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.

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.

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.

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....

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.

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.

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.

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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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!