KSR Today: Liam Coen/Offense Day at Fall Camp

Good morning, Big Blue Nation. We are now 25 days away from Kentucky’s season opener vs. Ball State, and we’ve got a perfect way to celebrate. Today, we’ll hear from Liam Coen and members of Kentucky’s offense following the Wildcats’ sixth practice of fall camp.

With almost a week of camp under their belts, it’ll be good to hear Coen and the Cats’ thoughts on the offensive line, the progress Devin Leary and his pass-catchers are making, and whether or not Barion Brown and Jordan Dingle have returned to action. Both sat out Saturday’s open practice due to minor injuries. In Brown’s place, true freshman Anthony Brown flashed at practice, running with the ones and turning heads.

Will any more newcomers earn kudos from the staff today? Will Ray Davis get to talk to reporters and deliver some more zingers about Nashville and Vanderbilt Football? Practice is scheduled to wrap around lunchtime, so check the site, KSBoard, and the KSR YouTube Channel afterward for interviews and a full recap.

Until then, we’ve got plenty to keep you entertained. Last night, the KSR Football Podcast crew convened to discuss Media Day, Fan Day, and whatever else was on their minds.

We also released our highlight reel from Saturday’s open practice. UK limits us to only three minutes of footage, but those three minutes are more than enough to get your blood pumping this morning.

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Here’s what else is on tap for today.

Cal and Stanford to the ACC?

If you haven’t kept up with conference realignment, the Pac-12 will be down to four members following this season, with Oregon and Washington joining USC and UCLA in the Big Ten and Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado going to the Big 12. That leaves Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, and Washington State scrambling to find a new home.

One of the options Cal and Stanford are reportedly considering is the ACC, as in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which is on the opposite side of the country as the Pac-12. I remember when conference names and geography used to mean something! Maybe it can be the ACCC – Atlantic Coast and California Conference?

Sources: In the next 24 hours, there’s two calls for the ACC to vet and have early exploratory discussions on the potential addition of Cal and Stanford. One is for ACC athletic directors and the other for the league's presidents and chancellors.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 7, 2023

Two Wildcats try to make the cut at U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship  

It’s the second day of stroke play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles and two Kentucky Wildcats are in position to make the cut. 2021 U.S. Amateur Champ Jensen Castle is tied for 19th at even-par 72 while Laney Frye is tied for 57th place with 2-over-part 74. Frye tees off at 10:47 a.m. ET, followed by Castle at 4:13 p.m. ET. Castle is just four strokes off the lead.

The top 64 players at the end of 36 holes of stroke play advance to match play, which begins on Wednesday. The Golf Channel will carry coverage of the round of 64 through Sunday’s 36-hole championship match. You can follow the live scoring on the USGA’s website.

Lexington’s Eastern LL in action at the Little League World Series

Yesterday, Lexington’s own Eastern Little League did the entire Commonwealth a favor and knocked Indiana out of the Great Lakes Region of the Little League World Series. It was quite a victory, with Eastern LL tying it up in the bottom of the sixth and then, winning it all by stealing home after a wild pitch.

Kentucky moves on to the next round of the LLB Great Lakes Region with a wild win over Indiana pic.twitter.com/WpBMMv1tpe

— Drew Franklin (@DrewFranklinKSR) August 7, 2023

A few innings earlier, former Kentucky player and coach Jon Sumrall tugged at our heartstrings by tweeting out this screenshot of Matt Schlarman, the son of the late, great John Schlarman.

pic.twitter.com/KoUGNDMZyp

— Jon Sumrall (@CoachJonSumrall) August 7, 2023

Today, Eastern LL is back in action vs. Ohio in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Region. You can see it live on ESPN at 3 p.m. ET. The winner advances to face Illinois in the Great Lakes Region Championship for a spot in Williamsport.

Sources Say live at 5 p.m.

If you need a basketball fix, Jack Pilgrim and Shawn Smith will be going live in their new Tuesday night 5 p.m. time slot on the KSR YouTube Channel to share the latest updates on the hardwood Cats. Among the topics they’ll likely discuss are the new additions to Kentucky’s non-conference schedule, Justin Edwards being No. 1 in The Athletic’s latest NBA Mock Draft, and the latest recruiting chatter.

Kentucky is no longer a finalist, but five-star big man Flory Bidunga will announce his decision later this week. Auburn, Duke, Kansas, and Michigan are the finalists. Brace yourself, because the Blue Devils are the frontrunners.

Hard Knocks with the New York Jets premieres

I haven’t watched Hard Knocks in probably a decade, but tonight, I might just to see how weird Aaron Rodgers has become. There’s not a lot in this world that could convince me to watch a docuseries on New York Jets football, but Rodgers’ descent into a bizarre human being might be it. Also, Randall Cobb, who is now in his 13th season in the league. Feels like only yesterday he did this in his NFL debut, a moment I won’t soon forget.

In his 1st NFL game, Randall Cobb pulled off one of the wildest TD returns you'll ever see https://t.co/kqaz7okdqH pic.twitter.com/Jq2QcVzGc5

— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) July 4, 2023

If you want to join me, Hard Knocks premieres at 10 p.m. ET on HBO and Max (which, if we’re being honest, means I’ll be watching it Wednesday instead). If not, Season 3 of Only Murders In The Building drops today too (I’ll definitely be watching that).

Tom Hart joins Matt and Ryan on KSR

Yesterday, longtime listeners of Kentucky Sports Radio took a trip down memory lane when Big EZ joined Matt Jones and Ryan Lemond. Today, one of our favorite national voices is filling in while Drew and Shannon are out of town. Tom Hart will join the show to preview football season, talk about barns crossing the road, and, hopefully, his second “Listicuffs” appearance. If you missed it last week, Tom squared off against his SEC Network broadcast partner Cole Cubelic.

There was a bit of controversy at the end, so do yourself a favor and catch up in case he throws the red flag again.

Tim Couch will join Matt and Ryan tomorrow and KSR OG Chris Tomlin will step in on Thursday. Hopefully, we’ll get another old-time baseball report.