KSR Today: A football-filled weekend ahead of Kentucky's season-opener

Mark Stoops and the Kentucky football program will kick off the season vs. Ball State on Sept. 2, scheduled for noon ET inside Kroger Field. Eight days away from the start of the Devin Leary era at quarterback, the return of Liam Coen. Anticipation and excitement have reached all-time highs.

That may be next weekend, but it doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck watching grass grow in the meantime. It’s a football-filled three-day stretch starting Friday with games at all three levels: high school, college and the NFL. And there’s some recruiting news coming this early afternoon, too.

Let’s jump right in, shall we?

Kroger KSR Game of the Week heads to Woodford County

The crew traveled to Bowling Green in week one to watch four-star Kentucky commit Cutter Boley throw for 342 yards and three scores in a 56-52 win over Bowling Green — a Kroger KSR GOTW for the ages. What’s in store for week two? KSR heads to Woodford County to watch the Yellow Jackets host UK pledge Aba Selm and the Simon Kenton Pioneers in the Vallozzi Bowl. It’s the site of a doubleheader that also features Mercer County vs. Dunbar in the event opener, kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. No. 21 Woodford County vs. Simon Kenton is expected to start at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Other games of note:

• Hopkinsville at No. 11 Mayfield – 7 p.m. ET
• No. 4 Frederick Douglass at No. 7 Trinity – 7:30 p.m. ET
• No. 16 Ballard at No. 5 Male – 7:30 p.m. ET
• No. 6 Scott County at Great Crossing – 7:30 p.m. ET
• No. 14 Bowling Green at No. 22 Owensboro – 8 p.m. ET
• No. 2 St. Xavier at Central – 8 p.m. ET
• No. 3 Corbin vs. North Hardin – 8 p.m. ET
• No. 8 Covington Catholic at Highlands – 8 p.m. ET
• No. 9 Christian Academy Louisville at New Albany (IN) – 8 p.m. ET
• No. 10 Lexington Christian at No. 1 Boyle County 8 p.m. ET (Saturday)
• No. 18 Johnson Central at No. 15 Pikeville – 8 p.m. ET (Saturday)

Week Zero College Football Schedule

Saturday, Aug. 26

• Navy vs. Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
• UTEP at Jacksonville State, 5:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
• UMass at New Mexico State, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Ohio at San Diego State, 7 p.m. ET (FS1)
• Hawaii at Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
• San Jose State at USC, 8 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)
• FIU at Louisiana Tech, 9 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)

Cats in the NFL Preseason Schedule

Thursday, Aug. 24

• Steelers def. Falcons 24-0
  • Josh Ali (ATL) – Two receptions, 12 yards
  • Bud Dupree (ATL) – DNP
• Colts def. Eagles 27-13

Friday, Aug. 25

• Lions at Panthers – 8 p.m. ET (CBS)
  • Josh Paschal (DET)
  • Benny Snell Jr. (DET)
• Patriots at Titans – 8:15 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
  • Quandre Mosely (NE)
  • Will Levis (TEN)
  • Justin Rigg (TEN)
• Chargers at 49ers – 10 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

Saturday, Aug. 26

• Bills at Bears – 1 p.m. ET
  • Logan Stenberg (CHI)
• Seahawks at Packers – 1 p.m. ET
  • Carrington Valentine (GB)
• Browns at Chiefs – 1 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
  • Mike Edwards (KC)
  • Darian Kinnard (KC)
  • Phil Hoskins (KC)
  • Za’Darius Smith (CLE)
• Cardinals at Vikings – 1 p.m. ET
• Jets at Giants – 6 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
  • Brandin Echols (NYJ)
  • Randall Cobb (NYJ)
  • Wan’Dale Robinson (NYG)
• Bengals at Commanders – 6:05 p.m. ET
  • Yusuf Corker (CIN)
  • Jamin Davis (WAS)
  • Chris Rodriguez Jr. (WAS)
• Ravens at Buccaneers – 7 p.m. ET
  • Tashawn Manning (BAL)
• Dolphins at Jaguars – 7 p.m. ET
  • Keidron Smith (MIA)
  • Josh Allen (JAX)
  • Luke Fortner (JAX)
• Raiders at Cowboys – 8 p.m. ET
  • Quinton Bohanna (DAL)
  • Kelvin Joseph (DAL)
• Rams at Broncos – 9 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
  • DeAndre Square (LAR)
  • T.J. Carter (LAR)

Sunday, Aug. 27

• Texans at Saints – 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
  • Lynn Bowden Jr. (NO)
  • Lonnie Johnson Jr. (NO)
  • Landon Young (NO)

4-star WR Hardley Gilmore to announce decision Friday

In a football-filled weekend ahead of Kentucky’s season opener vs. Ball State on Sept. 2, how about a Yahtzee to get things rolling? The Wildcats are in position to land 2024 four-star wide receiver Hardley Gilmore, who will choose between three finalists Friday afternoon: Kentucky, Central Florida and Penn State.

Standing 6-1, 165 pounds, the Belle Glade (FL) Pahokee product is rated as the No. 282 overall recruit and No. 47 receiver in the senior class according to the On3 Industry Ranking. The Recruiting Prediction Machine gives Kentucky a 97.1% chance to land his commitment, with KSR’s Nick Roush, Adam Luckett and Zack Geoghegan all submitting picks in favor of the Wildcats this summer.

Kentucky currently has 15 commitments in 2024, ranking 36th in the country. Adding Gilmore could push the Wildcats a few spots up that list.

Kentucky MBB releases non-conference schedule

At long last, the non-conference schedule is here for the Wildcats. A few dates and opponents had been announced while other matchups were known through national reports, but several glaring holes remained. Those have now been filled, headlined by a February home matchup vs. Gonzaga inside Rupp Arena.

Take a look at the complete non-conference slate below:

• Nov. 6: vs. New Mexico State | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
• Nov. 10 vs. Texas A&M University-Commerce | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
• Nov. 14: vs. Kansas | Champions Classic | United Center, Chicago, IL
• Nov. 17: vs. Stonehill | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
• Nov. 20: vs. St. Joseph’s | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
• Nov. 24: vs. Marshall | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
• Nov. 28: vs. Miami | ACC/SEC Challenge | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
• Dec. 2: vs. UNC Wilmington | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
• Dec. 9 @ Penn | Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Dec. 16: vs. North Carolina | CBS Sports Classic | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Dec. 21 at Louisville | KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
• Dec. 29 vs. Illinois State | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
• Feb. 10: vs. Gonzaga | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY

Tickets to Kentucky’s battle vs. North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic were also released on Thursday — and they’re going quickly. Those interested in attending the matchup at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Dec. 16 can secure seats through Ticketmaster right here.

Kentucky volleyball opens season at Colorado State

Craig Skinner and the Wildcats are ready to open the regular season for Kentucky volleyball. After a big 3-1 exhibition win vs. No. 24 Western Kentucky last week, the Cats will play their first official match of the season on the road this evening. No. 10 Kentucky is set to take on Colorado State in Ft. Collins, Colo. starting at 9 p.m. ET, the match broadcast live on the Mountain West Network.

It’s the start of a two-match series in Colorado, with the Wildcats then taking on Northern Colorado in Greenley on Saturday, Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. ET. That one will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

And then the big one: Kentucky’s home opener vs. No. 5 Pittsburgh inside Rupp Arena on Friday, Sept. 1. It’s a night the Wildcats will attempt to break the program’s attendance record.

“The attendance around the country — Wisconsin set the indoor mark last year at 17,000 people. I’d certainly love to hit that mark inside Rupp Arena,” Skinner said this past week. “For our fans to do something like that, it’d be one of the most rewarding things we could do as a program.

“… Our current record is 9,500 people for our program, so getting over 10,000 would be a big deal. Pittsburgh and us, two aspiring and rising programs, to get our attendance up with programs like Nebraska and Minnesota and Wisconsin, that’d be huge. This is a great opportunity for us to set that tone.”

It starts with going 2-0 to open the regular season this weekend in Colorado.