KSR Today: Deone Walker, Aaron Bradshaw, and pre-Thanksgiving prep

Good morning, folks! And a Happy Thanksgiving Eve. We’ve got a busy day ahead around the KSR headquarters as we prepare for tomorrow’s session of gluttony and a huge sports weekend. For starters, we’ll hear from a couple of the Kentucky men’s basketball players this morning as they break down Monday’s overtime win against Saint Joseph’s and look ahead at what’s to come on Friday against Marshall. As always, we’ll have plenty of coverage coming from whatever they have to say.

While you wait, you might as well dive into yesterday’s football press conferences. There is no media availability today for football ‘Cats, so we were treated to both the offense and defense during Tuesday’s press conference. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen and defensive coordinator Brad White, along with a couple of players, sat down with reporters to talk about this weekend’s rivalry matchup. You can listen to everything they had to say below.

Deone Walker does not like Louisville

And neither do we. But it’s always fun when a player comes right out and says it with his chest. Kentucky sophomore defensive lineman Deone Walker was unafraid to roast the Cardinals during Tuesday’s media opportunity. UK takes on Louisville this Saturday in the Governor’s Cup.

“I never liked Louisville. Even while I was getting recruited. I just don’t like the Cardinals. Their fans are kind of snobbish. Their players act entitled,” Walker said. “A lot of pent-up aggression towards them.”

Time to release that aggression on some Louisville Cardinals and finish this season off strong. KSR’s Adam Luckett has a full “Bio Blast” breakdown of what UL brings to the table that you can read here.

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Aaron Bradshaw update

Although we still don’t have an actual return date locked in, it certainly appears that freshman center Aaron Bradshaw is trending toward making his college debut in the near future. KSR’s Jack Pilgrim reported Tuesday night on Sources Say that Bradshaw intends to participate in practice today, which is always the first step for a John Calipari player to ramp up for in-game action. Does this mean Bradshaw will play on Friday against Marshall? With only a day of practice under his belt, it would seem unlikely, but the debut feels imminent. It’s a matter of when at this point, not if.

Bradshaw even added some fuel to the fire on Tuesday when he posted an Instagram Story with the caption “God is great man” while standing on the Kentucky bench next to fellow seven-footers Zvonimir Ivisic and Ugonna Onyenso.

Speaking of Sources Say…

Jack was joined by Go Big Blue Country’s Shawn Smith last night for a fresh episode of Sources Say where they talked about Bradshaw and what his impact will look like once he finally steps on the hardwood. They also broke down Kentucky’s most recent overtime win over Saint Joseph’s and how it all came together. Jack and Shawn covered that and much more. You can check out the entire episode below.

Freddie Maggard opens up

Freddie Maggard wants us all to know that it’s okay to not be okay. The former Kentucky quarterback has been writing with KSR for years now, but his health has taken an unfortunate turn as of late. After opening up about what he’s been dealing with through an article last week, Freddie came on the KSR radio show yesterday morning to discuss his diagnosis — cognitive impairment, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and aphasia — and his new motto on life:

“The biggest thing for me for writing that article, and about being on here today, is to let folks know out there that are dealing with cognitive issues, emotional issues, or a broken leg, it’s okay to reach out and get help. And it’s okay to not be okay.”

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.

Tonight, a fresh episode of 11 Personnel with KSR’s Nick Roush and Adam Luckett will go live around 8:00 p.m. EST to preview the matchup against Louisville on Saturday.

Volleyball looking for 15th straight win

Craig Skinner’s squad has won 14 straight matches and will look to make it 15 when No. 10 Kentucky volleyball takes on No. 9 Arkansas on the road later this evening. The match will begin at 8:00 p.m. EST on the SEC Network+ with plenty of implications regarding the SEC standings.

As it stands now, Kentucky is 15-1 in conference play while Arkansas is 14-2. Both teams have two games remaining on the schedule. A win for UK would solidify their spot atop the conference standings. Tennessee is also 14-2 in SEC play and has split matches against Kentucky this season. However, a massive, top-10 road win over the Razorbacks would all but lock up the seventh consecutive SEC championship for the ‘Cats.

No more Akron road trip

Kentucky football was originally scheduled to travel to Akron for the 2024 season, but that will no longer be the case. Instead of facing the Zips, UK will now host Southern Miss at Kroger Field while Akron will hit the road to face Ohio State. Kentucky-Southern Miss will serve as the 2024 season opener for the Wildcats. UK is 10-0 all-time against MAC opponents under head coach Mark Stoops.

Below is the 2024 schedule as we know it so far.

Non-Conference
Aug. 31: vs. Southern Miss
Sept. 21: vs. Ohio
Nov. 16: vs. Murray State
Nov. 30: vs. Louisville

SEC Opponents (TBD)
at Florida
at Ole Miss
at Texas
at Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Georgia
South Carolina
Auburn

John Calipari on the pre-Thanksgiving recruiting trail

On Tuesday, men’s basketball head coach John Calipari traveled to the northeast to check out a handful of his favorite high school players. One of them was 2024 commit and four-star point guard Boogie Fland, who signed with Kentucky earlier this month. Calipari also went to check on 2024 five-star shooting guard VJ Edgecombe and 2024 four-star wing Billy Richmond, the latter widely viewed as a Kentucky lean.

Calipari will get back on the road today, too. After the win over Saint Joseph’s, he revealed that he’ll be going to visit four recruits on Wednesday, although we don’t know just yet who those prospects will be. Aside from Edgecombe and Richmond, the only other major 2024 recruit on Kentucky’s radar is five-star wing Karter Knox. The coaches could also elect to check in on some of the other current 2024 signees, a four-man group that ranks second in the country by On3.

Or what about a trip out west to visit Prolific Prep’s (CA) superstar duo of AJ Dybantsa and Tyran Stokes, the top players in the 2025 and 2026 classes, respectively, who both announced UK offers this week? Both have interesting ties to UK. Dybantsa grew up idolizing the later Terrence Clarke while Stokes was born in Louisville. Regardless, Calipari certainly seems back to his old recruiting ways.

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