Kentucky
2024 Kentucky Football Game Promotions
LEXINGTON, Ky – Kentucky football’s promotional schedule for the eight-game, 2024 home slate at Kroger Field has been announced. UK Athletics also announced dates for mini-packs and single-game ticket sales on Friday.
Single-game tickets for Kentucky’s games vs. Southern Miss, South Carolina, Ohio, Vanderbilt and Murray State go on sale to the public starting on Friday, July 19 at 9 a.m. ET exclusively online at Ticketmaster.com.
Based on availability, tickets for the eagerly anticipated home matchups vs. Georgia, Auburn and Louisville will go on sale to the public beginning Friday, August 9 at 9 a.m. ET.
With strong demand continuing for all ticket options, inventory for Kentucky’s Southeastern Conference and non-conference rivalry games is expected to be extremely limited, and there is no guarantee that tickets will be available on August 9. Fans are encouraged to consider season ticket options to secure tickets for those games.
Kentucky will face a demanding home schedule in 2024. The Cats host the Southeastern Conference Championship runner-up Georgia as well as intrastate rival Louisville in Lexington this year. Southeastern Conference opponents South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Auburn will also visit Kroger Field this season.
Southern Miss – Aug. 31 at 7:45 p.m.
UK will host Southern Miss in both teams’ season opener. The contest against Southern Miss will also be Girl Scouts Day, with scouts from across the state having access to specially-priced tickets. Contact Makenna Miller at makenna.miller@uky.edu or 859-562-2058.
The season opener will also be Wildcat Marching Band Honor Day. For more details, visit finearts.uky.edu/music/events/wildcat-marching-band-honor-day.
South Carolina – Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m.
UK hosts South Carolina to start the SEC schedule. The second game of the season will serve as Extra Yard for Teachers. Teachers and school employees, in addition to University of Kentucky faculty and staff will be able to purchase specially priced tickets. More details, including the exclusive online ordering link, will be released here soon. Purchases will be restricted to those with Kentucky public school email address domains (@COUNTY.kyschools.us”). University of Kentucky faculty & staff purchases will be restricted to those with a UK email address (“@uky.edu”). Contact Makenna Miller at makenna.miller@uky.edu or 859-562-2058 for questions and to add your school or school district’s email domain to the list of eligible purchasers. As tickets are limited for this contest, this offer will also be valid for the Murray State game on Nov. 16.
Georgia – Sept. 14 7:30 p.m.
UK welcomes the SEC foe Georgia into Kroger Field. Fans can guarantee tickets for this highly anticipated matchup by purchasing a season ticket package.
Ohio – Sept. 21 at 12:45 p.m.
Kentucky’s third home game of the season will serve as Family Weekend. Hosted by the UK Parent & Family Association, Family Weekend welcomes families of UK students to campus for a weekend full of fall activities. For more information, visit https://families.uky.edu/family-weekend
The contest against Ohio will also be Boy Scouts Day, with scouts from across the state having access to specially-priced tickets. For more information contact Alex Geisel at alex.geisel@uky.edu or 859-218-4977.
The game against Ohio will also be Kentucky Cheer Youth Day (pregame), with cheerleaders from across the area invited to attend. More information about Kentucky Cheer Youth Day will be announced at a later date.
UK Athletics will also formally induct its 2024 Hall of Fame class in September, and the newest inductees will be recognized on the field during the Ohio game.
Vanderbilt – Oct. 12 FLEX
UK’s 109th annual Homecoming will take place as the Wildcats play Vanderbilt at Kroger Field. Fellow alumni and friends will gather in Lexington for fun and fellowship as UK will celebrate the 109th University of Kentucky Homecoming. Visit UKHomecoming.com for more information as well as a schedule of events.
Kentucky and Vanderbilt get together on the gridiron on Oct. 12th during Ag Roundup weekend on the UK campus. Ag Roundup welcomes alumni and friends of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. For more information, visit https://alumni.ca.uky.edu/roundup.
The matchup with Vanderbilt on Oct. 12th will also be Youth Sports and Activities Day, where youth teams from across the area will be eligible for specially-priced tickets. For more information, contact Caleb Young at caleb.young@uky.edu or (859) 218-4978. This offer is also valid for the Murray State game on Nov. 16th.
Auburn – Oct. 12 NIGHT
The Cats welcome Auburn into Lexington on Oct. 12th. Secure your tickets to experience Kroger Field under the lights by purchasing a season ticket package.
Murray St. – Nov. 16 1:30 p.m.
UK faces off against Murray St. on Nov 16th marking Heroes Day & Salute to Veterans. Members of Heroes Day groups (military, law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, and government employees) are eligible to purchase specially-priced tickets with details coming soon.
The game against Murray St. will also be Twirler for a Day, and you can find more information at https://finearts.uky.edu/music/events/twirler-day.
The Nov. 16th game will also be Kentucky Dance Youth Day, with dance teams from across the area invited to attend. More information about this event will be announced at a later date.
UK will also be continuing its celebration of Extra Yard for Teachers as well as Youth Sports & Activities Day, both with special ticket offers. For more information, contact the UK Ticket Sales team at (859) 257-1818, option 1.
Louisville – Nov. 30 FLEX
Closing out the home and regular season schedule the Cats host Louisville for the Battle of the Bluegrass on Nov. 30th. UK will celebrate the 2024 senior class during the Senior Day Ceremony festivities taking place before the game.
| Kentucky Football Home Game Promotions Schedule | |||
| Date | Kickoff Time | Opponent | Promotion |
| Aug. 31 | 7:45 p.m. ET | SOUTHERN MISS | Girl Scouts Day + Wildcat Marching Band Honor Day |
| Sept. 7 | 3:30 p.m. ET | SOUTH CAROLINA | Extra Yard for Teachers |
| Sept. 14 | 7:30 p.m. ET | GEORGIA | |
| Sept. 21 | 12:45 p.m. ET | OHIO | Family Weekend, Boy Scouts Day, Cheer Day, UK Athletics Hall of Fame |
| Oct. 12 | Flex | VANDERBILT | Homecoming, Ag Roundup, Youth Sports and Activities Day |
| Oct. 26 | Night | AUBURN | |
| Nov. 16 | 1:30 p.m. ET | MURRAY STATE | Heroes Day & Salute to Veterans, Twirler for a Day, Dance Day, Extra Yard for Teachers and Youth Sports and Activities Day Continued |
| Nov. 30 | Flex | LOUISVILLE | Senior Day |
Kentucky
Top knee doctor confident Jayden Quaintance’s injury not a long-term concern, but clean-up procedure possible
One of the nation’s top knee doctors shared a positive diagnosis with former Kentucky forward Jayden Quaintance going into the 2026 NBA Draft, revealing that his knee is not expected to be a long-term concern, KSR has learned.
That may include a second procedure to officially put the injury suffered in February 2025 behind him, however.
Dr. Riley Williams III — head team physician and orthopedic surgeon for the Brooklyn Nets and famous for performing surgery on Paul George’s gruesome open tibia-fibula fracture with USA Basketball in 2014 — gave a second opinion on Quaintance’s injured right knee that limited him to four games in Lexington and recommended a follow-up procedure that could keep him off the floor for six months. The 6-foot-11 prospect’s ACL remains fully intact and his knee can be maintained at its current state, but a clean-up is preferred for a permanent resolution.
Medical concerns led to his slide in final mock drafts — he was projected to go No. 27 overall to the Boston Celtics, according to ESPN — before ultimately landing with the San Antonio Spurs at No. 20. This procedure could lead to a delayed start to his rookie season, but the long-term reward of a healthy 15-year career in the NBA is the prize on the table. It kept teams in the lottery and late teens intrigued, despite rumors of a potential fall to the second round. Sources close to Quaintance felt San Antonio at No. 20 was a backstop for the talented forward going into draft night, an educated hunch that proved to be accurate.
Quaintance worked out for the Dallas Mavericks (No. 9, No. 30), Milwaukee Bucks (No. 10), Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 12, No. 17), Chicago Bulls (No. 15), Toronto Raptors (No. 19), San Antonio Spurs (No. 20) and Boston Celtics (No. 27) ahead of the draft, but the Thunder and Spurs were the most aggressive throughout the predraft process, sources tell KSR. Once OKC snagged Michigan’s Aday Mara at No. 12 overall, it opened the door for a move to San Antonio for the former Wildcat.
There was disappointment in Quaintance’s absence on draft night after failing to receive a green room invite, but receiving confirmation of no long-term knee concern was the biggest priority — and that came after meeting with arguably the nation’s top knee doctor before the 2026 NBA Draft began in Brooklyn on Tuesday.
Quaintance was not the top-five pick he was expected to be going into his lone season at Kentucky, but he found himself in a perfect winning situation in San Antonio next to the future face of the NBA in Victor Wembanyama, even if that includes a short-term setback.
The Kentucky Wildcats are getting ready to start a new era of their football program. In his 13 seasons as head coach, we have all become accustomed to seeing Mark Stoops teams at Kentucky play a certain way. This has been both on defense and on offense, the Wildcats have had a similar blueprint of winning games and finding success. Now, both sides of the ball will look a lot different in terms of scheme, so we will start on the defensive side and what differences you will see in 2026 under new coach Will Stein.
Old: Conservative 3-4
Mark Stoops and defensive coordinator Brad White had a lot of success in their 3-4 defense with a conservative play style, but it had plenty of weaknesses as well. With a nose tackle head up on the center and two defensive lineman playing on the inside shoulder of each offensive tackle, the defense would create pressure but couldn’t consistently finish to make them sacks. This defense required a guy like Joshua Hines-Allen to win one-on-one blocks on the edge in a dominant fashion to thrive as a defense. Since 2020, Kentucky finished top five in total sacks in the SEC just once, in 2023; every other team finished ninth or less in the conference in team sacks.
This conservative 3-4 defense allowed Kentucky to stay in similar personnel throughout the game. The conservative nature had a bend-don’t-break philosophy of keeping everything in front and making tackles. Kentucky rarely switched things up and rolled the dice with blitzes or had pre and post snap coverage rotations on the back end. It was cover 3 and cover 4 heavy, while not disguising coverages and typically sending four pass rushers at the quarterback.
New: Aggressive 4-2-5
The new scheme under defensive coordinator Jay Bateman will be the entire opposite of the old regime. This scheme will be primarily out of an even front, and we have highlighted current players on the team that will benefit from a change in technique. Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace will switch to a traditional edge rusher lining up outside of the offensive tackle, whereas Tavion Gadson will move to a true three technique on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard and both of these players played in the same technique in the previous scheme. Both Humphrey-Grace and Gadson should have more production moving to techniques they more accurately fit.
Kentucky’s defense will utilize five defensive backs for a majority of snaps, which is beneficial with most offenses living in 11 personnel with three wide receivers on the field. This scheme’s success in year one will heavily rely upon the experienced safety duo of Ty Bryant and Jordan Castell. Coach Bateman will have a lot more safety rotations in this scheme and switch up coverages a lot, disguising a particular coverage pre-snap before switching it post-snap. This defense will have a ton of eye candy to try and keep offenses off balance.
This aggressive scheme will not only roll the dice more on passing downs, playing more man coverage. However, it will also be more aggressive in terms of blitzing the quarterback or sending simulated pressures. Simulated pressures are shown as four defensive lineman rushing, but one will drop into coverage with a back seven player blitzing, still sending four at the quarterback while finding creative ways to do so. This amount of disguise and blitzing can create more havoc in the passing game, but it can also allow players to get out of position in the run game.
This schematic change will greatly benefit Kentucky against pass heavy teams, but it remains to be seen how that will be a benefit or a detriment to the run defense. In theory, this scheme should be able to create more havoc plays like sacks and tackles for loss, which can also provide more turnovers. Will Stein mentioned in a press conference, as an offensive minded coach, he wants to steal possessions on defense to get the ball back for his offense. This aggressive style is built towards a common theme of the new regime, which is they will try to win football games on offense rather than on defense.
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