KSR Today: Catching up on Stoops, Updates from Bush Hamdan, AB3 on Sources Say

Good morning friends, and welcome back to work for those of you who enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend. The first morning back at the desk after a three-day weekend can be brutal, but at least it’s a short week from here, right?

If you were offline on Monday — good for you, the weather was glorious, and I hope you savored it — you missed a few things. Let’s roll through them as we march towards Saturday’s game vs. Ole Miss.

Quick-hitters from Mark Stoops

It was not a holiday for Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Football team. On Monday, Stoops met with reporters to share his thoughts on the win over Toledo after reviewing the film and to preview the Ole Miss game. He also spoke with Tom Leach on his call-in show last night. We were listening to both so you could maximize your time on the pool or lake, or around the grill.

“Premature to pull the plug” on Zach Calzada: Zach Calzada‘s debut was a little shaky, but Mark Stoops is standing by him as QB1 — for now. Stoops believes most of Calzada’s problems were fixable and chalked some up to jitters in his first game as a Wildcat. That said, he acknowledged that it’s fair to bring up Cutter Boley’s late surge in camp and said the staff will continue to evaluate the quarterback position.

No update yet on Jamarion Wilcox: Kentucky’s leading rusher from last season did not play vs. Toledo due to a violation of team rules. Stoops did not have an update on Wilcox’s status moving forward, but the Lexington Herald-Leader reports Wilcox has a hearing scheduled for Wednesday regarding a domestic and interpersonal violence allegation. In turn, expect to hear more as the week goes on.

Pleased with toughness, discipline: All offseason, Stoops preached the importance of getting back to toughness and discipline. The Cats made strides with both on Saturday, the offensive line paving the way for the backfield to put up 220 rushing yards, the defense holding Toledo to just 59 rushing yards, and the entire team committing only three penalties.

“They played really hard,” Stoops said. “That was a great thing on both sides. They played very tough, very physical, played very hard. There are many things to improve on, and we know that.”

Ready for Lane: Ole Miss looked good in its debut, whomping Georgia State 63-7. Stoops is a big fan of the Rebels’ new QB, Austin Simmons, who backed up Jaxson Dart for two seasons and threw for three touchdowns and over 300 yards in his first career start. As for Lane Kiffin, Stoops confirmed that Ole Miss’ coach gave him some grief during the offseason for going for it on 4th and 7 in Kentucky’s upset in Oxford last year, an uncharacteristic gamble that worked. BTW, Kiffin told reporters he was upset about that loss all season.

Catch up on everything Stoops said below. He was even asked about Oscar Combs at the very end.

Shortly after Stoops spoke, Nick Roush and Adam Luckett caught up with Drew Franklin and Van Hiles on the KSR Football Podcast to discuss Kentucky’s performance vs. Toledo and what lies ahead vs. Ole Miss. Listen in below.

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Updates from Bush Hamdan after practice

Bush Hamdan’s playcalling didn’t exactly inspire confidence in Week 1. Today, we’ll hear from Kentucky’s offensive coordinator after practice. Nick Roush will be on hand to talk to Hamdan, select players, and position coaches. As always, updates will hit KSBoard first, with notes coming to the site and complete interviews to the YouTube Channel shortly after.

Kick off the 2025 Kentucky football season with KSR Plus! We’re giving you behind-the-scenes intel you won’t find anywhere else. Join the most vibrant online community in BBN ahead of a pivotal season for Mark Stoops.

Still seats available

Saturday’s game is not yet a sellout, but it’s getting close. A quick check of the Ticketmaster map shows seats available in one end zone and the upper deck. The weather forecast for Saturday looks absolutely beautiful, mostly cloudy with a high of 70 and a low of 48. You can ask for better weather in early September.

Stoops gave fans a shoutout for creating a “great environment” vs. Toledo, but acknowledged that the offense’s mistakes at the end of the first quarter and start of the second (interception, safety, and fumble on consecutive drives) sucked the life out of the stadium.

“I felt like it was a great environment on Saturday, especially early. I wish we’d have done a better job to keep that excitement up there, even on our sidelines, I’ll be honest with you. Like it just, it was deflating, those possessions. And we can’t afford to do that. And that kind of took some of the air out of the stadium, so we apologize to the fans for that because we felt like they were there and teed up and ready to go, and supporting us, and we could have done a better job there. And I’m sure it’s going to be a great environment Saturday.”

If you do go on Saturday, be sure to consult this map so you know whether to wear Blue or White.

New AP Top 25

AP voters got an extra day to turn in their ballots because of last night’s TCU vs. North Carolina game. When the Top 25 drops today at 2 p.m. ET, I have a feeling it will include a new No. 1 team in the country following No. 2 Ohio State’s big win over No. 1 Texas. The Longhorns won’t fall as far as Alabama. The Crimson Tide were No. 8 in the preseason AP Poll, but will certainly tumble after the 31-17 loss at Florida State.

Ole Miss is currently No. 21 in the AP Poll and probably won’t move much after the 63-7 romp over Georgia State. I doubt Kentucky’s win over Toledo was enough to muster any votes, sadly.

AB3 on Sources Say

Need a basketball fix? We’ve got just the thing. Kentucky associate head coach Alvin Brooks III is tonight’s guest on Sources Say. AB3 chatted with Jack Pilgrim and Shawn Smith last night, a conversation that will air at 8 p.m. ET on the KSR YouTube Channel. We don’t hear from Kentucky’s assistant coaches a lot, so I’m eager to hear Brooks’ thoughts on the new team after summer practices.

Last week, Jay Bilas, now Alvin Brooks III? Sources Say is on a heater.

Denzel Aberdeen mocks Pope’s old haircut

Believe it or not, Mark Pope used to have hair, which he fashioned into a flattop during his playing days at Kentucky. Denzel Aberdeen gave his coach some grief over the haircut on Instagram last night.

Rough college coaching debut for Bill Belichick

At first, it seemed like Bill Belichick’s first game as a college football coach could be one for the ages. A who’s who of Chapel Hill legends was in attendance, including Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, Roy Williams, and Mia Hamm. North Carolina started the game with a flawless 83-yard touchdown drive, which worked Kenan Stadium into a frenzy. From there, it unraveled, TCU going on to win 48-14, the stands slowly emptying as the rout dragged on.

The game got so out of hand that with two minutes to go, Kirk Herbstreit let his dog, Peter, have a headset.

This broadcast has gone to the dogs.

Specifically, Kirk Herbstreit's dog, Peter, who got a headset. pic.twitter.com/URYS0F3ztT

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 2, 2025

The final Hard Knocks of 2025

Hard Knocks has been following the Buffalo Bills during training camp this year, and in turn, we’re following Hard Knocks to check in on the trio of former Kentucky Wildcats on the roster — Ray Davis, Maxwell Hairston, and Deone Walker. Davis and Walker were in Lexington this past weekend to watch the Cats take on Toledo. I doubt they brought the HBO camera crews with them, but you never know.

Hairston didn’t make the trip, but had his own fun with the game, making a bet with Bills fullback Reggie Gilliam, a Toledo alum. If the director of Hard Knocks is reading this, I’d like to see that too.

KSR the Radio Show returns

The radio crew is back after observing the Labor Day holiday — well, except for Shannon the Dude, who is back on the beach in Florida. Tune in one hour from now to hear their thoughts on the Toledo game, Kentucky’s chances against Ole Miss, and more. If you can’t wait any longer, turn on the KSR Preshow to hear what Billy Rutledge has cooked up.