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KSR Today: Moving on from Texas to the Vols, Stoops speaks, Jaland Lowe, and more

Drew Franklinby: Drew Franklin7 hours agoDrewFranklinKSR
mark-stoops-texas
(Photo via Dr. Miichael Huang for KSR)

Good morning, KSR readers. It’s a restless Monday in the Bluegrass and throughout Big Blue Nation. The Wildcats have to regroup after another tough loss, and the heat around Mark Stoops has been turned up. There’s frustration and fatigue around his football program, but none of that changes what week it is. It’s time to get ready for the Vols, and there’s a lot to unpack as we start a new week at KentuckySportsRadio.com.

It’s Tennessee Week

The Vols roll into Kroger Field on Saturday night for a 7:45 p.m. kickoff, and while morale around Kentucky Football isn’t exactly sky high, that doesn’t change one universal truth: we hate Tennessee.

It’s been a frustrating stretch in this rivalry. Kentucky has only beaten the Vols three times since 1984, and Tennessee’s recent dominance has only made it even harder to stomach, like that throw-up orange. Still, a rivalry game is a rivalry game, and the Wildcats have to get off the mat for those low-down, dirty Vols.

Monday with Mark Stoops

It’s time for another Monday with Mark. Stoops will hold his regular Monday press conference later today, with comments about the loss to Texas and what’s ahead when Tennessee rolls into town. He’ll explain why he believes they came up short against the Longhorns and what has to change to get out of the funk, while feeling the heat from the fan base. Check back here at KentuckySportsRadio.com for that conversation later.

Then, Stoops will sit down with Tom Leach and his call-in show listeners on the UK Sports Network from 6-7 p.m. tonight. Tune in.

The KSR Football Podcast goes live at 2 p.m.

Between Stoops’ two speaking engagements, the KSR Football Podcast will discuss Stoops’ job, the loss to Texas, and the state of the program in a new episode today. Tune in live on KSR’s YouTube channel at 2 p.m. or catch the audio version in podcast form as Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, Van Hiles, and I break down the latest with the Wildcats and more on the Monday of Tennessee Week.

Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson was not impressed by UK’s playcalling

Now a UK parent, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson was a special guest at Saturday’s football game, but he didn’t love everything that he saw out of Kentucky’s offense. Johnson said on his Night Cap podcast, “To me, it seemed that they kept running the same play. Draw, draw, draw. It’s the same thing over and over. No plays down the field… But there was really no creativity to the offense.” He was talking to Shannon Sharpe and Johnny Manziel.

Billy Napier fired at Florida

Down in Gainesville, patience officially ran out. Florida fired head coach Billy Napier on Sunday, ending his tenure with a 22–23 overall record and a 3–4 mark this season. The Gators made the move just hours after a narrow win over Mississippi State, meaning a win couldn’t even buy Napier more time. His departure creates one of the hottest, if not the hottest, job openings in college football. Andy Staples made a hot board of candidates to watch in another big spin of the coaching carousel.

Every spot in the AP Top 25 changed except No. 1

Ohio State is still the No. 1 team in the new AP college football poll. Behind the Buckeyes, every spot in the rankings changed hands with Monday’s update to the Top 25. Indiana is the new No. 2 team, followed by three SEC teams in Texas A&M, Alabama, and Georgia.

Ole Miss is No. 8, then Vanderbilt at No. 10, and Tennessee at No. 17. Texas dropped one spot to No. 22 with a win in Lexington.

Louisville moved into the picture after its win over Miami, climbing from unranked to No. 19.

Kentucky-Auburn start time to be announced today

At some point today, we will learn the start time for Kentucky’s trip to Auburn on Saturday, November 1. The SEC will fill out its TV schedule for the Saturday after next with an announcement later this afternoon.

The Wildcats and Tigers are both winless in the conference.

No. 3 Kentucky Volleyball survived against Florida

On Sunday, Kentucky Volleyball (14-2, 7-0) beat Florida in Historic Memorial Coliseum to remain unbeaten in SEC play, but needed all five sets to do it. After Kentucky won the first set, the Gators won the second and third, but the Wildcats clawed back to take the match, winning the fourth and fifth sets (25-16, 21-25, 19-25, 25-21, 15-6).

Eva Hudson and Brooklyn DeLeye were two of the stars for Kentucky, with 21 and 20 kills in the match. Learn more: No. 3 Kentucky VB Survives Five-Set Triller Against Florida.

How’s Jaland Lowe?

Big Blue Nation panicked last Friday night when starting point guard Jaland Lowe suffered a shoulder injury in the Blue-White intrasquad scrimmage. Official word on Lowe’s status has not yet been spread by the team; however, Lowe was spotted at the Louisville-Pitt volleyball game with a smile on his face om Sunday, without a sling on his arm. Larry Vaught reported on Sunday morning that the MRI on Lowe’s shoulder came back negative.

A five-star prospect visited campus

Baba Oladotun, a top-10 recruiting in the class of 2026, took an official visit to see Kentucky Basketball yesterday. Oladtoun is the top player in Missouri, ranked fifth among small forwards in the country at his age. He has an offer from the Wildcats.

KSR is live from the studio today

Tune in at 10 a.m. for two hours of KSR. Go Cats, and have a good Monday.

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2025-10-20