UK Fans of the Day Want Afternoon Notes on NIL, Mark Pope, and the NFL Draft
It’s a rainy Friday afternoon across the Bluegrass and down here in Nashville, but I’m not letting that dampen my spirit. The showers are supposed to clear out early tomorrow to make way for a beautiful weekend. As I count down to it, I thought I’d check in with some good old-fashioned afternoon notes.
UK Board of Trustees approves Champions Blue, LLC
One of the headlines yesterday was the formation of Champions Blue, LLC, a holding company designed to give UK Athletics more financial flexibility in the new era of name, image, and likeness once the House Settlement is approved. This afternoon, the UK Board of Trustees approved UK Athletics’ move to Champions Blue, LLC, which will allow the department to unlock new revenue streams through public-private partnerships and potentially other transactions, such as real estate, in hopes of accounting for the additional $50 million it needs in the athletic budget, which includes the $20.5 million of revenue the school will be able to distribute to athletes.
This is not the easiest topic to understand and further, explain to someone, but simply put, UK Athletics will now be able to operate more like a business instead of an athletic department. This move will streamline a lot of processes to help the department stay competitive in an ever-changing landscape. There will be a Champions Blue Board, which will consist of business-minded folks who will advise Mitch Barnhart and UK President Eli Capilouto on the best ways to raise money, which could include more premium seating and fan amenities at Kroger Field or public-private partnerships. It’s a very forward-thinking approach to a complex issue, so kudos to Barnhart, Capilouto, and everyone else involved for getting it done.
Matt Jones spoke more about Champions Blue, LLC around the 30-minute mark of the first hour of today’s show:
New Cats on campus this weekend
ICYMI earlier today, Jacob Polacheck reported that all of Kentucky’s transfer portal commitments will take official visits to campus this weekend, save Jayden Quaintance, who is focusing on his rehab at home in Florida. That means there will be plenty of Denzel Aberdeen, Mouhamed Dioubate, Jaland Lowe, and Kam Williams sightings around town, and at some point, we’ll get to see them sporting Kentucky Blue jerseys in their official visit photoshoots. I’m glad I don’t have to pay that bill at Jeff Ruby’s.
Maxwell Hairston is going viral for all the right reasons
Many of you were probably asleep when Maxwell Hairston heard his name called at the NFL Draft last night. By now, I hope you’ve seen the clips going viral of the former Kentucky cornerback congratulating every player drafted ahead of him in the Green Room, and the moment when he was finally selected by the Buffalo Bills with the No. 30 pick. Hairston’s positivity has struck a chord with everyone today, a feel-good moment that transcends sports.
“Honestly, whatever’s meant to happen is going to happen, and I just stayed positive, stayed happy, and just congratulated all of my brothers that got their name called ahead of me,” Hairston said when asked about being the unofficial Green Room hype man. “I was just so excited for that and the fact that I got to hear my name called as well, I don’t care how late it is. It could be 3 a.m., I’ll wait to hear my name, and I’m just ecstatic to be a Buffalo Bill. I feel like this is the right fit for me.”
The world needs more Maxwell Hairstons.
These pictures of Mark Pope, Rob Dillingham, Julius Randle, and Rock Oliver hit the spot
Equally wholesome: the photos of Mark Pope and Rock Oliver with Rob Dillingham, Julius Randle, and Jarred Vanderbilt in Minnesota. Pope and Oliver, who has been with the athletics department for decades, stopped by the Timberwolves’ facility to wish the Calipari-era Cats good luck before Game 3 of the Timberwolves’ first-round playoff series vs. the Lakers tonight. The transition from Calipari to Pope has been mostly smooth, but it’s always nice to see Pope keeping the bond with all of the program’s former players strong, especially those from the previous era.
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By the sounds of it, Pope and Rock may stick around for the game, so keep an eye out for them courtside. The game starts at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, with the series tied at 1-1.
Another noteworthy photo
I doubt there was much photoshopping involved with the pictures we just talked about, but the one below? I love Ryan Lemond, but that is one heck of an airbrushed or AI glow-up. As you might expect, it was a big topic of conversation on today’s show, so catch the last half hour of the podcast if you missed it.
Will Deone Walker hear his name called at the Draft tonight?
That’s a popular question in the group chat as we wait to see when the massive Kentucky defensive lineman comes off the board. Adam Luckett, whom I defer to on all things football, believes Walker could be picked at the end of the third round tonight. Once projected to be a first-round pick, Walker’s draft stock slid throughout his junior season due to a back injury and poor pre-draft testing. Rounds two and three of the draft take place tonight (7 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN, NFL Network), with four through seven happening tomorrow (12 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN, NFL Network).
Outside of Walker, Eli Cox and Jamon Dumas-Johnson are the most likely Cats to be drafted, potentially in the sixth and seventh rounds. Zion Childress, Marques Cox, D’Eryk Jackson, Octavious Oxendine, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, and JJ Weaver are among the draft hopefuls who will likely be undrafted free agents in search of a training camp invite.
For more draft content, I’ll direct you to Luckett’s Day 2 preview from earlier and his Ultimate Draft Guide on KSR+. We’ll be talking about the draft (and other stuff) all weekend on KSBoard. Hopefully, no babies puke tonight.
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