KSR Today: College football and Hardley Gilmore have arrived

What is less than one but better than nothing? That’s right, Week Zero in college football. It is the regular season pigskin equivalent of the NCAA Tournament First Four and it has officially arrived. KSR’s Adam Luckett gave us a breakdown of what to expect across a handful of games that promise to be entertaining. Here is the full slate for today’s matchups:

• Navy vs. No. 13 Notre Dame (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
• UTEP at Jacksonville State (5:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network)
• Ohio at San Diego State (7:00 p.m. ET, FS1)
• UMass at New Mexico State (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Hawai’i at Vanderbilt (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
• San Jose State at No. 6 USC (8:00 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network)
• FIU at Louisiana Tech (9:00 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network)

Shout out to all the junkies staying up late and watching FIU and Louisiana Tech. For you and everyone else, this is the college football cocktail hour before the reception that is Kentucky versus Ball State next Saturday at noon. Time to turn up because…it’s a party, it’s a party, it’s a party.

Alright, let’s get to the news:

Kentucky lands 4-star wide receiver Hardley Gilmore

As if we all weren’t pumped up enough for football already, Mark Stoops and company scored a major Yahtzee! right before the start of the season. Four-star wide receiver, Hardley Gilmore, committed to the ‘Cats Friday afternoon, scoring a dynamic weapon for future quarterback, Cutter Boley.

Formerly a 2025 recruit, Gilmore announced a reclassification to 2024 when he arrived on Kentucky’s campus for an official visit in June. He is the No. 282 overall player and the No. 47 wide receiver in the On3 Industry Rankings. He also continues Kentucky’s streak of having players on the All-Name team.

Boley played a huge role in the recruitment of Gilmore and his friend gave him a nice present by committing to Kentucky on his birthday. Look for plenty of repayments in the form of touchdown passes in the future.

Mitch Barnhart signs extension through 2028

Mitch Barnhart will be sticking around with Kentucky through at least 2028. KSR reported Friday morning that Barnhart and the university agreed to a contract extension through June of 2028. It was previously set to expire at the end of the 2026 school year.

The long-tenured athletic director has made some decisions that haven’t sat well with fans over the last 20-plus years, but no one can deny that he has uplifted nearly every sport since his arrival. He also has serious credibility not only within the SEC but also in the NCAA and is a good ally to have on your side.

He also mostly got rid of the checkerboards, so props to him for that.

Barnhart joined Matt Jones on the radio Friday to discuss the contract, alcohol sales, conference realignment, and more.

Kroger KSR High School Football Game of the Week rained out

The second rendition of the Kroger KSR Game of the Week of the 2023 high school football season was scheduled for Friday night between No. 21 Woodford County and Simon Kenton, but severe weather conditions in Versailles, KY led to the matchup being canceled altogether. The game will not be made up.

Thunderstorms across the state of Kentucky throughout Friday night led to several delays, postponements, and even cancelations. A handful of games were delayed due to lightning but were ultimately able to finish play. Some — such as a high-profile matchup between No. 4 Frederick Douglass and No. 7 Trinity up in Louisville — have been rescheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Two more big games are scheduled for tonight, as No. 10 Lexington Christian takes on No. 1 Boyle County and No. 18 Johnson Central travels down Route 23 to take on No. 15 Pikeville.

As a graduate of Pikeville High School and someone who donned the Panther mascot costume for a few football games my junior year, all I have to say is Hail Pikeville!

BBNFL Preseason Week 3

As expected, Will Levis did not suit up for Tennessee in the Titans’ final preseason game Friday night. Levis suffered an injury in a joint practice with the Minnesota Vikings last week and is not in a place where the team feels comfortable putting him under center.

The timing was wretched for the former Kentucky quarterback who can’t seem to catch a break to start off his NFL career. He’ll likely begin the regular season as the third-string option and keep working on proving himself in practice.

In the Detroit Lions’ final exhibition, Benny Snell carried the ball five times for 26 yards against the Carolina Panthers as he looks to make the team’s 53-man roster.

Full BBNFL recap coming on Monday, but here is what to expect today:

• 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)

BBNBA stars shine at FIBA World Cup

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Karl-Anthony Towns have more in common than playing college at Kentucky and having hyphenated names. They both are representing their countries at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

The star of Friday’s opening day was Gilgeous-Alexander, who led Team Canada (ranked No. 15 in the world) to a historic win over France, 95-65. SGA led both sides in scoring with 27 points to go along with 13 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in just 27 minutes of action. 

Not long before Canada wrapped up its first win, Towns, alongside Kentucky National Champion, Eloy Vargas, and the No. 23-ranked Dominican Republic took down the host nation Philippines, which features NBA veteran Jordan Clarkson. In a game that was back-and-forth from start to finish, Towns took control down the stretch, finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds on 5-16 shooting, including an excellent 15-16 mark from the free throw line.

It is refreshing to see big names play in the World Cup, in an international tournament that hasn’t seen much interest from NBA players in the past.