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KSR Today: Babies, Kentucky Football and Bristol Baseball

Jack PIlgrimby: Jack Pilgrim08/03/25

Well, today was supposed to be the start of my time off with baby No. 2’s due date originally set for August 2. Instead, it marks the very end of my time off — because little man thought it’d be funny to enter the world two weeks early, forcing dad to white-knuckle drive back from Peach Jam less than 24 hours after arriving with mom’s water breaking 15 minutes after I pulled into the driveway. It’s by far the craziest stretch of time in my life and impossible without Mark Pope kicking me out of the gym in North Augusta, S.C. when he did.

It all led to the birth of my second son, Myles, to give the Pilgrim household two boys under two. Wish me luck.

Mom and baby are healthy, Billy is the best big brother and dad got some much-needed dad time for a hard reset during the dog days of the offseason. I’m grateful to my coworkers for adjusting their schedules on the fly and picking up their workloads to make it possible.

Now, though, we’re back with a two-week head start on the original plan, ready to catch up on what I missed and prepare for what’s ahead — specifically football season, now less than four weeks away.

Media/Fan/Open Practice Day Leftovers

Kickoff is just 27 days away, Kentucky taking on Toledo to open the season at Kroger Field on August 30. The KSR crew was wrapping up at SEC Media Days in Atlanta when Peach Jam started (and abruptly ended, for me anyway), followed by Mark Stoops’ extended preseason press conference and the Lexington Kickoff Luncheon with additional quotes from Stoops, plus Bush Hamdan and Brad White, on July 28. From there, we had UK Media Day with an open practice on August 1, followed by Fan Day with a second open practice on August 2.

If that content avalanche couldn’t get you ready for football season, nothing will. Among my outsider takeaways taking it all in as a fan while on dad duty:

  • Can Zach Calzada be the guy? You love hearing Cutter Boley singled out as a top performer, but does that say more about his strengths or the Incarnate Word transfer’s weaknesses? Calzada was always seen as an experienced safety net piece before the official Boley era transition, but it sounds like the kid is giving the old man a run for his money. TBD on whether that’s a good or bad thing.
  • “This offensive line is going to remind us of the great offensive lines we’ve had here.” That Bush Hamdan quote aligns with all of the Big Blue Wall praise we’ve heard since the spring. That position group had nowhere to go but up, but if they’ve truly figured things out, everything else can fall into place offensively — no matter who is lining up at quarterback.
  • The transfers (Seth McGowan and Dante Dowdell) have secured RB1 and RB2 nods while Jamarion Wilcox and Jason Patterson are competing for the RB3 job. We know about Wilcox’s potential and the coaches have been big Patterson fans since he first arrived, so it’s fairly significant the additions from New Mexico State and Nebraska appear to be real players.
  • Montavin Quisenberry is turning heads at receiver while Stoops is raving about his secondary, namely JQ Hardaway and DJ Waller Jr., among other notes.

Leave the real analysis to our football gurus, though — because they’ve got plenty of it after a busy week in Lexington.

Practice breakdown with 11 Personnel

Media Day Open Practice Highlights

Fan Day Open Practice Highlights

Post-weekend Rapid Reaction

KSR’s written content from the week/weekend:

Let the fall camp grind begin. Toledo is right around the corner, folks.

Pope celebrates DeRon Rippey Jr.’s birthday despite canceled visit

One of the top point guards in the country could not make it to Lexington this weekend, DeRon Rippey Jr. forced to postpone his official visit due to heavy rain and flooding in NYC. It’s a tough turn of events because the trip was scheduled for his birthday — and we know Mark Pope and his staff do birthdays big for recruits.

Have no fear, though, because the Cats have things covered in Lexington. While the top-20 prospect may not physically be in town, the staff made sure to celebrate Rippey’s big day by singing him “Happy Birthday” with a cake prepared, his father sharing the videos sent over.

Pope was joined by his wife, Lee Anne, along with players (and future teammates, potentially) Malachi Moreno, Jasper Johnson and Collin Chandler. Assistant coach Mikhail McLean also sent his own video with his three sons singing along — at an outdoor basketball court, fittingly.

“Our Kentucky Visit Was Rescheduled But We Still Received (Love),” Rippey Sr. wrote on social media. “Thank You Coach Pope And (Kentucky) Coaches, Players, Staff And Fans For The Birthday Blessings And Love.”

“Built for blue. Bound for the league. See you soon,” Pope’s note to Rippey Jr. read.

For the long haul, hopefully.

Arafan Diane schedules Kentucky official visit

Speaking of visits, another has been added to the schedule for the Wildcats — this one sticking, hopefully. 2026 four-star big Arafan Diane, standing 6-11, 280 pounds from Iowa United Prep (Montreal, QC), will take an official to Lexington from Sept. 26-27, he tells KSR+.

The trip to Kentucky comes alongside two others planned: Arkansas (Sept. 12-14) and Houston (Oct. 9-12).

Coached in high school by Pope’s brother-in-law, Damon Archibald, Diane earned an offer from the Wildcats in mid-July after averaging a double-double at the Adidas 3SSB Championships with 21.6 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 blocks per contest.

An updated schedule for the Wildcats:

MLB Speedway Classic postponed to 1 PM ET

There was so much hype for the matchup between the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, bringing baseball to the iconic NASCAR track with over 85K tickets sold — an all-time record for the sport. Then came the disgusting, rainy mess that was Saturday evening, the game delayed over two hours before ultimately being postponed entirely with one out in the bottom of the first inning with the Reds up 1-0.

Now, things are set to resume at Bristol starting at 1 PM ET. Once again, they’ll give it a shot on FOX.

Quite the buzzkill transitioning from a Saturday night celebration to a Sunday matinee, but better late than never, right?

Plenty to come today on KSR with all of the football interviews and news updates you can handle to wrap up the weekend. Stay locked in with us and enjoy your day, BBN.

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2025-12-02