First Down Kentucky: Weekly Awards and Some Crootin'

Hello friends and Happy Tuesday! I’m still catching up from the weekend on the road to The Grove. Shout out to the bye week for giving me some time to do laundry and hit the grocery. You know things are getting dire when we’re almost out of cereal bars. My toddler would become unhinged if there was ever a day without one of those in the pantry. Sorry, for that tangent. You’re here for Kentucky football talk.

Since it is the bye week, there isn’t the typical outpouring of commentary from players and coaches in post-practice interviews. The media still hasn’t had a chance to follow up with Mark Stoops since the postgame presser. That will happen tomorrow.

What we have had time for is plenty of awards. If you thought the sport of college football doled out a ton of postseason awards, wait until you see the long list of weekly accolades Kentucky received for upsetting No. 6 Ole Miss.

SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week: Octavious Oxendine
SEC Special Teams Player of the Week: Alex Raynor
Bear Bryant Coach of the Week: Mark Stoops
Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week: Mark Stoops
Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 List: Brock Vandagriff
Kirk Herbstreit Top Performing Team (No. 2) and Coach (No. 3) of Week 5

Of all the honors doled out this week, this one is my favorite. Dan Mullen is exactly as good at Photoshop as you think he would be.

pic.twitter.com/fShIVk3x49

— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) October 1, 2024

Kentucky gets a Commitment, Who’s Next?

Kentucky has spent time cultivating a relationship with Jayden Clark. On Tuesday, just a few weeks removed from his most recent campus visit, the three-star Ohio offensive lineman publicly pledged his allegiance to the Cats.

The bye week gives coaches some extra time to hit the recruiting trail. Many will be on the road on Friday night to watch future Wildcats in action. There are a couple of other uncommitted players in Kentucky’s crosshairs, tight end Mikkel Skinner and safety Dyllon Williams. Skinner recently reneged his pledge to Cincinnati, while Williams remains committed to Missouri, but Kentucky is in a good spot to potentially secure commitments to add to the 2025 recruiting class.

Familiar Name Goes Portaling

On3’s Pete Nakos reports Donaven McCulley is leaving the Indiana football program to enter the transfer portal. This offseason it was a huge win for Curt Cignetti to retain the 6-foot-5 pass-catcher. McCulley began his collegiate career as a quarterback and was a highly-coveted player in the portal Kentucky pursued after he caught 48 passes for 644 yards and six touchdowns.

Instead of a home run for Coach Cig, he’s only caught passes for 21 yards and a touchdown for the undefeated Hoosiers. Even though they’re having a shockingly spectacular season, McCulley was supposed to use this year as a springboard to the NFL. He’s going to try to find that elsewhere.

Alabama Offers Kentucky Commit

Zack mentioned it earlier, but it’s worth noting again. Nicholas Smith did not make front-page headlines on the national recruiting page at On3 when he committed to Kentucky. A three-star defensive lineman was viewed by many as a “project.” Brad White wasn’t the only one who loved what they saw from the under-the-radar prospect on tape. Alabama has now offered him a scholarship. When the Crimson Tide enter the picture, it’s a big deal. We’ll be monitoring this situation closely.

Big J Fight!

Gonzaga is joining the new Pac-12. The news became official a week after Brett McMurphy reported the move was happening. Many journalists, like NBC’s Nicole Auerbach, refuted it at the time. Now that it’s official, the two felt the need to exchange barbs on Twitter and it made me giggle at least 2-3 times.

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ICYMI: Kentucky QB Brock Vandagriff on SEC This Morning

Check out @BrockVandagriff chatting with @PeterBurnsESPN and @ChrisDoering on @SEC This Morning. pic.twitter.com/9sic26wRUK

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 1, 2024