Jojo Kemp wants to be Kentucky's new hype man at Kroger Field

Jojo Kemp spent the majority of his time on KSR this morning talking about the South Carolina game — and rightly so, given his epic performance vs. the Gamecocks in 2014 — but the former Kentucky running back covered a lot of other topics during his hour-long appearance, ranging from Mark Stoops to “Grove Street Party,” the Kroger Field atmosphere, and even pickleball.

Oh yes, the player who rushed for 1,709 yards from 2014-16 at Kentucky is now a regular on the pickleball courts in Lexington, terrorizing opponents of all ages.

“I’m a pickleballer now,” Kemp said, rattling off three different pickleball courts/complexes where you can find him on the weekends in Lexington (Kirklevington, PKL Lex, and Pickleball Paddock). I need a Jojo Kemp vs. Shannon the Dude pickleball match, sponsored by Country Boy at PKL Lex, stat.

Kemp’s “panic attack” over Grove Street Party’s brief absence

When he isn’t pickleballing or working for Dr. David Hamilton, aka “Ortho Legend,” Kemp is keeping an eye on the Cats. And you better believe he noticed that “Grove Street Party” wasn’t played during the season opener vs. Toledo.

“The start of the season this year, there was no Grove Street. And I promise you guys, it was like, people, including myself, were going to have a panic attack. Because it was like, what’s going on? Where’s our theme song? What’s changing?”

Of course, the Grove Street tradition was born on the night that Kemp led the Cats to the upset over South Carolina. Playing out of the “Wildkemp” formation, Kemp pitched the ball to Patrick Towles, who fired it 48 yards down the field to Ryan Timmons to put the Cats up 24-17 early in the third quarter. When the kickoff team took the field, this magical moment transpired.

South Carolina scored 21 unanswered points, but Kentucky was able to claw back to victory thanks to Kemp, who finished with 131 yards on 17 carries and three touchdowns. That’s just one reason why “Grove Street” holds such a special place in his heart.

“That was just one of those things where it was part of the culture that we created. And it was one of those things where it just happened naturally and organically. And that was just one of those songs where we made a memorable game that made a mark in our history.”

Kentucky is the road team on Saturday, but if Jojo has his way, “Grove Street” will be playing in the locker room to conjure up some of that 2014 magic.

“I’m glad they’re able to bring that back, and then we can get some things going. Because I feel like, let’s have that old culture here. Let’s come out with a little swagger about ourselves, and let’s go out and get a victory over this South Carolina team.”

Recruiting visit to Nebraska with…Vince Marrow?

When Kemp heard Ryan Lemond went to Nebraska last weekend to watch Dane Key and the Cornhuskers, he shared that the very first official visit he took was to Lincoln as a four-star prospect in the 2013 class. Kemp took his visit to Nebraska in September 2012, the season before Mark Stoops took over in Lexington, so Vince Marrow was still in Lincoln as the Cornhuskers’ recruiting coordinator.

“I knew some of the guys, like Courtney Love, Marcus McWilson, those guys were on my official visit over at Nebraska. So when those guys got here as well, that was again someone I knew, and I was able to connect the Florida boys with some of the Ohio guys. And now we’re one big happy family.”

When Stoops and Marrow came to Kentucky following the 2012 season, Kemp brought his Florida boys to Lexington, where they got to see how excited BBN was for the start of a new era.

“How they treated us on our recruitment visits, I mean, we got a chance to see it in the community ourselves,” Kemp said of him, Blake McClain, Jeff Badet, and Garrett Johnson. “Once they got all of us here, we kind of made that commitment together, and then from that, it kind of snowballed to all the other guys that came from Florida here today.”

The Florida boys still all stay in touch. Kemp is the only one left in Lexington, but is always happy to play host when they come to town to watch the Cats.

“We didn’t get a chance to get NIL. So, however you gotta come and save some money, why not come to my house? You don’t have to spend money on hotel fees, get rental cars and Ubers, and all that. You just let me come and be your host, and let me take care of you.”

That’s an offer too good to refuse.

Give Jojo the mic at Kroger Field

Jojo Kemp’s enthusiasm is contagious; let’s put it to good use at Kroger Field. Marcus McClinton famously served as Kentucky’s hype man at the stadium before. Kemp can be that for a new generation. He’s ready for the opportunity.

“Let me get out there on the field,” Kemp said. “Blue, White. Let’s get the fans activated!”

“Why not us? Susan Lax, Mitch Barnhart, come on. Have your people call my people. Let’s make it happen. Why not?”

He’s got my vote. Listen to Kemp’s entire appearance in Hour 2 of today’s podcast.