KSR Today: Ponatoski's a Cat, Jasper's a gold medalist, KSR's back on air, and lots more

Good morning, friends, and welcome back to the real world after the long 4th of July holiday weekend. I hope yours was filled with friends, family, fireworks, and fun and that you kept all of your fingers if you were on fireworks duty.

Me? I left the fireworks to the professionals at Coors Field after watching the Rockies host the White Sox on Friday, a game between two of the worst teams in MLB history. The baseball was bad, but the beer was cold and the fireworks bright, so fun was had in the mountains. I saw Mount Rushmore, too–part of a very patriotic summer trip with family.

While I was away for a week, major news broke, per tradition. The latest is a huge commitment, just last night. Let’s start there on this Monday morning at KSR.

---

Matt Ponatoski is a Wildcat

Kentucky Football landed its quarterback of the future. On Sunday evening, Matt Ponatoski from Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) made it official, pledging his commitment to the Wildcats over several other offers, including Alabama, Arkansas, and Oregon, the three other contenders in the dual-sport star’s recruitment. Ranked as the No. 9 quarterback in the 2026 class, Ponatoski also dabbles in baseball as a top-20 shortstop prospect with serious MLB potential. He intends to continue his baseball career at the college level while also playing QB in Lexington. “I’ll be committing to the University of Kentucky to play baseball and football,” Ponatoski told KSR+ on Sunday.

As for the football prospect, Ponatoski recently starred at the Elite 11 camp, where he was the most accurate passer among his classmates at the summer showcase. Last season, he dominated in one of Ohio’s toughest high school divisions, winning Ohio’s Mr. Football and Gatorade Player of the Year awards as a junior, with over 4,000 passing yards, 56 passing touchdowns, and only three interceptions thrown.

Learn more about the most prolific high school QB standout to commit to Kentucky since Tim Couch:

• Dual-Sport Star Matt Ponatoski Commits to Kentucky
• Film Room: Matt Ponatoski
• What Matt Ponatoski Can Do for Kentucky Baseball
• Matt Ponatoski Talks Kentucky Commitment: ‘We’re Going to Put the Program on the Map’ (KSR+)
  

Watch Ponatoski’s commitment video

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matt Ponatoski (@matt.ponatoski)

KSR reacts to Matt Ponatoski’s commitment

KSR’s Adam Luckett, who was first to predict Ponatoski to Kentucky, and Nick Roush hopped on a live stream after Ponatoski’s Sunday evening announcement to break down the commitment and the fit in Lexington.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Jasper Johnson won FIBA World Cup gold

Before Ponatoski’s Sunday evening commitment, one of the stars of Kentucky Basketball‘s future earned a gold medal in Switzerland, winning the FIBA U19 World Cup. Jasper Johnson scored five points with three assists and two rebounds in Team USA’s win over Germany in Sunday’s gold-medal game. The UK freshman had the highest plus/minus on the team (+26) in 16 minutes played in the championship, a 109-76 win for the Red, White, and Blue.

Shortly after the win, Johnson posted a photo showing off his gold medal, USA uniform, World Champs hat, and the Kentucky sneakers he wore while representing his country and school.

pic.twitter.com/ot1xSoM0ZQ

— Jasper Johnson (@BruhJasperJ) July 6, 2025

Congratulations to Johnson and his teammates–even the Louisville Cardinal on the team.

Johnson’s final FIBA World Cup stats

Johnson appeared in all seven of Team USA’s games in Switzerland. He averaged eight points per contest, shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from 3, playing 15.4 minutes per game. Johnson’s 0.4 turnovers per game was the lowest average on Team USA.

	MIN	PTS	FG	2PT FG	3PT FG	FT
vs AUS	15	6.0	2/6	1/2	1/4	1/1
vs FRA	19	4.0	1/4	1/2	0/2	2/2
vs CMR	11	11.0	4/8	1/3	3/5	0/0
vs JOR	15	8.0	3/6	1/1	2/5	0/0
vs CAN (QF)	13	8.0	3/4	1/1	2/3	0/0
vs NZL (SF)	18	14.0	5/11	2/4	3/7	1/3
vs GER (CH)	16	5.0	1/2	1/1	0/1	3/3

	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	PF	TO	STL	BLK
vs AUS	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.0
vs FRA	0.0	1.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	0.0	1.0	0.0
vs CMR	0.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	2.0	1.0	0.0
vs JOR	2.0	0.0	2.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	1.0	1.0
vs CAN (QF)	1.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0
vs NZL (SF)	0.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
vs GER (CH)	0.0	2.0	2.0	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

The U.S. Men’s National Team lost in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final (that’s soccer)

Johnson may have won FIBA World Cup gold, but the U.S. Men’s National Team wasn’t as fortunate in the CONCACAF Gold Cup championship on Sunday. (We’re talking about soccer now.) The Americans scored early to go up 1-0 on Mexico in front of 70,000 people in Houston’s NRG Stadium, only to give up two unanswered goals in return, including Mexico’s game-winner in the 78th minute. The good guys would get a good look at an equalizer in the 91st minute, but couldn’t add a second goal before Mexico claimed the cup.

MEXICO TAKES THE LEAD 🇲🇽😱

After a VAR check, the goal is confirmed and Edson Álvarez puts Mexico on top 🔝 pic.twitter.com/5bNm5Ymsnm

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 7, 2025

Sunday’s match was the eighth meeting in the Gold Cup final between the U.S. and Mexico, with Mexico winning six of the eight encounters. The U.S. trails Mexico in Gold Cup titles, 10-7. (OK, that’s enough soccer talk.)

Watch the NBA Summer League

There are two basketball games you can watch tonight, both from the NBA summer league’s stop in Salt Lake City. First, Oklahoma City plays Philadelphia at 7 p.m. on ESPN, featuring former Kentucky star Justin Edwards on the Sixers (more on Edwards in a moment), followed by Memphis versus Utah on NBA TV at 9 p.m.

Last night, the California version of summer league saw the Lakers beat the Heat and the Spurs beat the Warriors. Neither game included a former Wildcat. All former Wildcats participating in this year’s summer league will showcase their talents in Las Vegas, beginning later this week.

Justin Edwards signed a contract extension

Justin Edwards‘ second NBA summer is off to an eventful start. On Saturday, the former Kentucky forward scored 13 points in Philly’s first game in Utah, a loss in which rookie VJ Edgecomb took 27 shot attempts in his debut as Edwards’ new teammate. On Sunday, the Sixers re-signed Edwards to a three-year deal worth seven million dollars after he averaged 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as an undrafted rookie out of Kentucky last season.

While at Kentucky, Edwards, once a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick, averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in a disappointing freshman season that tanked his draft stock. Still, Edwards carved out a spot for himself in Philadelphia, his hometown, and the Sixers see him as a valuable asset with the long-term potential that wasn’t fully realized in Lexington. Congrats to him on the new deal and getting his career back on track.

It’s ISCO Championship week in Louisville

Golf fans, the PGA TOUR heads to Kentucky this week for the ISCO Championship in Louisville. Formerly known as the Barbasol Championship in Lexington, the ISCO Championship debuts at its new home at Hurstbourne Country Club after a six-year run at Keene Trace Golf Club. The ISCO Championship is an alternate event on the PGA’s calendar, played opposite the Scottish Open before the final major of the year, which takes place next weekend. The winner of this year’s ISCO will earn an automatic entry into The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Good luck to Josh Teater, one of the headliners in the field and a friend of the program.

Join a new KSR Happy Hour later this afternoon

It’s Monday, so carve out 4-5 p.m. on your schedule to watch KSR’s Happy Hour presented by Country Boy Brewing, streamed live on YouTube. A Monday tradition, the hour-long live stream will recap the latest news around Big Blue Nation and beyond, plus whatever else comes up along the way. Today’s version will include more Matt Ponatoski and summer league talk, along with questions from the audience. Tune in here at 4 or watch the replay whenever you’re able.

Tune in to KSR at 10 a.m.

The entire KSR morning radio crew is back together after a week apart. Today, KSR is on the airwaves for the first time since last Wednesday, with lots to say about the headlines since the last show and a whole lot more. Tune in at 10 a.m. and have a great Monday. Go Cats.