Kentucky

First Down Kentucky: Canceled Visits

Published

2 years ago

April 22, 2024

Things happen fast in the transfer portal, for better or worse. It’s been more of the latter for the Kentucky football program as the second week of the spring transfer portal window kicks off.

Late Sunday night we learned Greedy Vance would not be making his way to Lexington after committing to USC during a visit to the West Coast over the weekend. The Cats took another swing on the highest-ranked available in the portal. Despite making some early contact, a home run is not on the horizon.

Former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez initially planned to make trips to Kentucky and Tennessee. The Knoxville trip was quickly scratched. This morning we learned Martinez will not be traveling to Lexington this week.

Entertaining the thought of adding a piece like Martinez was exciting, albeit a long shot. Kentucky added Chip Trayanum this offseason, while Miami just lost their top rusher to the portal. The Hurricanes are willing to spend more to make Martinez the man, which is why he’ll likely commit to Miami this weekend.

Kentucky is not completely empty-handed. The Wildcats are hosting Rutgers FL Rene Konga today, however, this Martinez development is what you would call “bad news” and I’m afraid there’s a little bit more of that to share Monday morning.

Kentucky Playing Catch Up with Tavion Wallace

Following last year’s victory over Florida, Trevin Wallace said he wasn’t the best athlete in his family. Tavion Wallace was sitting just off to the side, ranked as one of the top 50 players in America. The younger Wallace always enjoyed his time in Lexington, but it’s becoming clearer that he’s ready to take a different path at the collegiate level.

The No. 41 player in the 2025 recruiting class tells On3’s Chad Simmons he will be taking four official visits this summer and Kentucky is not one of them. That shouldn’t be too alarming. After all, he’s been to Kentucky so many times, does he really need an official visit? The problem is that Florida State is leading the charge, as they seemingly have been for most of his recruitment. He reiterated that the Seminoles are the team to beat and it’s hard to see a path where Kentucky can catch them.

“Florida State makes me feel special…,” he said. “What makes Florida State my top school is the consistency. It feels like family every time I go back for a visit. The coaches are great, their message is always the same and they want to make me a better man and better player. That always stood out to me.”

Not All Bad News

Elsewhere around the world of Kentucky football recruiting, the Wildcats are gaining even more ground for Marquise Davis. Sources tell KSR the Top 200 running back had a great unofficial visit to Kentucky over the weekend, his second straight week in Lexington. He could become a blockbuster addition for the program when Davis is expected to announce his commitment this summer.

Brock Vandagriff Bagged a Bird

I would never consider myself an avid outdoorsman. Kentucky QB Brock Vandagriff is keeping up to date with the latest hunting schedule. Over the weekend Vandagriff enjoyed one of his favorite hobbies by going into the woods and retrieving a turkey. Is this an impressive haul? You tell me.

A Louisville Product goes Re-Portaling

Terez Traynor has multiple stops throughout his college career. The Louisville Doss product initially attended WKU. He went west and put up numbers at Idaho, then jumped up a level to Tulane this winter. After one spring practice, he’s back on the move. The timing is not coincidental. Shortly after this news surfaced, On3’s Pete Nakos predicted Jon Sumrall would land Khai Prean, a former LSU wide receiver who was a four-star talent coming out of high school.

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Kentucky

Kentucky Homeland Security warns of synthetic drug more potent than fentanyl detected in central Kentucky

Published

5 minutes ago

February 22, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky Homeland Security warns of synthetic drug more potent than fentanyl detected in central Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security is warning the public about a synthetic drug detected in central Kentucky called cychlorphine, which the agency says is 10 times more potent than fentanyl.

First responders and healthcare workers are asked to use extreme caution when encountering any unknown substances. The warning has also put recovery workers on high alert.

Recovery workers respond

Staff at Recovery Cafe Lexington say the drug’s potency is not the only concern — limited available information about cychlorphine is also a factor.

“Everything gets stronger. Marijuana’s stronger than it used to be, crack is more addictive than cocaine, heroin users graduated to fentanyl users and so I’m not really that surprised to see something four to ten times stronger than fentanyl,” said Joshua Vanover, a recovery worker at Recovery Cafe Lexington.

Vanover said his own research into cychlorphine raised concerns that medications like Narcan may not be effective if someone is overdosing on the drug.

“Everybody that works here is trained in CPR. We can do everything that we can, but it is kind of daunting to know that we may not be able to help somebody or save somebody,” Vanover said.

Drug often mixed with other narcotics

The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security says cychlorphine is often mixed with other illegal narcotics, placing users at risk of accidental exposure.

Vanover said staff are working to inform people in recovery and those in active addiction about the drug’s dangers.

“Whenever I encounter that may be still using, to inform them that, ‘hey, there’s something else going around, narcan may not affect it,’ but its just something for people to be careful of. If you’re gonna use, use with somebody else; somebody that can call 911,” Vanover said.

The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security also advises first responders and healthcare professionals to treat all suspected cychlorphine-related overdoses as medical emergencies.

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Kentucky

Notre Dame, Highlands highlight Kentucky girls state swimming meet

Published

12 hours ago

February 22, 2026

Press Room

Notre Dame, Highlands highlight Kentucky girls state swimming meet

The 2026 Kentucky high school swimming and diving season concluded on Saturday, Feb. 21, with the girls state meet at the University of Kentucky.

Notre Dame sophomore Clare Herfel was the only swimmer with a title to defend, and she did so successfully as the Pandas also took second place in the girls team race. The combined team race was a different story as Highlands attempted to dethrone Ryle’s two-year reign.

Here are the biggest storylines.

Complete results can be found here.

Savannah Bien vaults to fourth place on dive podium with stellar final round

The Notre Dame Academy junior sat in seventh place after six dives, accruing 239.7 points. Her one subpar dive was a forward 1.5 somersault 1 twist that scored only 33 points.

Thanks to her final six dives all scoring at least 36 points, she leapfrogged Cooper’s Chris Nowak, Highlands’ Addie Tinkler and Lafayette’s Sophie Kroggel into fourth place, finishing with 488.8 points. Her top dive was her back 1.5 somersault pike with a 2.3-degree of difficulty, scoring 47.15 points.

“I don’t really look at the scores because it always stresses me out. I try to do my best based on what my coach is telling me. If I am behind and not where I want to be sitting, I do focus more on every little detail,” Bien said.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Bien is a West Point commit and plans to dive there. She can earn a third straight top-five finish as a senior in 2027 after taking third place as a sophomore in 2025.

Nowak earned her second consecutive fifth-place finish, continuing a strong diving tradition at Cooper after Peytton Moore won three titles in four years.

“It means a lot. I’m glad I can. I know (freshman) Megan (Vogeler) and she’s getting really good so I hope she can continue that when I leave,” Nowak said.

She led all Northern Kentucky divers after the first round with 241 points and accrued 246.05 points in the final.

Tinkler burst out of the gates in the first round, setting herself up well with a score of 47.3 on her forward 2 somersault tuck dive, which came with a 2.2-degree of difficulty. She was set up to finish as high as fourth, but her 12th dive, a forward 1.5 somersault 1 twist, was awarded just 28.6 points.

Still, Tinkler earned high praise from her fellow competitors and coaches. Ryle coach Jeff Floyd said it was the best he’d seen her dive all year.

“I’m just glad to be here with my friends for my last year. This has been amazing,” Tinkler said. “I’ve known Jeff for five years and he’s been a really compassionate coach to me and has coached me even though it’s not his job.”

She improved from a 10th-place finish at the 2025 state meet.

Nowak and Tinkler’s coach, Kristina Jenny, was named the Kentucky girls diving coach of the year, securing a sweep of the award after Simon Kenton coach Austin Hall won on Friday.

“It shows that we pride ourselves on training our kids well and focusing on technique. Making sure they have fun is ultimately the best thing,” Jenny said.

In its pursuit of the combined team title, Ryle placed two divers in the top 16 as Anna Kopser took ninth and Emmalee Albertson took 10th.

Campbell County’s Abby Schuchter rounded out the Northern Kentucky divers in the finals with a 13th-place finish.

“I was definitely surprised at how well the girls did. They came in strong and they stayed steady the whole time. I was really proud of how they stayed focused and didn’t get the jitters,” Jenny said.

Clare Herfel is Northern Kentucky’s lone state champion

The sophomore and defending 500-yard freestyle state champion had no problem defending her title, cruising to a nine-second margin of victory, touching the wall in 4:51.44.

“At the start of this season, I wanted to win the 500 freestyle, so I was really happy about that,” Herfel said.

She leads a deep freestyle squad for the Pandas that included Danaka Tucker’s third-place finish in the 500 and seventh-place finish in the 200 and Liv Wallace’s eighth-place finish in the 200. Herfel also finished third in the 200 and led Notre Dame to a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay and a runner-up finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Northern Kentucky was well-represented in the longest freestyle race. Conner’s Ella Thomas took fourth place and Highlands’ Taryn Ripley took seventh place.

“I feel like our club teams are really good. Clippers, the Y, the Marlins, they all have pretty good coaching staffs,” Tucker said.

Highlands takes combined team title, Notre Dame finishes second in girls race

In 2024 and 2025, the Ryle Raiders took home the combined team title, just another marker of how far the program has come under Floyd.

But Highlands, thanks to a third-place finish in the girls 400-yard freestyle relay compared to Ryle’s seventh-place result in the same event, overtook the Raiders to win the combined team title with 272.5 points. The Bluebirds edged out Louisville Eastern, which finished with 268 points. Ryle had 265 points.

“Boys and girls, if you look, they actually both scored in the 130s. We’re a very balanced team. We knew we were going to try and chip away at their lead because Ryle’s boys and Eastern’s boys were better than ours,” Highlands head coach Kevin Kampschmidt said.

The Highlands boys scored 139.5 points to take fourth place in that team race and set the girls up for success. While Taryn Ripley was the only individual to swim in a championship final, all three girls relays earned top-six finishes, just as the boys had done on Friday.

“I’m super proud of them. That last relay, they let it all hang out, gave it everything they had,” Kampschmidt said.

The biggest factor to point to is Ryle’s boys 400-yard freestyle relay. The Raiders entered the state championship with the No. 3 seed but faltered in the prelims and failed to make the championship final.

The Notre Dame Pandas finished as the girls team runner-up for the second straight year, scoring 236 points on Saturday night. As mentioned before, the freestyle events anchored the Pandas, but head coach Jamie Kelly knows his team is expanding its abilities.

“This year, I think we’ve kind of spread out into other events and done real well across the board,” Kelly said.

Abby Carnes took fifth place in the 200-yard individual medley and sixth place in the 100-yard backstroke. McKenna Bien scored points in the consolation final of the 100-yard butterfly.

The Pandas graduated Sadie Hartig and Ava Deegan, who contributed to last year’s runner-up finish. Kelly was just as proud of how this year’s senior class stepped up, especially in the postseason.

“They had an incredible meet and were great leaders for the team,” Kelly said.

Which Northern Kentucky girls swimmers and divers finished on the 2026 state podium?

1-meter dive: 4. Savannah Bien, Notre Dame; 5. Chris Nowak, Cooper; 6. Addie Tinkler, Highlands

200-yard medley relay: 4. Notre Dame (Abby Carnes, Reaghan Connelly, McKenna Bien, Danaka Tucker); 6. Highlands (Margaret Meyers, Taryn Ripley, Keira Kobida, Vivian Winkler); 8. Ryle (Gabriella Stephens, Lydia DiVita, Annie Lucas, Haley Yauger)

200-yard freestyle: 3. Clare Herfel, Notre Dame; 7. Danaka Tucker, Notre Dame; 8. Liv Wallace, Notre Dame

200-yard individual medley: 4. Gabriella Stephens, Ryle; 5. Abby Carnes, Notre Dame

100-yard butterfly: 6. Maddie Staley, Beechwood

500-yard freestyle: 1. Clare Herfel, Notre Dame; 3. Danaka Tucker, Notre Dame; 4. Ella Thomas, Conner; 7. Taryn Ripley, Highlands

200-yard freestyle relay: 3. Highlands (Taryn Ripley, Keira Kobida, Ella Kate Reynolds, Ragan Moore); 5. Notre Dame (McKenna Bien, Liv Wallace, Peyton Quinn, Clare Herfel)

100-yard backstroke: 6. Abby Carnes, Notre Dame; 8. Alexis Fassbender, St. Henry

100-yard breaststroke: 5. Freya Reil, Dixie Heights

400-yard freestyle relay: 2. Notre Dame (Clare Herfel, Liv Wallace, Danaka Tucker, Abby Carnes); 3. Highlands (Ragan Moore, Taryn Ripley, Ella Kate Reynolds, Keira Kobida); 7. Ryle (Lydia DiVita, Haley Yauger, Evelyn Panko, Gabrielle Stephens)

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Kentucky

Where to watch Auburn vs Kentucky today: TV channel, streaming info

Published

1 day ago

February 21, 2026

Press Room

Where to watch Auburn vs Kentucky today: TV channel, streaming info

Auburn basketball returns to Neville Arena on Saturday to face the Kentucky Wildcats. If you are wondering where to watch the action live, you have come to the right place.

Auburn basketball (14-12, 5-8 SEC) dropped its fifth-straight game on Wednesday, a 91-85 decision to Mississippi State on the road. Auburn trailed by 16 at halftime, but stormed back to take a seven-point lead with less than four minutes remaining.

Auburn head coach Steven Pearl credits his team’s slow starts in recent games as a reason for their struggles, and wants to see his team get off to a hot start on Saturday against Kentucky (17-9, 8-5).

Stream Auburn vs. Kentucky on Fubo (free trial)

“We’ve got to stop getting off to such slow starts,” Pearl said Friday. “In five of our last six games, we’ve been down 13 or more in the first half. We’re trying to figure out ways to combat that.”

Below, you will find key information for Saturday’s game between the Auburn Tigers and the Kentucky Wildcats, including a viewing guide, injury report, and projected starting lineup.

What channel is the Auburn vs Kentucky game on today? TV channel, streaming info

TV Channel: ESPN
Livestream: Fubo (free trial)

Auburn vs. Kentucky will be broadcast nationally on ESPN on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tom Hart and Jimy Dykes will call the game courtside from Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama. Streaming options include Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Auburn vs. Kentucky time today

Date: Saturday, Feb. 21
Start time: 7:30 p.m. CT

The Auburn-Kentucky game starts at 7:30 p.m. CT from Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama.

Stream Auburn vs. Kentucky on Fubo (free trial)

Auburn Tigers projected starting lineup

G Tahaad Pettiford (15.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG)
G/F Kevin Overton (12.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG)
F Keshawn Murphy (10.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG)
F Keyshawn Hall (21.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG)
F Sebastian Williams-Adams (7.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG)

Auburn vs. Kentucky injury report

Auburn Tigers: Emeka Opurum (Out)
Kentucky Wildcats: Denzel Aberdeen (Probable), Kam Williams (Out), Jaland Love (Out), Jayden Quaintance (Out)

Auburn basketball’s February schedule

Feb. 7 vs Alabama (L, 96-92)
Feb. 10 vs Vanderbilt (L, 84-76)
Feb. 14 at Arkansas (L, 88-75)
Feb. 18 at Mississippi State (L, 91-85)
Feb. 21 vs Kentucky (7:30 p.m. CT, ESPN)
Feb. 24 at Oklahoma (8 p.m. CT, ESPN 2/ESPNU)
Feb. 28 vs Ole Miss (7:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network)

RECORD: 14-12, 5-8 SEC

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on X @TaylorJones__

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