KSR Today: No Stoops Monday as Kentucky hits the bye, basketball takes over

Good morning, friends. Are you feeling any better since Saturday? I hope some sleep helped. This week, for the second time this football season, the Wildcats are on a bye, and that means there will be no Mark Stoops press conference today. The usual Monday routine is on pause, giving Kentucky Football a few extra days to regroup after back-to-back SEC losses. Stoops will also skip his Monday night call-in radio show.

Still, it won’t be a quiet day around KentuckySportsRadio.com. Stoops’ call-in show will go on without him, with defensive coordinator Brad White, quarterback Cutter Boley, and defensive lineman Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace filling in for Stoops. It’s a controversial move by Stoops to hand over his radio responsibilities, given the current mood around the program and the questions surrounding his future.

Meanwhile, basketball takes over the spotlight. Kentucky Basketball Media Day tips off this morning at the Joe Craft Center, where Mark Pope and his players will meet with reporters as they prepare for Big Blue Madness on Saturday night. The KSR crew will be live from Media Day from 10 a.m. to noon, with wall-to-wall coverage coming throughout the day here, too.

It may be football’s second bye week, but there’s plenty going on in the Bluegrass. Let’s get to the headlines, which may be a little repetitive if you read the intro.

No Mark Stoops on Monday

As expected, there’s no Mark Stoops press conference today with Kentucky on its second bye week of the season, and the head coach is also skipping his usual Monday night call-in show. That part isn’t new. Stoops sat out the bye week show earlier this season, too, when offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan filled in.

This time, though, it feels different. Coming off back-to-back SEC losses and growing frustration among fans, Stoops’ decision to hand the microphone to defensive coordinator Brad White, quarterback Cutter Boley, and defensive lineman Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace won’t sit well with everyone. Given the current climate, many around Big Blue Nation expected to hear directly from the head coach tonight, not a guest panel from a 0-3 SEC team, when the show airs on the UK Sports Network from 6–7 p.m.

We’ll tune in anyway and relay any important comments that the group makes.

Coaching rumors swirl, but no changes expected this week

Internet speculation picked up on Sunday, suggesting that offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan could be let go during Kentucky’s bye week. However, KSR has learned that will not happen. While there is no change expected on the staff this week, the pressure is undeniably mounting after a 0–3 start in SEC play.

Mark Stoops remains under scrutiny as fan frustration grows and national outlets begin to question his long-term footing in Lexington. The Athletic published a national story examining Stoops’ job security and the direction of the program: The Athletic: Should Mark Stoops and Kentucky move on from each other, or are they stuck?

Movement in the AP Top 25

By beating Kentucky, Georgia moved up two places to No. 10 in the country in the new AP Top 25 poll. Kentucky’s next opponent after the bye week, Texas, dropped out of the Top 25 following its loss to Florida, while Tennessee moved up to No. 12 and Vanderbilt fell to No. 20. Two more of Kentucky’s remaining opponents, Auburn and Louisville, received at least a vote.

Up top, Ohio State is still No. 1 ahead of Miami, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M, in that order.

KSR’s new Kentucky High School Football Top 25

Around lunchtime, KSR will update its Top 25 for high school football around the Bluegrass. This week, there could be a shake-up at the top after No. 1 Trinity suffered a loss to St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH), although it may not impact the Rocks’ standing at all.

Also, No. 2 South Warren and No. 3 Christian Academy-Louisville held strong, winning 55-3 and 62-7. But No 4. St. Xavier lost to No. 7 Boyle County, so we’ll almost certainly see movement there when the new 25 is released.

Until then, read last week’s rankings before the new Top 25 drops.

Mark Pope and Kentucky Basketball Media Day

It’s Kentucky Basketball Media Day, and Mark Pope is kicking things off with his preseason press conference this afternoon inside the Joe Craft Center. After Pope speaks, reporters will break out for one-on-one interviews with every player on the roster, the first full media access to the new-look Wildcats.

KSR will have nine sets of boots on the ground covering every angle, story, and soundbite as the basketball team enters the last preseason stretch toward Big Blue Madness on Saturday and the start of the exhibition slate soon after. Expect nonstop basketball updates, videos, and takeaways all day and all week long on KentuckySportsRadio.com.

UK Pro Day to air on Tuesday

Kentucky’s Pro Day is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, October 7, inside Memorial Coliseum. Open only to NBA scouts and a few special guests, Big Blue Nation can still follow along on the live SEC Network+ broadcast, with commentary from Jack Givens and Dick Gabriel.

On the court, the Wildcats will go through drills, measurements, and interviews for NBA personnel and media as they continue their path toward the upcoming 2025-26 season. KSR will be covering Pro Day live.

Big Blue Madness countdown

Big Blue Madness is just five days away, folks. It’s coming up on Saturday at Rupp Arena. Five days.

KSR is live from Media Day

This morning’s KSR show will broadcast live from Kentucky Basketball Media Day inside the Joe Craft Center from 10 a.m. to noon. The event itself is not open to the public, but producer Billy Rutledge should have a nice, quiet setup for Matt Jones and me to chat with players, coaches, and staff throughout the two-hour show.

Ryan Lemond has the day off, but there will be no shortage of conversation as we get into basketball talk and look back on the football team’s loss at Georgia. Tune in at 10 a.m.