ongoing. Crazy times in Ann Arbor, but Harbaugh is still being Harbaugh.

Jim Harbaugh on Michigan’s notice of allegations:

“No one’s perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and make it right. Today, I do not apologize.”

(via @chargers) pic.twitter.com/IIT35We3so

— Shehan Jeyarajah (@ShehanJeyarajah) August 5, 2024

Another SEC tailback goes down

Earlier this week, Florida starting tailback Montrell Johnson Jr. was lost to a knee scope. The injury should not be long-term, but Billy Napier‘s leading rusher could miss Week 1 against Miami. There was worse news for Steve Sarkisian and Texas on Wednesday.

Expected starter CJ Baxter will miss the 2024 season due to a knee injury.

Texas RB CJ Baxter is out for the season, the Longhorn football program announced. Baxter suffered a knee injury in Tuesday's practice and will undergo surgery.

🔗: https://t.co/L8JdWIQHB0 pic.twitter.com/DuB18rQQOm

— Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) August 7, 2024

The former five-star recruit suffered a PCL and LCL injury in practice on Tuesday and will require surgery. Baxter will miss the entire 2024 season. Jaydon Blue will step in as RB1 after 398 yards and six touchdowns last season while averaging 6.1 yards per rush. Texas has seen Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and Jonathon Brooks top-120 draft picks the last two years and now must replace Baxter. That is a lot of turnover in the running back room.

Kentucky will visit Texas on Nov. 23.

Peter Burns is bringing the Jefferson Pilot pregame show back

For most of us who are not classified as youths, we all remember the Jefferson Pilot Sports pregame game before the game of the week kicked off just before 12:30 p.m. ET. The three Daves were all involved with Dave Neal and Dave Baker doing much of the heavy lifting. Jefferson Pilot (or Raycom at the end) went away when the SEC Network arrived.

Now we are getting a new version of that pregame show in 2024 from the SEC Network.

Peter Burns will host SEC Now: Live this season at noon ET once SEC Nation goes off the air. The program will be live in the stadium leading into the network’s 12:45 p.m. ET game every week. Burns will update viewers on what is happening during the noon window and preview that week’s SEC on ABC 3:30 p.m. game. That will be South Carolina-Kentucky in Week 2.

The new show will begin in Week 1 in Knoxville. An old classic for the conference is coming back with a new twist. The SEC Network will now have three live pregame shows with Marty & McGee getting the party started at 9:00 a.m. ET every Saturday morning during the college football season.