KSR Today: State of the Program following Governor's Cup loss

Good morning, folks! I’m trying to keep my spirits high on this snowy (yet oddly peaceful) Sunday. It’s not been easy though, especially when big changes are expected out of the Kentucky football program. The Wildcats were manhandled yesterday in the one game that fans could count as an automatic win — at least since 2017. Louisville embarrassed Kentucky 44-14 so badly that even I felt ashamed for the players (not so much the coaches) as I watched from the comfort of my living room couch.

Maybe that’s a reason for optimism though — in some sick, twisted way. Good coaches have experienced bumps in the road before only to overcome them the following season. If Mark Stoops ends up being the Wildcats’ head coach once again in 2025 — which appears to be the case right now — we can only hope that he’ll find a way to turn it around. We’ve been hearing a sudden a fire in his voice when he talks, but is that all it is? Just talk? There is a solid core of young players in the system already, a Top 25 recruiting class on the way, and a public dedication to committing to NIL.

But can those three things help fix what appears to be the crux of the problem? UK has to retain those young players first. Can fixing those areas prevent a player from going to get a concession hotdog in the middle of the game like Gerald Mincey (an offseason transfer) did yesterday against Louisville? Cultural issues within the program are real. That starts at the top. Rotating some positional coaches and weeding out some of the bad eggs might help improve that, but there appears to be a need for a real change in approach/style from Stoops. We’re going to see major roster rebuilding this week and beyond. Defensive coordinator Brad White‘s name continues to be mentioned in coaching searches.

“Tumultuous week (ahead); that’s an understatement,” Stoops said during his postgame conversation with Tom Leach. “There’s going to be a lot of turnover and there needs to be.”

Stoops has continued to publicly state his return for 2025. He has not shied away from making those comments over the last few weeks. Is it a smokescreen or the truth? A massive buyout makes it difficult to simply cut ties, if that’s the route Mitch Barnhart even wants to take. The plan as of now is to build around true freshman Cutter Boley (who did not play up to expectations against Louisville) and put him in a better position to succeed next season. There will be a major emphasise on the portal. I’ll let you decide if that’s good or bad.

“I have a lot of confidence in Cutter. I mean, we got to make sure we build a very good team around him. We got to make sure we have strong competition,” Stoops said in his postgame press conference.

A halfway-decent offensive line sure would be a good start. Finding the secret culture sauce (whatever the hell that might be/mean) by bringing in the right coaches and portal transfers is the next key. The gears are going to move quickly, probably as soon as Monday. A long offseason is likely ahead…

Which means you should have plenty of time to dive into all of KSR’s postgame content from the loss against Louisville. You’re also going to want to head on over to KSBoard to hear what Matt Jones wrote about the current state of the program for the inside scoop on what’s actually happening behind the scenes.

While you were sleeping, @KySportsRadio dropped some behind-the-scenes info on what happened with the football program this season and what lies ahead on KSBoard. 👀

Take advantage of our Silly Season Sale and get in here ⬇️⬇️

KSBoard: https://t.co/yaFSCJ8DC1 pic.twitter.com/7gEI3GjPZD

— KSR (@KSRonX) December 1, 2024

• Kentucky Embarrassed in 41-14 Loss to Louisville
• Mark Stoops vows to fix Kentucky’s issues: “I am not going anywhere”
• Louisville ends Kentucky’s disappointing season in humiliating fashion
• Mark Stoops Prepared to Build Around Cutter Boley
• Brad White Addresses his Future at Kentucky
• How bad is it? A Kentucky player was spotted in the concession line during the game
• Mark Stoops expects turnover and surprises during “tumultuous week”
• Sad Scenes from Kroger Field Following the Kentucky Loss to Louisville
• ‘Fix that culture’: Change is inevitable for Kentucky this offseason
• Mark Stoops points to South Carolina as an Example of a Quick Turnaround in the SEC
• Kentucky had one last letdown for the 2024 season, but now it can’t hurt you anymore

Mark Stoops press conference

KSR Rapid Reaction

Matt Jones on The State of the Program

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Kentucky VB’s path to a 2nd national title

After locking up its eighth straight SEC Championship earlier this week, Kentucky volleyball will learn its path to a second national title later this evening. The 2024 NCAA Volleyball Selection Show will be on Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. EST on ESPN with Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, and Katie George unveiling the 64-team bracket.

With the Top 16 seeded teams in the bracket hosting both the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, there’s a very good chance that the No. 12 Wildcats start the postseason at Memorial Coliseum. UK currently ranks No. 10 in the RPI, No. 11 in the KPI, No. 5 in strength of schedule, and No. 1 in opponent strength of record.

Kentucky closed the 2024 regular season with a 20-7 record and finished its SEC season 14-2 having won 11 matches in a row to finish the season.

High School football championships are set

The stage at Kroger Field has been set. All six Kentucky high school football classes are down to the championship games. The Class 1A, 2A, and 4A champions will be crowned next Friday in Lexington while the Class 3A, 5A, and 6A winners will be crowned on Saturday. KSR will be there to cover all six matchups.

Friday, Dec. 6 | 12:00 PM	1A | Raceland vs. Sayre
Friday, Dec. 6 | 4:00 PM	2A | Owensboro Catholic vs. Beechwood
Friday, Dec. 6 | 8:00 PM	4A | Franklin County vs. Paducah Tilghman
Saturday, Dec. 7 | 12:00 PM	3A | Christian Academy-Louisville vs. Union County
Saturday, Dec. 7 | 4:00 PM	6A | Ryle vs. Trinity
Saturday, Dec. 7 | 8:00 PM	5A | Cooper vs. Bowling Green

‘Cats in the NFL: Week 13

TIME (EST)	MATCHUP
1:00 PM (CBS)	Chargers (D. Dupree) @ Falcons
1:00 PM (CBS)	Steelers @ Bengals
1:00 PM (FOX)	Cardinals @ Vikings (J. Davis)
1:00 PM (CBS)	Colts @ Patriots
1:00 PM (FOX)	Seahawks @ Jets (B. Echols)
1:00 PM (CBS)	Titans (W. Levis) @ Commanders (C. Rodriguez)
1:00 PM (FOX)	Texans @ Jaguars (L. Fortner, J. Allen-Hines)
4:05 PM (FOX)	Rams @ Saints (L. Young)
4:05 PM (FOX)	Buccaneers (M. Edwards) @ Panthers (L. Johnson, T. Wallace)
4:25 PM (CBS)	Eagles (D. Kinnard) @ Ravens
8:20 PM (NBA/Peacock)	49ers @ Bills (R. Davis)