When Mark Pope announced that he would be taking questions directly from BBN, we all knew things could get interesting. But honestly, it turned out pretty good; you had some honest questions and some good answers. Sure, there were sarcastic questions that just were never going to be answered, but Pope did address the GM situation. While it wasn’t the answer a lot of people hoped for, at least there is now a clear hierarchy within the basketball front office. Let’s break it down.
Kentucky
2024 Kentucky Position Previews: Offensive Line
Kentucky’s fall camp is right around the corner. Before the Cats officially begin the 2024 season, KSR is taking a closer look at the roster and analyzing each position group. Personnel, storylines, questions, and one bold prediction will be included.
Now we wrap up the offense by taking a look at what Kentucky has in the trenches. The floor should be very high for this group in 2024.
Position Preview: Quarterback | Flipped QB room has unknown ceiling but should provide safe floor for offense (KSR+ column)
Postion Preview: Running Back | Kentucky has earned benefit of the doubt at tailback but there is much to prove (KSR+ column)
Position Preview: Wide Receiver | Wide receiver play will determine Kentucky’s offensive ceiling (KSR+ column)
Position Preview: Tight End
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Expected Starters
Marques Cox (6-5, 318, Super)
The former Northern Illinois transfer is back for year two at Kentucky and is now in his seventh season of college football. Cox has 46 career starts, 3,009 career snaps, and was quietly one of the best players on this offense last season. The veteran has a great shot at becoming a Day 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and will fill a priority position for Kentucky this fall.
Jager Burton (6-4, 316, RJr.)
The former top-150 recruit has made 25 consecutive starts entering year four but has not lived up to his recruiting ranking yet. Burton is back at guard full-time after playing center at the beginning of last year and needs to add more play strength. The Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass product will need to hold off some competition during fall camp.
Eli Cox (6-4, 309, Super)
The Nicholasville (Ky.) West Jessamine product is now in year six at Kentucky and is entering his fourth season in the starting lineup. Cox has played over 2,000 career snaps and gives Eric Wolford a dependable veteran in the pivot.
Jalen Farmer (6-5, 314, RSo.)
Both guard spots are up for grabs, but the Florida transfer appears to have the inside track at right guard. Farmer was recruited heavily by Wolford at both Kentucky and Alabama. The Covington (Ga.) Eastside product has three years of eligibility remaining and projects to give the offense some downhill power in the run game.
Gerald Mincey (6-4, 335, RSr.)
The class of 2020 recruit started 13 games for Tennessee over the last two seasons spending time at both tackle spots. Mincey gives the offense another physical downhill mauler in the run game with over 1,000 career snaps played. The South Florida native will need to earn a starting spot in fall camp but Kentucky brought him in to fill the right tackle hole.
Kentucky’s Offensive Line Room
Ben Christman (6-6, 325, RJr.)
The former Ohio State transfer missed last season with a knee injury and will return to full football activities during fall camp. Christman is a guard with potential right tackle flex and figures to be a factor in position battles at both right and left. Another big offensive lineman with some downhill power. If you’re sensing a theme you are on the right track. There isn’t any hiding on what Kentucky wants to do on offense and Christman could help enhance the run game.
Anfernee Crease (6-6, 315, RSo.)
A junior college addition that Kentucky flipped from SMU, Crease looks like a true left tackle and still has three years of eligibility remaining. The Texas native is not expected to push for playing time this season but could give Kentucky a long-term left tackle after Marques Cox leaves. JUCO tape showed some intriguing pass protection tools.
Courtland Ford (6-6, 327, RSr.)
Ford is back for year two at Kentucky after playing in all 13 games with two starting assignments. The former USC transfer can play both tackle spots and has logged 11 career starts with 981 career snaps. The fifth-year player will compete with Gerald Mincey for a starting spot and could also emerge as Kentucky’s swing tackle.
Hayes Johnson (6-4, 300, Fr.)
Kentucky’s first recruiting win of the 2024 cycle flashes play strength at the point of attack on tape. Will need time in a strength & conditioning program to add good weight. Very likely redshirt candidate.
Koby Keenum (6-4, 302, RFr.)
The Alabama native was a solid recruiting win for Kentucky in the 2023 high school cycle. Keenum now enters year two in the program and should lock up the backup center position this fall camp. The second-year player will need to prove to the coaching staff this season that he can slide in as a full-time starter next year or a transfer at center could be needed in the offseason.
Daniel Mincey (6-4, 290, Fr.)
A late addition to the 2024 high school signing class, the younger Mincey will play tackle at Kentucky and is likely headed for a redshirt season. Will immediately help Kentucky’s numbers at tackle.
Marc Nave Jr. (6-6, 335, Fr.)
The former Ohio State commit ended up flipping to Kentucky and brings some great size to the position. Nave is a true guard with some tackle flex. Flashed good grip strength, functional athleticism, and a high-level frame on his high school tape. Owns the size and play strength to make an impact at a power conference level.
Austin Ramsey (6-4, 328, RFr.)
Another guard with some tackle flex potential, Ramsey redshirted in 2023 but generated some buzz during spring practice. The Philadelphia native is a potential young player to monitor in this room as he is another player with terrific size who could help enhance Kentucky’s downhill run game.
Dylan Ray (6-6, 310, RJr.)
The West Virginia transfer started 10 games for Kentucky at guard in 2023 and also owns some tackle flex. Ray is a former walk-on who gives Eric Wolford some much-needed veteran experience. Expect the Indiana native to compete for a starting spot in fall camp.
Aba Selm (6-4, 303, Fr.)
The Northern Kentucky native was an early enrollee and top-500 recruiting win for the Wildcats. Selm shows functional athleticism on film. Pass protection gives the true freshman a high floor and could help him find a spot sooner rather than later in the rotation.
Malachi Wood (6-8, 320, RFr.)
The second-year player created some buzz about his development last season and has added some good weight. Wood owns a great frame and still has a high ceiling as a prospect. Another development year is needed but this could become an important player to watch in spring 2025.
Kentucky’s ground game was explosive without a QB run element in 2023 but the Wildcats were not efficient. That was a positive step forward for the offensive line but better play is still needed for Kentucky to be who they want to be on offense.
QB run is returning to the offense with offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and the offensive line should be improved for the second year in a row. The Wildcats have a boatload of experience and some legitimate experienced depth at both guard and tackle. Now we need to see if they can go displace big defensive fronts.
Mark Stoops has not shied away from saying that Kentucky needs better and more physical play from the offensive line. Eric Wolford was hired to help get this experienced group to the next level. Much is riding on the offensive line as Kentucky wants to get back to becoming one of the best rushing units in the SEC again.
Top Storyline: Eric Wolford’s return to Lexington
Mark Stoops surprised many when he decided to bring Eric Wolford back to Lexington and mend some fences from the previous ugly breakup. The hire also came quickly after Zach Yenser signed a contract extension. Stoops is making a big wager on the Youngstown native.
Wolford is inheriting a unit that might not have the highest ceiling but there is experience in spades and the floor should be fairly high. The Wildcats have an experienced center, a good SEC left tackle, and depth across the board. Improvement from last season is a reasonable expectation. Better recruiting results are also an expectation.
We have not seen Wolford reel in a top-250 target yet, but the offensive line coach did flip Anfernee Crease from an ACC program and was the lead recruiter for Darrin Strey and Bryan Auguste. The expectations are high but a lot of work needs to be done.
Wolford and the offensive line for the program both now and in the offseason. Some more transfer portal additions will likely be needed in December and the offensive line coach will be asked to land some high-quality players.
Bold Prediction: Kentucky’s offensive line produces multiple draft picks
Kentucky has only produced multiple NFL Draft picks on the offensive line one time. That was following the 2021 season led by Eric Wolford. The offensive line coach inherited some good talent and that will repeat itself in 2023.
I do not believe this unit will be as physically imposing as that one led by Luke Fortner and Darian Kinnard, but there are some Day 3 picks in Kentucky’s lineup. Both tackles have a great chance to be drafted and Eli Cox has more than a puncher’s chance.
We see the Wildcats take a positive step in the trenches this fall and that ends with a couple more draft picks to sell on the recruiting trail.
Warm and humid weather for Preakness Stakes this weekend
The second race of the Triple Crown is May 16 in Laurel, Maryland. Conditions at Preakness Stakes are expected to be warmer with humidity. There could be a spotty thunderstorm after the race.
Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby. He won’t be at the Preakness. And that’s becoming a familiar story.
This marks the second straight year and the third time in five years that the Derby winner has decided not to compete in the Preakness Stakes despite having a healthy horse. The reason is almost always the same: two weeks isn’t enough time.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux made the call quickly after Golden Tempo’s dramatic last-to-first Derby victory on May 2.
“Golden gave us the race of a lifetime,” DeVaux said in a statement. “We believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort.”
DeVaux and Golden Tempo are focused on the June 6 Belmont Stakes instead.
The pattern is pretty clear.
From 1997 to 2018, every Kentucky Derby winner ran the Preakness, keeping the Triple Crown path intact. That streak ended with Country House, who won the Derby on the disqualification of Maximum Security, was scratched from the Preakness. The sport has been wrestling with the question ever since. Maryland’s racing leaders have considered moving the Preakness one week later, from the third Saturday in May to the fourth, though no change has been made.
Of the 14 horses entered in the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, just three made the trip from Churchill Downs. None of them won the Derby. One nearly caused the biggest upset in recent memory.
Ocelli (Post 2, 6-1)
The most intriguing Derby returnee. Ocelli finished third at 70-1 odds on May 2, giving trainer Whit Beckman and jockey Tyler Gaffalione a surprise ticket to Laurel Park. He was the lone maiden in the Derby field and remains a maiden heading into Saturday. Nobody expected him to be here.
Incredibolt (post 12, 5-1)
The morning-line co-favorite among Derby runners. Incredibolt finished sixth at Churchill Downs and trainer Riley Mott moved quickly to point him to Laurel Park. Jockey Jaime Torres won the 2024 Preakness aboard Seize the Grey. The connections believe the 1 3/16-mile distance suits Incredibolt better than the Derby’s mile and a quarter.
Robusta (Post 4, 30-1)
The longest shot of the Derby trio is Robusta, who finished 14th of the 14 in the Derby. The question with any horse coming back this quickly after a tough Derby is how much the race took out of him. At 30-1, it seems the market has answered that question.
COVINGTON, Ky. (WKRC) – A Northern Kentucky man is in jail, accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl who’d been reported missing.
Matthew Wade, 40, faces charges, including sexual abuse, unlawful transaction with a minor and assault.
Covington Police say they found the teen at Wade’s home on Highway Avenue on Monday. According to the police report, he was knowingly hiding her, knew she was missing and had cut her ankle monitor off.
Investigators say the teen was given alcohol, marijuana and magic mushrooms.
The girl told police wade slapped her and choked her.
Officers also say they found guns in the home.
Mark Pope has confirmed that no official GM position will exist for at least this season, and most likely won’t exist going forward. Why? Because he has the responsibilities spread out across 4 different people, and believes that is the best way forward.
“In this ever-changing college basketball dynamic, everybody is trying a different solution. For us, instead of hiring a singular GM, we’ve gone with a more comprehensive general management team approach. We have four members of the team. Keegan Brown is a data analysis and roster construction expert who’s worked in both college and the NBA. Nick Robinson is our salary cap strategy and management specialist. Kevin Sergent is our compliance officer, and he deals with all of our contracts and legal language. Kim Shelton is our JMI liaison, and she does all of our NIL contracts that deal with corporate sponsorships. That’s our four-person general management team.”
But who is each one of these people, and what makes them qualified?
Who’s doing what in the Kentucky basketball front office?
Well, Keegan Brown has been a video coordinator in the G-League. That essentially means he would go and watch all the videos on league opponents and potential prospects, and come up with data-backed scouting reports for the coaching and front office teams. Pope has worked with Brown at BYU, so there is some familiarity there.
Nick Robinson also worked with Mark Pope in Provo, being an assistant coach from 2019 to 2024 and following Pope to Lexington. He has been on staff all 3 seasons now, and is being tasked with handing out Kentucky’s money and setting a budget for each player.
Kevin Sergent is not new to Kentucky; he has been in Lexington since 2020. But this is his first time handling compliance on his own; his official title is Senior Associate AD for Athletic Compliance. He handles all the rules, applying for waivers, basically making sure the entire staff is doing everything the right way.
Kim Shelton is a UK alum who was more known for soccer than anything else. She was part of the very first Kentucky women’s soccer team and is a former CEO of Lexington Sporting Club. She worked for Kentucky when Commonwealth was renamed as Kroger Field, and played a role in setting up naming rights for Kentucky Proud Park. Right now, she is kind of the bridge between Kentucky and JMI, specifically handling BBNIL Suite.
If you don’t remember what BBNIL suite is, it’s essentially the opt-in program where student athletes agree to only work with deals through JMI. They find offers, broker deals, and help athletes make money. It is, of course, optional, but if players decline, they will not be able to use the University of Kentucky logos in their NIL marketing.
Trent Noah is probably the most successful NIL athlete who opted out. The Kentucky native is handling his own NIL, and by the amount of ads and cardboard cutouts I see littered around the state, he seems to be doing pretty well.
Seeing JMI integrated again into Kentucky Basketball is probably going to make some of you uneasy, and I get that. But everyone who has worked with them who has officially gone on the record says they are a pleasure to work with.
And that’s how Mark Pope wants it done. There is a theory out there that he wants a GM, but JMI won’t let him. Considering he has chosen 2 of the 4 people personally, I highly doubt that’s true.
What do you think of his explanation, and what do you think of how he is handling the GM role?
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