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KSR Today: A Busy Hump Day for Kentucky Fans

Nick-Roush-headshotby: Nick Roush12/17/25RoushKSR

We are one week away from Christmas Eve. That means holiday festivities are ramping up everywhere. It’s not just holiday activities that have created a busy Wednesday across the Bluegrass. Let’s roll through what Kentucky fans need to keep an eye on.

Meeting a New Kentucky Football Coach

The first official addition to Will Stein‘s coaching staff is Joe Sloan. While Stein prepares Oregon for the College Football Playoff in Eugene, the new Kentucky coordinator is working diligently in Lexington. He’s kind enough to spare some time this morning to speak with the media about his new gig and the responsibilities he’s juggling while his new boss is away.

The press conference begins early at 9:30 AM ET. We’ll have it all on the KSR YouTube Channel, and we’ll be discussing it on a new 11 Personnel at Noon. If you can’t wait any longer for a new KSR podcast, Sources Say has you covered.

Former Card Coming to Kentucky

Stein still has not completely assembled his Kentucky coaching staff. The pieces are slowly coming together and we discovered another one on Tuesday night.

Former Louisville running back Kolby Smith will reportedly coach his position next fall at Kentucky. Smith split carries with Michael Bush from 2003-06 before a four-year NFL career. He has more than a decade of coaching experience, including a lengthy stint with the Miami Dolphins, but most of it was for his old college coach, Bobby Petrino. Smith spent the last two years in the SEC at Arkansas. He’s the third former Louisville Cardinal to trade in his red for blue this offseason.

Want more Kentucky football intel? Join KSR Plus for access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

LSU and Ole Miss Keep Switching Coaches

Kentucky and Louisville aren’t the only rivals switching coaches. Lane Kiffin’s abnormal departure from Ole Miss took up all of the oxygen in the SEC over the final two weeks of the season. He’s taking some coaches with him to LSU, but not all of them.

Defensive coordinator Pete Golding was promoted to head coach of the Rebels, and before they host a College Football Playoff game against Tulane, a regular season rematch, Golding made a splashy move. Frank Wilson is a beloved member of the LSU coaching staff who served as the interim head coach after Brian Kelly was canned. He’s making the move from Baton Rouge to Oxford. The bad blood between these two programs will be boiling when they meet in 2026.

Kentucky Volleyball in Kansas City

The Kentucky volleyball team is in the Final Four for just the second time. Fans were waiting at Blue Grass Airport to give the Cats a proper send-off.

“We’re pretty confident,” said Eva Hudson. “We’re just really excited, honestly. I don’t think any of us have been to the Final Four before, so trying to soak in the experience.”

They also received a warm reception once they arrived in chilly Kansas City. Today, it’s all about business. Craig Skinner, Brooklyn DeLeye, and Eva Hudson will meet with the media before this afternoon’s open practice at the T-Mobile Center. Kentucky fans can watch the team in action from 1:20-2:50 PM CT. If you aren’t making it in time, BBN is getting together for another Block Party on Thursday. UK is hosting a pep rally from 4-6 PM CT at Johnny’s Power and Lights District ahead of the Final Four.

Help Mo Dioubate Help Others

After missing five games with an ankle sprain, Mo Dioubate returned with a vengeance against Indiana. His double-double was all anyone around BBN was talking about. Now, BBN has the chance to celebrate his performance by helping him out.

Dioubate is hosting a Christmas Toy Drive on Wednesday night from 6-7:30 PM ET at Jimmy’s Kentucky Roadshow. The Kentucky forward is exchanging toys for autographs. Bring an item to give away, and one for Mo D to sign. It’s a great time to give back with a little help from Kentucky basketball.

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KAT Wins the NBA Cup

The third in-season tournament title is going to the Big Apple. The New York Knicks outlasted the Spurs in Vegas, winning 124-113 to bring home the NBA Cup. OG Anunoby led all scorers with 28 points and Jalen Brunson added 25 for the Knicks. Wemby had some silly highlights during a 10-point spurt, but Karl-Anthony Towns might’ve had the play of the night. He had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and one outstanding assist.

Two College Football Bowl Games

Bowl season probably snuck up on you. Washington and Boise State got things rolling with a blowout after the Army-Navy game. Things got weird between Troy and Jacksonville State in the Salute to Service Bowl.

We’ve got two more chances to get weird tonight. The Cure Bowl kicks off at 5 PM ET between Old Dominion and South Florida. The Monarchs are 2.5-point underdogs on BetMGM. Once the action concludes, Louisiana (-3) is taking on Delaware in the 68 Ventures Bowl. The Blue Hens were in the FCS a year ago. Typically, that removes a team from postseason contention, but Delaware was able to get into a bowl game, thanks to a shortage of teams. That sounds like an underdog may be howling…

Matt Jones Trivia at KSBar

If a couple of bowl games between Group of Five teams aren’t enough to get you out of the house, might I interest you in some trivia? For the final time in 2025, Matt Jones is hosting trivia at KSBar. It’s going to be an electric Wings Day that you don’t want to miss. The action begins at 7 PM ET on South Broadway.

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2026-01-06