We are less than two weeks away from the opening of football season and the Wildcats opening the season in the New Commonwealth Stadium. Today marks the day the guys begin their first full day preparing for their opponent, signaling the end of "pre-season" camp.
Kyle Tucker of the Louisville Courier Journal recently released Five Bold Predictions for UK football 2015... I wanted to do the same here.
1- Dorian Baker will be the 'Cats #1 receiver: I love Ryan Timmons but I think Dorian Baker takes that step forward and ends up being our #1 go to guy.
2- George Asafo-Adjei will be an All-SEC performer: I love the freshman, and think he will not only end up being the starter, but being one of the SEC's best of 2015
3- Kentucky will HANDLE Florida: I think we beat the Gators this season a convincing fashion. I am not saying a blow out, but I am thinking it will be a 10-17 point win where we control the game.
4- A.J. Stamps will be UK's next first round NFL pick: I know we went over a decade between first round picks, but I think Stamps will put together a phenomenal season and end up being a 1st round NFL draft pick next season.
5- Towles goes for 400: I think Towles will have a 400 yard game this season.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Per the usual, Not Jerry Tipton brings the heat
2 Indiana players cited for alcohol possession. #iubb, since 2014 - Players arrested for alcohol/drug offenses: 6 NCAA Tournament wins: 0
— Not Jerry Tipton (@NotJerryTipton) August 24, 2015
YOUR QUICKIES
Jamal Murray on Campus
Mr. Murray is on campus and will be attending class tomorrow, this is great news and officially puts that pesky "team Canada" stuff to rest.
UK #1... again
With Murray on campus, UK has surpassed Duke and has the #1 recruiting class for 2015. If you recall, the sky was falling just 5-6 months ago with all the other guys passing on UK. Per Scout, UK now has the #1 recruiting class of 2015.
UK Football Podcast
Myself, Will Marshall, and James Streble got together for a rousing podcast. I think it was our best to date, we discussed the most important games on the schedule, the Nebraska transfers, players leaving the program, the running backs, and Ryan Timmons getting lost in the shuffle. Well worth the listen.
Number 1 Center in America for 2016 Visiting UK
Marques Bolden, the #1 ranked center for the class of 2016 will be visiting the 'Cats and Calipari. Bolden is a heavily recruited player and anytime Cal is involved with a big man, you gotta like our chances.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Gets Paid
MKG has signed a 4-year, 52 Million dollar deal... experts are considering this a bargain for the Hornets. The fact that MKG has a suspect jumper and is getting paid 13 million PER YEAR at a bargain says a lot about how good he is. Could you imagine if he was an above average shooter? He would be fighting fellow UK alum Anthony Davis for MVP honors going forward.
By signing a $52 million extension, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is selling his value short: http://t.co/MgFj0PjQC4 (In) pic.twitter.com/3AJIUHiPzr
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) August 25, 2015
ESPN Pre-Season All-American Team
ESPN released their All-American team and here are the honorees.
Fantasy Football
If you are a fantasy football guy or gal, Matthew Berry released his love/hate column for 2015.
Who He Loves
- Adrian Peterson
- Jeremy Hill
- Julio Jones
- Alfred Morris
- Lamar Millier
- Frank Gore
- Andre Johnson
- LeGarrette Blount
- Jeremy Maclin
- Tom Brady
- Ryan Tannehill
- Allen Robinson
- Martavis Bryant
- Arian Foster
- Nelson Agholor
- Ryan Matthews
- Teddy Bridgewater
- Charles Johnson
- Carson Palmer
- John Brown
- Delanie Walker
- Eddie Royal
Who He Hates
- LeSean McCoy
- Calvin Johnson
- Drew Brees
- Sammy Watkins
- DeSean Jackson
- Jason Witten
- Giovani Bernard
- Mike Wallace
- Julius Thomas
- Stephen Gostkowski
- Zach Ertz
- Matthew Stafford
- Breshard Perriman
- Torrey Smith
- Marcus Mariota
Randall Cobb Doing The Carlton
Randall Cobb was on Hollywood Game Night and decided to drop a "Carlton" on national TV
RANDALL COBB IS DOING THE CARLTON pic.twitter.com/jVNQxFTZD7
— Bart Winkler (@WinksThinks) August 26, 2015
MacGinnis, Stamps, Swindle Named Pre-Season All-SEC Coaches Team
Kicker Austin MacGinnis, OL Jordan Swindle, and Safety A.J. Stamps were named to the coaches all-SEC team.
The Seahawks Michael Bennett Is Not A Fan Of The Quarterback Position
In an epic rant, Michael Bennett went off on the quarterback position... if he would only get off the fence and make a decision we would know how he really feels.
"Quarterback is the only position in the NFL where you be mediocre and get paid. At every other position, you can't be mediocre," Bennett said. "If I was like Ryan Tannehill, and the most games I ever won was seven, how could you get $100 million for that? I guess that's the value of the position."
"And then there's, like, you're sitting at home and there's breaking news, and it says that Brian Hoyer is the quarterback of the Houston Texans, I'm like, who cares? It's not breaking news. It's really not breaking news."
Bennett continued, "All I'm saying is there's some mediocre quarterbacks in the NFL that make a lot of money. I mean, you take a guy like Sam Bradford. He's never played, really, in the last three years, but he's made more money than most guys in the NFL!"
"Quarterbacks get protected more than any other player in the NFL. I mean [Bradford] gets hit in his knees and he's about to cry? [crying noises] 'He hit me in my legs!' I mean, everybody gets hit in their legs. Every play somebody tries to hit me in my legs. So what makes him different, what makes his life better than mine?"
Bennett said he respects Tom Brady because when Brady gets tackled, he gets up and says, "Good job, good hit," and then continues back to the huddle.
"Ain't got guys in the NFL crying because they get hit. 'Oh, Suggs, Suggs hit me, and I'm running the read option,'" Bennett continued, imitating Bradford.
"RGIII is running around, and he gets hit and he's like — I'm like, 'Stop running the ball if you don't wanna get hit!' Throw the ball! The best way not to get hit is to complete a pass," Bennett concluded.
Honey Bourbon
I have decided to give some "honey" flavored bourbons and I have come to like them quite a bit. Evan Williams and Jack Daniels so far.
It is a far cry from the normal bourbon, but I thought I would try it and for the price, it is a pretty solid little cocktail.