While our recruiting class has been slow taking off it has been pretty obvious from what has happened with the staff why this has happened - does anyone really disagree with this statement? As a fan base many of us are not happy with what has happened on the field the last 3 years plus as well. We are also not happy with the lack of discipline and respect for our program from many of our past roster - would you agree with that statement?

So, let's take a look at our program from a recruit's standpoint. First we have a coach who HAS been highly regarded over the last decade. Second, UK is a member of the highest rated conference in football. Third, our coaching staff has some guys who have done pretty well over the years and HAVE developed and sent players to the NFL - how many years did we have zero go to the NFL before Stoops? Fourth, many of us think that Coach Stoops is on the hot seat here - but as the old saying goes "One's perception is one's reality" - so we who believe this don't want to accept the fact that it will cost UK at least $40 million to change head coaches - (remember all the assistants who will have to be paid off plus how much might it cost UK to pay off the buyout of a coach they want to hire?).

So, from a recruit's standpoint you see this: Your going to play in a top football conference with an opportunity to be seen by the best for your future. Your going to play for a coach that they believe will be here at least 3 more years. You may really like the position coach you are going to be playing for. Your going to be living, practicing and playing in one of the best places in the country. Your going to be given the opportunity to contribute and start sooner than many other schools. We as fans see doom and gloom - but recruits are seeing opportunity - shouldn't we give these guys a chance? We can bash the staff, program and players after the season - right? It would be more valid then than now!

Go Big Blue!

Oakmont will host the championship for a record 10th time in 2025, three times more than any other club. It will also be the club's 17th USGA championship, which ranks one behind fellow Pennsylvania venue Merion Golf Club for the most all time.
The course has previously hosted the U.S. Open in 1927, 1935, 1953, 1962, 1973, 1983, 1994, 2007 and 2016.

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Get full 2025 U.S. Open picks, best bets, and predictions here.

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​

Ok, so let's continue our discussion outside the politics thread. Let's do our best to keep it within the rules this time. Me included.

The 'Birds met today to discuss their athletic budget ... they are proposing to borrow money and run a deficit

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Here is how they propose to meet the increased budget demands (price increases):

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I don't know if the team budget slide includes revenue sharing or not ... it may:

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Ownership has started dismantling the '21 team, and I'm OK with the Barnhart/Miley moves but sure would be nice if they could get something for them. They need to do whatever it takes to keep Nick C but looks like he's gone too. Saw on mlb.com list of 17 top FAs available and prediction where they'll sign...not a one with the Reds. 2022 not looking promising.

About as eclectic group as I can recall. Three non-P$ teams: OSU, CC, MS. Don't recall that.

All P4 conferences represented, SEC with just 2 - I expected 4 or so.

Only 3 of top 8 seeds.

Net, should be wide open, wild & woolly imo. Murray is my fav, then SEC, and ACC sux.

I don't necessarily believe UK's coaches are getting close yet to getting the first commitment in their 2026 class. But they have already given out a bunch of 2026 scholarship offers (see below), and we are getting into the early part of a time frame when the first 2026 commitment could happen. In any case, there are a lot of legitimate 2026 prospects for us to discuss on a new thread.

Here is a list of 2026 prospects known based on public information to have received UK offers. This is surely not a complete list. It is way too early to know where any of these players will end up. Just starting the conversation here.

Zakir Abdul-Salaam, LB, Powder Springs, GA
Tre Aiken, OL, Clinton, SC
Carsyn Baker, RB, Fairburn, GA
Adam Balogoum-Ali, LB, N Palm Beach, FL
Brandon Bennett, WR, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Kamari Blair, DL, Clarksville, TN
Javar Bowden, ATH, Panama City, FL
Jabari Brady, ATH, Hollywood, FL
Jaydin Broadnax, DB, Boca Raton, FL
Cam Brooks, LB, Thomasville, GA
Ace Brown, ATH, Akron, OH
Bryshawn Brown, QB, Cincinnati, OH
Davion Brown, WR, Richmond, VA
Daniel Burns, OL, Montgomery, AL
Naeem Burroughs, ATH, Jacksonville, FL
Simeon Caldwell, DB, Jacksonville, FL
Chancellor Campbell, OL, St Petersburg, FL
Khalief Canty, OL, Detroit, MI
Devin Carter, WR, Ellenwood, GA
Jordan Carter, LB, Douglasville, GA
Kasiyah Charleton, OL, Brunswick, GA
Jakobe Clapper, LB, Cincinnati, OH
Andre Clarke, DB, Richmond, VA
Amari Clemons, RB, Marianna, FL
Vodney Cleveland, DL, Prattville, AL
William Conroy, OL, Cleveland, OH
Payton Cook, WR, Akron, OH
Jordan Crutchfield, DB, Ft Pierce, FL
J'Zavien Currence, LB, Rock Hill, SC
Markel Dabney, ATH, Richmond, VA
Marquez Daniel, ATH, Tuskegee, AL
Kentrell Davis, WR, Birmingham, AL
Titan Davis, LB, St Louis, MO
Scottland Dover, OL, Gaffney, SC
Jorden Edmonds, DB, Marietta, GA
Jireh Edwards, DB, Baltimore, MD
Zion Elee, LB, Poppa, MD
Justice Fitzpatrick, ATH, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Duyon Forkpa, LB, Hoschton, GA
Deuce Geralds, DL, Suwanee, GA
Kamdon Gillespie, DL, Mooresville, NC
Darius Gray, OL, Richmond, VA
Desmond Green, OL, St Stephen, SC
Aaron Gregory, WR, Douglasville, GA
Xavier Griffin, ATH, Gainesville, GA
Zach Groves, LB, Cross Plains, TN
Adam Guthrie, OL, Washington CH, OH
Kaiden Hall, DB, Milton, FL
Sam Hamilton, TE, Cincinnati, OH
Eli Hamrick, QB, Ashville, NC
Marlon Harbin, ATH, Louisville, KY
Kaden Harris, DB, Brownsville, TN
Keenan Harris, DB, St Louis, MO
Kendre Harrison, TE, Reidsville, NC
George Haseotas, OL, Naples, FL
Calerbe Hermane, ATH, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Allen Hill, WR, Youngstown, OH
Elbert Hill, DB, Akron, OH
Devyon Hill-Lomax, WR, Edwardsville, IL
Savion Hiter, RB, Mineral, VA
Elijah Hutchinson, OL, Roanoke, VA
Michael Ionata, OL, Clearwater, FL
Brody Jennings, DB, Jacksonville, FL
Anthony Jones, LB, Mobile, AL
Ja'Michael Jones, RB, Pike Road, AL
Cincere Johnson, LB, Cleveland, OH
Sean Johnson DB, Severn, MD
Chauncey Kennon, DB, Sarasota, FL
Heze Kent, TE, Brunswick, GA
Tyreek King, ATH, Knoxville, TN
Breck Kolojay, OL, Bradenton, FL
Robert Lathon, RB, Columbus, OH
Amari Latimer, ATH, Tyrone, GA
Zion Legree, ATH, Pensacola, FL
Ronald Lunz, ATH, Ratcliff, KY
Justin Lyles, DB, Cincinnati, OH
Javian Mallory, RB, Baton Rouge, LA
Samari Matthews, ATH, Cornelius, NC
Dylan McCoy, RB, Buford, GA
Iverson McCoy, ATH, Tupelo, MS
JaReylan McCoy, DL, Tupelo, MS
Nassir McCoy, DB, Buford, GA
Cooper McCutchan, TE, Cincinnati, OH
Jesiyah Miguel, DB, FT Lauderdale, FL
Storm Miller, LB, Strongsville, OH
Landen Miree, ATH, Cincinnati, OH
Malik Morris, LB, Lakeland, FL
James Morrow, LB, Buford, GA
Ryan Mosley, WR, Carrollton, GA
Chris Newell, ATH, Cleveland, OH
Daniel Norman, LB, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Cam O'Hara, QB, Union, KY
Javian Osborne, RB, Forney, TX
Gabriel Osenda, OL, Chattanooga, TN
Zantreacs Otey, DB, Murfreesboro, TN
Jamar Owens, DB, Jonesboro, GA
Andre Parker, ATH, Cincinnati, OH
Milan Parris, WR, Stow, OH
Gregory Patrick, OL, Portage, MI
David Pellman, OL, Louisville, KY
Bryce Perry-Wright, ATH, Buford, GA
Eli Pietrowski, ATH, Corbin, KY
Kaiden Prothro, LB, Bowdon, GA
Dawson Quarterman, WR, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Cortez Redding, DB, Jonesboro, GA
Maxwell Riley, OL, Avon Lake, OH
Bryce Robinson, LB, Marietta, GA
Donel Robinson, OL, Lexington, MS
Jarius Rodgers, LB, Orange Park, FL
Hakim Satterwhite, DB, Washington, DC
Keeyshawn Schneider, WR, Chattanooga, TN
JB Shabazz, OL, Winston Salem, NC
CJ Sibley, DB, Buford, GA
Derrick Singletary, LB, Middletown, OH
Victor Singleton, DB, Toledo, OH
Chaston Smith, DB, Knoxville, TN
Javonte Smith, WR, Jackson, TN
Micah Smith, OL, Vero Beach, FL
KD Smith, ATH, Charlotte, NC
Carson Sneed, ATH, Nashville, TN
Dylan Steen, OL, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Jarvis Strickland, OL, Paducah, KY
Jardon Stringer, ATH, Lagrange, GA
Aaryn Tate, ATH, McLeansville, NC
Malachi Taylor ATH, Pickerington, OH
Cam Thomas, ATH, W Chester, OH
Camron Thompson, OL, Savannah, GA
Xavier Tiller, ATH, Fairburn, GA
Craig Tutt, DB, Murfreesboro, TN
Jordan Vann, ATH, Middletown, OH
Marcello Vitti, ATH, Dearborn, MI
Jeff Ward, WR, Cleveland, OH
Joel Wyatt, WR, Bell Buckle, TN
Jontavius Wyman, ATH, Jonesboro, GA

The timing of Vince leaving makes me wonder if he was laying down on the job. Was he almost out the door and just not trying to recruit. Funny how guys we were recruiting saying they weren’t hearing from us.

At the very end, coach Stoops at least publicly thanked Vince and wished him well.

At the very end, Vince commented he would find it easier to succeed at Louisville. ..publicly.

Pretty much done with the Vince show.

I was interested in where some guys are and what they were doing....

And rain cancelled a big zoom meeting I had scheduled, so I'm bored and have time to kill

We know the elite ones and big names like Liam Coen, Jon Sumrall, Steve Clinkscale, Neal Brown, and Shannon Dawson...but where are some of the others?


-Eddie Gran & Dean Hood are now in admin roles in the program.
-Matt House: He's back with the Chiefs and was with the Jags last year after his LSU firing
-Darin Hinshaw: The new QB Coach at Purdue after Malzahn left UCF and they got a new staff
-Chad Scott: He's the RB coach at Texas. Which seems to mean Neal Brown has a bigger role there than it seems...
-Rich Scangarello: He was the QB coach for the Raiders last year, don't see if he's anywhere now?
-Zach Yenser: He was on the Texans staff last year, idk if he still is or not?
-Derek Ansley: Passing Game Coordinator for the Packers, he was D Coordinator for the Chargers
-Dale Peveto: D Coordinator at Texas State (Fun Fact: He left Ole Miss for Texas A&M, Jon Sumrall replaced him on the staff as LB coach)
-Jimmy Brumbaugh: He's basically a QC coach at UGA after being at Coastal Carolina last season
-DJ Eliot: After being a LB coach for the Eagles, he was just hired as the DC for NC State
-Dakiel Shorts: As we all know now, Nebraska.
-Tommy Mainord: Spent a long time at North Texas, but i think he's taking time off and being a dad while his son is playing baseball
-Craig "Backwards Hat" Naivar: Was the DC at Coastal but now is the ST coach for Arizona. (must be why Brumbaugh was there)
-Lamar Thomas: Last I saw of him, he was an XFL assistant. He's been out of college since UK in 2018.
-Derrick LeBlanc: has spent the last several years being an Assistant DL Coach for a few NFL teams.
-Michael Smith: WR coach at McNeese State
-Jovon Bouknight: WR coach at Wyoming
-John Settle: I don't think he's on a staff right now? Just was apart of the staff that was fired at Rice.
-Scott Woodward: High School Coach now I believe?


I highlighted some of the position coaches on offense to kind of show....man that's really the most lacking area. It does show that that first staff was probably the best offensive staff with Neal Brown & Chad Scott...I mean Sark has them in some big roles now. Look at all of those WR/RB coaches who just couldn't make it...aren't at a high level or even in college still. Thinking about it....Coen/Brown were great hires by Stoops, but were gone so quick because they were too good to just be an OC.

It's Eli Capilouto...the school President

And apparently he thinks MB is doing a well enough job....

Not sure who can put the heat on him outside of thousands of empty seats this upcoming season....

Someone give me something positive with the 2026 class. I know we are only 8 guys in, but that low of an average star, even this early, is just insanely low.

EDIT - a couple good responses. Appreciate some of the reasons.

Has a year been established for when Stoops started deferring to Gran’s judgement on recruits and transfers over Marrow? I think media stories can sometimes be overstated. Maybe this one is too, but I was thinking a measure to compare is where players transfer to.

What are the numbers for departed UK players that transfer ending up at P5 programs vice the G5? Only one data point, that’s also a decade old, but the 2014 class was much heralded at its signing, but then a lot of the big names left for MAC schools after a couple of years.

Marrow, just my WAG, was better at evaluating offensive skill positions than other positions. Stoops had the eye for DBs, and White for front seven generally. Marrow would sometimes get misled by OH and MI coaches but that’s not bad because what coach doesn’t really.

I don’t think Marrow’s departure is not a big loss. He was on the down swing and obviously wants an office job. Stoops not trusting his evals (if accurate) is telling. A good replacement (position coach and recruiter) would make his loss even more irrelevant.

We're a little over 1/4 of the season and sitting at 20-23, just 2 games better than this time last year. We are on the plus side of the run differential but that is deceiving, since we'll score 10 runs in one game, then 1 or 2 the following 5 games. Our offense is about as inconsistent as one can be. The one thing I asked for, during the off season, was an outfielder who could hit around .280 with 30 plus homeruns and we didn't get that. Fraley needs to be sent to Louisville and stay there, we called up a .180 hitter in Benson, McClain is hitting .168, Steer .190 and Candelario has been an extreme disappointment sitting at .113 and CES is once again on the DL, but was only hitting .158 when he went down. Thats 5 players currently hitting below the Mendoza line (.200). Hays and Trevino has been a welcomed addition, so far, but everyone will eventually head for the mean, meaning they will slowly revert back to the career averages.
Our pitching is sitting at 11th in MLB with a team ERA of .375 which is really good. But our inability to hit will waist the great pitching. We need to find a closer, badly, but Ashcraft may be able to fit there eventually.
Cincinnati will have to win the NL central in order to make the playoffs, but unless we make a trade, I can't see us doing that. I'm sure the Mets and Dodgers will win their divisions, with the Phillies, Padres, Giants and maybe the Cardinals/Cubs fighting for the wildcard spots. I've been a Reds fan since the late 60's , but with the current ownership, I don't see how much longer I can follow them. I also understand it's early and we still have a lot of baseball left, but unless everyone starts hitting at once, this season may end up worse than last year and we have one of the best managers in the game today. Our June schedule is going to be brutal, so we better heal now or we'll be out by the all-star break.
Rant over.

Our 2027 class won't sign for another 20 months, but the recent commitment of QB DJ Hunter brought 2027 recruiting onto everyone's radar. This is an early example of vindication for Coach Hamdan, because Hunter has a bunch of options and his recruiting stock is blowing up. Hunter, a Lexington native, is fulfilling a dream. One can imagine Hunter can't wait to leave Knoxville behind and get on with it.

BTW, I do not believe Hunter's commitment will affect UK's recruitment of 2026 QB prospect Oscar Rios, who is on campus for his OV this weekend. As one of the top 2026 QB prospects, Rios appears to be in the elite prospect category.

Looks like a relatively deep 2027 instate class. Instate prospects with current UK offers-

Brenden Brown, ATH, Paducah, KY
Malachi Brown, DL, Corbin, KY
Seneca Driver, TE, Danville, KY
Allen Evans, DB, Louisville, KY
Maddox Hager, TE, Danville, KY
Jermaine Harmon, ATH, Frankfort, KY
Jordan Haskins, ATH, Lexington, KY
Garyon Hobbs, ATH, Louisville, KY
Jordan Holman, DB, Versailles, KY
Brady Hull, OL, Somerset, KY
Maximus Hunt, TE, Latonia, KY
Chance McPike, WR, Paducah, KY
Justyn Perez, OL, Versailles KY
Emmett Queen, QB, Ft Mitchell, KY
Larron Westmoreland, ATH, Louisville, KY

Some early out of state UK offers-

Kelsey Adams, OL, Fairborn, GA
Lual Aleu, OL, Cincinnati, OH
Charles Alexander, WR, Cincinnati, OH
Derrick Baker, QB, Alpharetta, GA
Julian Baker, RB, Washington CH, OH
Jackson Ballinger, TE, Centerburg, OH
Carter Bonner, WR, Pittsburgh, PA
Peter Bourque, QB, Marion, MA
Kesean Bowman, DB, Brentwood, TN
Brayden Bryant, ATH, Youngstown, OH
Joseph Buchanan, DL, Owings Mills, MD
Kaden Buchanan, OL, Lebanon, TN
Jacob Burns, OL, Rabun Gap, GA
Matthias Burrell, OL, Columbus, OH
Julian Caldwell, WR, Argyle, TX
Jaden Carey, DB, Ft Lauderdale, FL
John Carrasquillo, WR, Alpharetta, GA
Anthony Cartwright, WR, Franklin, MI
Jarrell Chandler, DB, Knoxville, TN
Adryan Cole, DB, Atlanta, GA
Tramond Collins, WR, Cottondale, FL
Caleb Cooper, ATH, Charlotte, NC
Cole Crawford, LB, Cartersville, GA
Akedran Crumel, DB, Clayton, NC
Jaiden Davis, DL, Middletown, OH
Jayden Dean, OL, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Darius Dennis, ATH, Dayton, OH
Jordan Dillon, OL, Savannah, GA
Joshua Dobson, DB, Ft Mill, SC
Kamarui Dorsey, ATH, Hampton, GA
Kaleb Elkins, DB, Indianapolis, IN
Brayton Feister, ATH, Akron, OH
Kadin Fife, DL, Summerville, GA
Trevoris Finley, LB, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Tyler Ford, OL, Gainesville, GA
Giovanni Garner, OL, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Reed Gerken, OL, Perrysburg, OH
Chance Gilbert, DB, Sharpsburg, GA
Dakota Guerrant, WR, Harper Woods, MI
LaDamian Guyton, LB, Savannah, GA
Corey Hadley, ATH, Tyrone, GA
Xavier Hasan, DB, Raleigh, NC
Grant Haviland, TE, Alpharetta, GA
Roscoe Hayes, WR, Atlanta, GA
Jameer Henry, DL, Detroit, MI
Antoine Higgins, LB, Cincinnati, OH
Malik Howard, TE, Oak Ridge, TN
DJ Hunter, QB, Knoxville, TN (UK commit)
Elijah Hutcheson, OL, Rabun Gap, GA
Amarri Irvin, RB, Bradenton, FL
Deion Jackson, LB, Ft Pierce, FL
DJ Jacobs, LB, Roswell, GA
Gabe Jenkins, DB, Pittsburgh, PA
Anthony Jennings, WR, Ft Lauderdale, FL
John Johnson, WR, Akron, OH
Kalel Johnson, OL, Cincinnati, OH
Carter Jones, OL, Polquoson, VA
Jimmy Kalis, OL, Pittsburgh, PA
Jordan Karhoff, TE, Columbus, OH
Dominic Letlow, LB, Youngstown, OH
Mark Matthews, OL, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Jaylen Mercer, LB, Cincinnati, OH
Javier Moore, ATH, Canton, OH
Justin Murphy, ATH, Atlanta, GA
Jeremiah Nash, DL, Dayton, OH
Nigel Newkirk, RB, Gainesville, GA
Amari Nugent, DB, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Patrick O'Brien, OL, Cincinnati, OH
Dre Otey, DB, Franklin, TN
Jakeyveon Parker, RB, Montezuma, GA
Amari Patterson, WR, Ladys Island, SC
Cameron Pritchett, LB, Alabaster, AL
Jeremiah Proctor, DB, Gainesville, GA
Andrew Rogers, DL, Greensboro, NC
Xavier Sabb, ATH, Glassboro, NJ
Monshun Sales, ATH, Indianapolis, IN
Trent Seaborn, QB, Alabaster, AL
Kenneth Simon, ATH, Knoxville, TN
Jackson Smith, QB, W Chester, OH
Terrance Smith, OL, Lansdale, PA
Keishjuan Telfair, DB, Euclid, OH
Jamar Thompson, DL, Boca Raton, FL
Sean Thompson, WR, Miami, FL
Seth Tillman, DL, Rock Hill, SC
Brayden Tyson, RB, Snellville, GA
Jabari Watkins, ATH, Thomasville, GA
Justin Weeks, LB, Atlanta, GA
D'Angelo White, TE, Cleveland, OH
Jesse Wilhite, WR, Murrieta, CA
Ba'Roc Willis, LB, Moody, AL
Chad Willis, DB, Orchard Lake, MI
Chris Wilson, LB, Yorktown, IN
Landon Wolny, WR, Ft Myers, FL

Looks like another good class in Cincinnati. UK has distributed a large number of early offers in the states of FL and GA.

This is late, I know. I've been on vacation in New Mexico. Incredible experience going into the wilderness and mountains, rationing water, no electricity, etc. Thank you guys for holding down the fort while I was gone, from the mods to Jeff, Davis, and every person reading. It means a lot that you all were supportive when I said we were going, especially during a busy time for the things we specialize in.

The stuff with Marrow and Louisville was real for a good long time. The problem is, this stuff got to the point where nobody would have believed it and would have said it was "crying wolf". Do I believe there were some instances in the past that were played up and ultimately resulted in raises? Sure. But this time it was real.

Many believed this would never happen, Vince leaving Mark. Before Stoops put Marrow on staff he was a GA at Nebraska. They are long, long-time friends and Marrow was the last remaining original assistant with Stoops at Kentucky.

As I've said, from 2015 til' 2020 or 2021, Marrow pretty much did whatever he wanted in recruiting. No question, there was a lot of resentment and some hard feelings because of those the ship was run. Other assistants believed he had too much clout, frankly going all the way back to the very beginning. I won't say the name of the coach, but you'd all recognize his name, and one time he told me, "Recruiting Ohio is easy. 11 million people there just north of your border. You're selling the SEC." So from the start, other assistants did not like the praise and attention Marrow was getting in recruiting.

I do not believe that when Kentucky was taking 10-12 players from Ohio that was their best recruiting strategy, and some coaches felt like, especially as the program improved, they could be more selective and recruit from more places instead of relying on Marrow's area recruiting so much. On this point, I see both sides. Marrow was always one of the best recruiters on the staff and he did bring a bunch of juice into the program, there is no denying that. On top of that, one thing that he and others would mention at times is that he was an important mentor and guy that players could go to. Those who did not like Marrow or had a problem with how things were run believed that this was a part of the discipline issues in the program. While I'm not absolving anybody on the discipline point, I see both sides here. I think in many cases he did good, in some cases things could have been handled differently.

The sense I got is that when Eddie Gran returned to the staff in the NIL era things started to change. They were already going to change, and they had changed. UK wasn't recruiting heavily in Ohio anymore. The headlines about the Buckeye State-to-SEC pipeline went away as Kentucky plucked talent from a wider swath of territory. Marrow did not believe this approach was good, in part because he believed he was the best recruiter on the roster and able to land guys that Kentucky would have had a hard time getting and keeping from down South.

By the time Marrow left there was definitely a gap between the titles he held and the real responsibilities Stoops was entrusting him with. I don't think the communication was nearly what it was earlier in the era and a schism started to emerge. Marrow seemed to pick up on this and during this time is when I began to hear about the stuff with Louisville. Initially I was told Louisville was offering a base salary of $1.1, then $1.2, then $1.3 or $1.4 million over his first three years, but also heard that he could get upwards of 30% of donations he procures for the program. I do not know how much of that was written into the final deal and, bear with me, I've been totally in the dark on what's been reported for a while.

My honest opinion is that Marrow never would have left Stoops is his role in the program had never changed, if he had still been pretty much running the show. Him leaving was a combination of the changes behind the scenes, where power was more distributed (mostly with Gran and Brad White having more influence and impact over time), and also the fact that he does not believe the Stoops era is going to end well. I've heard mixed things on the money angle. Vince was/is obviously tight with the Crafts. Some people will tell you that Gran has been good with money folks, but I don't think Vince would have agreed. I'll leave it at that because I have no further opinion on that point.

But, definitely, NIL has dramatically changed recruiting and I do wonder if it has changed the value of being an "ace" recruiter. So much of this is about money now. Finding out what you have available, finding out what a kid is asking for (because a lot of lies are told), and just making sure all the numbers are right. It's less about just being the best closer, because money is the best closing statement.

After the spring the sense I got is that Marrow was not especially bullish on Kentucky's forecast moving forward. That's a combination of the last three years but also Marrow paid pretty close attention to the tone of the fan base. I even heard there was a brief conversation between he and another coach on staff and both were considering their future in the context of the direction of the program in recent years. Being Mark Stoops' right hand man when things are good is one thing. But being exclusively a Stoops guy and then going down with the ship, if he thought that was happening, was more of a survival move than anything else. Thinking about it from my own work perspective, you can see why someone would have to think long and hard about that.

I think Marrow could have found another job somewhere else but his role at Louisville with the pay and responsibilities, given their trajectory, is probably the best move he could have made for coaching if things don't work out with Stoops. It was also a ready made opportunity because Louisville saw it as a chance to make a major statement, along with their recent in-state recruiting success, and the optics were not good for Kentucky.

What I will tell you is there are a lot of other assistant coaches still at Kentucky who are not mad that Marrow is gone. I understand that perspective from the point of view of people who had their own feelings and experiences in recruiting meetings, strategy sessions, and how commitments played out. At the same time, I'm not going to use the occasion of him leaving to try and pander to an angry fan base and say he didn't do a lot of great things for the program. In the big picture when you go to Louisville it's going to immediately impact your legacy and standing with the fan base. From all I've gathered, I don't get the sense that he is eager at all to pick fights with BBN. It will be interesting to see what the trash talk is like through the season. But Marrow was still a key part of the staff during an historic run for Kentucky football.

I can tell you at one point there was some interest in possibly remaining at Kentucky through Stoops' tenure and possibly remaining on staff if Jon Sumrall were eventually to come in as a successor, whatever those circumstances might be. If Sumrall were ever to be named Kentucky's head coach, I don't know if he would have made Marrow a part of it. On the one hand, I do think he saw some of the benefits. On the other hand, there was definitely some tension between Marrow and other members of the staff at the time.

There was interest from Bill Belichick at North Carolina. One person, not Marrow, told me that someone close to him may not have wanted him to be outside the Commonwealth but I can't verify that. In recent weeks there was a lot of chatter about a house going on the market and maybe looking for homes in Louisville. I did try and verify that but was not given a lot of clarity. There was an acknowledgement of some real estate activity but nothing was mentioned about a move happening.

The fact that Marrow was having ongoing communication with Louisville is going to rub some people the wrong way. For what it's worth, I didn't notice or hear anything about him undercutting the Wildcats' efforts or trying to help Louisville. It's true that UK was losing in-state guys and the Ohio emphasis had faded.

The move made sense for Louisville. The move makes sense for Marrow from a career perspective. For Kentucky, I think probably most of the other guys remaining on staff would tell you privately they are happy he made the move. I think the big surprise for the fan base would be the chasm between the fan base's perception of Marrow and what the perception of him was with a lot of guys internally. Again, I have a nuanced perspective on it and see the value he adds to the staff. One person still around quickly asked me how many tight ends Kentucky has had drafted. On the other hand, there's no denying the sheer numbers and some of the quality he brought into the program.

It's very different without Marrow around. There would be a vacuum but changes in the organization and strategy had already been taking place so I don't think the real impact, immediately, is going to be nearly what you would think given we're using the keywords "Marrow" "Kentucky" and "recruiting". Fascinating the way it played out. I was actually not shocked when it happened, but knew the fan base would be.

Not exaggerating when I say I could probably write a book about Marrow's time at Kentucky from 2013-on. It's been quite a ride and there are tons of great stories I'll mention over time, but big picture, Stoops will just be trying to get it back on the right track without his long-time helper.