Cats Illustrated Mailbag (10/31)
Justin Rowland • CatsIllustrated.com
@RowlandRIVALS
Cats Illustrated members have posed their questions. Here are some attempts at answers.
Kentucky football and recruiting are the topics.
Josh Allen (UK Athletics)
ctroberts1024: What would your dream bowl matchup be if you could pick?
So obviously seeing Kentucky in the College Football Playoff would be ideal for any fan out there and even as someone who writes about the team, while my emotional stake is removed, it would be pretty awesome to be there to cover that.
Aside from the playoff, the Fiesta Bowl would be incredible. Growing up, I was that kid who took sports way too seriously so every Christmas my parents would surprise me with a trip to a bowl game we had never been to before. In 1997, we went to the Fiesta Bowl. I have a lot of fond memories of that. The game is well done and Arizona is a fantastic place to visit. I saw a bowl projection for Kentucky and Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl recently, and while that matchup might be difficult for the Cats, it would be a heck of an event.
Of course, Kentucky-Ohio State in any bowl game would have as much anticipation as just about anything.
IDcatfan: Any possibility we hold onto a couple schollies for next year to capitalize on this season since we have very few big fish left on the board?
I don't think they will hold onto spots for that specific purpose. Right now the goal seems to be to fill out a full class of 25. However, if they get to 23 or so and they aren't thrilled about their last couple of options they might wait to see what materializes after Signing Day or maybe with a graduate transfer.
But, no, I think they will try to fill this whole class out and then it will probably happen that they can sign another pretty full class next year.
I absolutely know where your mind is at and it makes sense. The 2020 class can be really good, and I think it will be. But I think you use those couple of spots even on unpolished guys with longer-term potential and hope that developing them pays off. Keep guys coming into the ranks every year.
BeeBeeIn: Is there anyone that UK would target on UofL’s class list if Bobby is canned?
Great question. The two players currently committed to UofL who were definitely targeted by Kentucky were athlete and Louisville native Aidan Robbins, who may still have a spot with Kentucky if he were to reconsider, and Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons offensive lineman Jamari Williams. I have not heard anything that leads me to believe those guys are inching back towards UK and I can't even confirm they would still be takes. But those are the two names that I would be most interested in.
Emmitt69: Any chance UK cld flip any of the Ky 2019 kids to us?
Stack rank your top 8-10 Ky kids for 2020?.....and where do we stand with them?
If something happens with UofL then Robbins could be one to watch. Otherwise I don't see any of the state's 2019 guys flipping to or away from Kentucky. They all seem pretty set in their picks.
My early 2020 rankings based on what I've seen and heard would be:
1. TE Michael Mayer (Notre Dame)
2. OL Walker Parks (Clemson)
3. OL John Young
4. ATH Vito Tisdale
5. QB Beau Allen
6. DT Octavious Oxendine
7. WR Izayah Cummings
8. ATH Landen Bartleson
This is a very early list, subject to change a lot and I'm sure it will change.
UK has more of a shot with Tisdale than I probably realized very early in this process but not sure I would say a clear frontrunner. I like where Kentucky stands with quarterback Beau Allen. I would call UK the clear favorite for Young. They have a really good shot with Oxendine and Bartleson. Not sure about Cummings.
TheBigBlueSpectacle: Best practices for lifting overweight fall pumpkins?
He's referring to the 153-pound pumpkin that my wife won in a "guess the pumpkin's weight" contest at a local grocery store. I finally gave in and brought it home. I almost tore a muscle in my arm trying to get it out of the car, and almost took the car door off in the process, but it's here and will soon be rotting in my front yard. The things you do for the ones you love.
gobigblue812: What are the chances we get a bowl matchup with Michigan/OSU loser, assuming we don't make the playoffs?
I would say there's a chance but not the most likely scenario. It is likely that either Michigan or Ohio State will be in the playoff (the winner of that game has a great shot to be there), so that would just leave one of them as a possible matchup for UK. I'm not sure a bowl will look at UK-Ohio State or UK-Michigan as quite as enticing as the average Kentucky fan would. But it might happen nonetheless.
Robcatt24: How do we match up with Alabama?
No, my sarcasm meter is not broken. I'm just going to take the opportunity to answer this anyways. UK doesn't match up well with Alabama, because nobody does. However, I think UK would have one of the two best defenses Alabama would face all season before the playoff, along with LSU. For that reason alone I don't think it would be as ugly as Bama against most other teams would be. The problem is Kentucky trying to score against Alabama.
kagoat22: How good of a coordinator is Matt House? Would like a feel of how much credit he deserves for our defensive performance. Does he share coordinating duties with Stoops or does he run the defense. He seems to be pretty damn special to me
He's getting a lot of love at the national level this year and that happens whenever a coordinator is overseeing a unit that makes a huge improvement. So it's well deserved. He was promoted to DC from within, so that says something about what Mark Stoops thinks about him. I heard some really good things about him when he was a position coach. It's hard to say but those I've spoken with believe he is a really good coach, but not only that, he's got a great eye for talent.
gobigblue812: Any transfers out there the staff may be looking at?
From time to time a name pops up and I'll hear about it, but as of right now I haven't heard of anyone specifically. I will tell you, around the time of Jared Casey's decision someone told me they weren't too worried about what he would do, with their rationale being, "There are people who are wanting to transfer here, so we're going to get guys."
golfnut51: We were more on fire with in-state recruiting when we were fighting to become bowl eligible. Whats going on with in state recruiting. I understand Bama. The UK of Football comes calling and you have to listen. Jedrick Wills is doing pretty well there. But I don't understand Virginia Tech, Nebraska, and even the Offensive Lineman from Douglas High going to Clemson.
Obviously fans would have expected a breakout season to translate into immediate recruiting success especially locally but I would say this year might be revealing. The guys making their decisions now are basing it on opinions and perceptions that have formed over two years, three years or more. They are probably very impressed with what Kentucky is doing, but they're still balancing that against a lifetime of what they've seen and experienced. Bryan Hudson likes Virginia Tech in part because of what he'll also do with their track program. Wandale Robinson is definitely enamored with Nebraska's offense. Tough to say no to Clemson, and I believe Walker Parks was pretty taken by them right away.
CatsFootballguy00: With us being a lock to go 10-2 at worst (I know some including Matt Jones think we might lose @UT, which I disagree with and think is ridiculous) aren’t we seemingly a lock for one of the BCS NY6 bowls? Don’t see how they can keep a 2 loss SEC team out of those.
If they go 10-2 then they will very likely be in one of the NY6 bowls. Not a lock, but likely, because they will be finishing the season with three straight wins and they will have a great resume, star power, the expectations fans will travel and some other factors in their favor.
I am not going to say, "They might lose at UT," because there's a pretty huge game between now and then, but I will say this: They can't bring their C game and expect to win in Knoxville. Tennessee isn't really a good football team, but one thing about Kentucky is when you are one-dimensional offensively you don't have a huge margin for error. You're talking about a close game. One in which Kentucky is the likely winner, but it might hinge on a couple of possessions.
Justin Rowland • CatsIllustrated.com
@RowlandRIVALS
Cats Illustrated members have posed their questions. Here are some attempts at answers.
Kentucky football and recruiting are the topics.
Josh Allen (UK Athletics)
ctroberts1024: What would your dream bowl matchup be if you could pick?
So obviously seeing Kentucky in the College Football Playoff would be ideal for any fan out there and even as someone who writes about the team, while my emotional stake is removed, it would be pretty awesome to be there to cover that.
Aside from the playoff, the Fiesta Bowl would be incredible. Growing up, I was that kid who took sports way too seriously so every Christmas my parents would surprise me with a trip to a bowl game we had never been to before. In 1997, we went to the Fiesta Bowl. I have a lot of fond memories of that. The game is well done and Arizona is a fantastic place to visit. I saw a bowl projection for Kentucky and Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl recently, and while that matchup might be difficult for the Cats, it would be a heck of an event.
Of course, Kentucky-Ohio State in any bowl game would have as much anticipation as just about anything.
IDcatfan: Any possibility we hold onto a couple schollies for next year to capitalize on this season since we have very few big fish left on the board?
I don't think they will hold onto spots for that specific purpose. Right now the goal seems to be to fill out a full class of 25. However, if they get to 23 or so and they aren't thrilled about their last couple of options they might wait to see what materializes after Signing Day or maybe with a graduate transfer.
But, no, I think they will try to fill this whole class out and then it will probably happen that they can sign another pretty full class next year.
I absolutely know where your mind is at and it makes sense. The 2020 class can be really good, and I think it will be. But I think you use those couple of spots even on unpolished guys with longer-term potential and hope that developing them pays off. Keep guys coming into the ranks every year.
BeeBeeIn: Is there anyone that UK would target on UofL’s class list if Bobby is canned?
Great question. The two players currently committed to UofL who were definitely targeted by Kentucky were athlete and Louisville native Aidan Robbins, who may still have a spot with Kentucky if he were to reconsider, and Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons offensive lineman Jamari Williams. I have not heard anything that leads me to believe those guys are inching back towards UK and I can't even confirm they would still be takes. But those are the two names that I would be most interested in.
Emmitt69: Any chance UK cld flip any of the Ky 2019 kids to us?
Stack rank your top 8-10 Ky kids for 2020?.....and where do we stand with them?
If something happens with UofL then Robbins could be one to watch. Otherwise I don't see any of the state's 2019 guys flipping to or away from Kentucky. They all seem pretty set in their picks.
My early 2020 rankings based on what I've seen and heard would be:
1. TE Michael Mayer (Notre Dame)
2. OL Walker Parks (Clemson)
3. OL John Young
4. ATH Vito Tisdale
5. QB Beau Allen
6. DT Octavious Oxendine
7. WR Izayah Cummings
8. ATH Landen Bartleson
This is a very early list, subject to change a lot and I'm sure it will change.
UK has more of a shot with Tisdale than I probably realized very early in this process but not sure I would say a clear frontrunner. I like where Kentucky stands with quarterback Beau Allen. I would call UK the clear favorite for Young. They have a really good shot with Oxendine and Bartleson. Not sure about Cummings.
TheBigBlueSpectacle: Best practices for lifting overweight fall pumpkins?
He's referring to the 153-pound pumpkin that my wife won in a "guess the pumpkin's weight" contest at a local grocery store. I finally gave in and brought it home. I almost tore a muscle in my arm trying to get it out of the car, and almost took the car door off in the process, but it's here and will soon be rotting in my front yard. The things you do for the ones you love.
gobigblue812: What are the chances we get a bowl matchup with Michigan/OSU loser, assuming we don't make the playoffs?
I would say there's a chance but not the most likely scenario. It is likely that either Michigan or Ohio State will be in the playoff (the winner of that game has a great shot to be there), so that would just leave one of them as a possible matchup for UK. I'm not sure a bowl will look at UK-Ohio State or UK-Michigan as quite as enticing as the average Kentucky fan would. But it might happen nonetheless.
Robcatt24: How do we match up with Alabama?
No, my sarcasm meter is not broken. I'm just going to take the opportunity to answer this anyways. UK doesn't match up well with Alabama, because nobody does. However, I think UK would have one of the two best defenses Alabama would face all season before the playoff, along with LSU. For that reason alone I don't think it would be as ugly as Bama against most other teams would be. The problem is Kentucky trying to score against Alabama.
kagoat22: How good of a coordinator is Matt House? Would like a feel of how much credit he deserves for our defensive performance. Does he share coordinating duties with Stoops or does he run the defense. He seems to be pretty damn special to me
He's getting a lot of love at the national level this year and that happens whenever a coordinator is overseeing a unit that makes a huge improvement. So it's well deserved. He was promoted to DC from within, so that says something about what Mark Stoops thinks about him. I heard some really good things about him when he was a position coach. It's hard to say but those I've spoken with believe he is a really good coach, but not only that, he's got a great eye for talent.
gobigblue812: Any transfers out there the staff may be looking at?
From time to time a name pops up and I'll hear about it, but as of right now I haven't heard of anyone specifically. I will tell you, around the time of Jared Casey's decision someone told me they weren't too worried about what he would do, with their rationale being, "There are people who are wanting to transfer here, so we're going to get guys."
golfnut51: We were more on fire with in-state recruiting when we were fighting to become bowl eligible. Whats going on with in state recruiting. I understand Bama. The UK of Football comes calling and you have to listen. Jedrick Wills is doing pretty well there. But I don't understand Virginia Tech, Nebraska, and even the Offensive Lineman from Douglas High going to Clemson.
Obviously fans would have expected a breakout season to translate into immediate recruiting success especially locally but I would say this year might be revealing. The guys making their decisions now are basing it on opinions and perceptions that have formed over two years, three years or more. They are probably very impressed with what Kentucky is doing, but they're still balancing that against a lifetime of what they've seen and experienced. Bryan Hudson likes Virginia Tech in part because of what he'll also do with their track program. Wandale Robinson is definitely enamored with Nebraska's offense. Tough to say no to Clemson, and I believe Walker Parks was pretty taken by them right away.
CatsFootballguy00: With us being a lock to go 10-2 at worst (I know some including Matt Jones think we might lose @UT, which I disagree with and think is ridiculous) aren’t we seemingly a lock for one of the BCS NY6 bowls? Don’t see how they can keep a 2 loss SEC team out of those.
If they go 10-2 then they will very likely be in one of the NY6 bowls. Not a lock, but likely, because they will be finishing the season with three straight wins and they will have a great resume, star power, the expectations fans will travel and some other factors in their favor.
I am not going to say, "They might lose at UT," because there's a pretty huge game between now and then, but I will say this: They can't bring their C game and expect to win in Knoxville. Tennessee isn't really a good football team, but one thing about Kentucky is when you are one-dimensional offensively you don't have a huge margin for error. You're talking about a close game. One in which Kentucky is the likely winner, but it might hinge on a couple of possessions.
