KSR Today: Hayes Johnson decision day
Good morning, folks! One of the top football recruits from across the Commonwealth is set to make his college decision today, and one local program is standing out more than the rest.
At 10:30 a.m. this morning, class of 20224 offensive tackle Hayes Johnson will make his announcement live from Taylor County High School. Without completely spoiling his big day, just know that KSR will be hosting this morning’s radio show live from the announcement, so you can put two and two together. Johnson, who is considered a three-star prospect and the No. 695 overall junior, is set to choose between Baylor, Tennessee, Louisville, Michigan State, and Kentucky.
You might remember hearing about Johnson for the first time when he called into KSR as a “not-so-secret” guest back in late December. He was making a pitch for his geese hunting business before his true identity was discovered. In my opinion, it was one of the greatest calls I’ve ever heard on KSR. Now, not even a month later, he’ll make the biggest decision of his young life back on those same radiowaves.
Johnson has taken visits to several campuses including Alabama, Michigan State, Louisville, Tennessee, Purdue, and, of course, Kentucky.
UK is still looking to add its first commit for the ’24 class. Johnson would be a terrific addition to get the ball rolling. Now, let’s dive into the rest of this morning’s top news and notes.
Get to know the Kentucky football transfers
Mark Stoops added seven players from the transfer portal during the first offseason window. Six of the new Wildcats, sans Jantzen Dunn, were available to speak with the media Wednesday morning. Want to learn more about the interesting new Kentucky football players? KSR’s football guys Nick Roush and Adam Luckett were in attendance and have you covered.
Check out Roush’s “Meet the Wildcats: 6 First Impressions of Kentucky Football Transfers” article here to stay up to date. You can also listen to everything the new transfers had to say below through KSR’s YouTube channel.
Tanner Bowles, J.Q. Hardaway, Keeshawn Silver, and Marques Cox
No Spring Game this year
Bad news for Kentucky Football fans who love the annual Blue-White game each spring.
Due to offseason renovations at Kroger Field, Kentucky will not have its usual intrasquad scrimmage this April. On Wednesday, the team announced its playing field will undergo a turf makeover this spring, which means the stadium grounds will be unfit to host the spring game in its traditional format in 2023.
“But (we) are working on having chances for #BBN to see the team in person this spring,” UK Football tweeted. “Stay tuned for more details.”
In that same tweet, Kentucky announced its spring football practice will take place from March 6 to April 8, 2023.
Kentucky WBB hosting Auburn tonight
At least one team will earn its second SEC win of the season later tonight.
Kentucky women’s basketball (9-10; 1-6 SEC) is set to host the Auburn Tigers (11-8; 1-6 SEC) at 7:00 p.m. EST on the SEC Network. The Wildcats are coming off a heartbreaking 77-76 loss to Mississippi State on Sunday, but Kyra Elzy’s squad continues to look better with each passing game. Now it’s time to start stacking some wins, and tonight is the perfect opportunity against an equally struggling Auburn squad.
The circumstances are obviously different, but keep in mind that last season’s Kentucky team started the season 9-11 before rattling off 10 straight victories and winning the 2022 SEC Tournament. I’m just saying…
KSR’s Grant Grubbs will have a full preview coming to the site this morning.
’96, ’97, ’98 MBB teams set to be honored
When the Tennessee Volunteers come to Lexington next month, a big group of special guests will help cheer on their former team.
On Wednesday night, it was announced by UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart that the school plans to celebrate the 1996, 1997, and 1998 Kentucky men’s basketball teams that won a pair of national titles (’96, ’98) and made it to the national finals in the other (’97). This three-year period is considered to be one of the most dominant stretches in program history, rivaling the peak of Adolph Rupp’s time as head coach in the late ’40s and early ’50s.
According to UK, the reunion will include players from the team, coaches, and managers beginning on Friday, Feb. 17, and continuing into Saturday afternoon’s showdown between the ‘Cats and Vols at 1:00 p.m. EST on CBS. All three teams will be recognized during the game.
Check out KSR’s new WBB podcast
KSR’s Grant Grubbs and women’s basketball analyst Alyx White have returned with another episode of the Know Her Name Podcast, sponsored by Rise Up Sports Media. Among the topics of discussion include looking back at the last two games for Kentucky WBB, what challenges lie ahead, and how this team can turn the corner down the stretch.
This week’s special guest was Kentucky WBB’s leading scorer, graduate student Robyn Benton.
You can listen to the entire episode on Spotify and iTunes through the KSR podcast feeds, or you can watch the video version below on YouTube.
Kiyaunta Goodwin to Florida
Kiyaunta Goodwin has a new home in the SEC East. The Florida Gators announced on Wednesday that the former Kentucky offensive tackle is transferring to Gainesville. Goodwin, a former Top 100 recruit, entered the transfer portal on Dec. 16 after one season at Kentucky. He visited Florida this past weekend and was also considering Louisville and a return to Lexington, but in the end, went with the Gators.
A Louisville native, Kiyaunta Goodwin was a five-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, ranked as high as the No. 13 player overall by 247 Sports when he signed with Kentucky in December 2021. He was a high school All-American that appeared in every game in 2022 for Kentucky, but only sparingly in a reserve role and on special teams.
That’s everything I’ve got for you all this morning. Make sure to tune into the radio show at 10:00 a.m. this morning for some big news.
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