Kentucky
Kentucky’s defensive front shows off depth in win over Toledo
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops told us that the strength of Kentucky’s team would be the team in 2025. Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White told us that the defense was going to lean into its depth more than it had in the past.
That all played out in the Week 1 win over Toledo.
UK’s defense controlled the game and kept Toledo out of the endzone until the fourth quarter. While the game was very much still in the balance early, the Cats found a way to make some key plays in high-leverage moments. Players you wouldn’t think of a top contributors stepped up in some key moments.
Kentucky showed off its defensive depth on Saturday at Kroger Field. KSR is taking a look at the three biggest plays from Saturday’s slugfest.
Sam Greene’s bull rush creates a big takeaway
Kentucky had a big need to fill at EDGE in the offseason. USC transfer Sam Greene became the program’s first addition from the transfer portal in December. The redshirt sophomore earned playing time last year in the Big Ten and flashed as a physical player who run with power and could be a real asset against the run. The pass rush needed development, but Green showed the ability to impact the game with a bull rush.
That showed up in the first game of the season. Greene’s pass rush win in the first quarter helped lead to the first takeaway of the season.
On a second-and-10, Greene gets under the pads of Toledo right tackle Cole Rhett and drives the second-year starter back into quarterback Tucker Gleason‘s lap. There isn’t any contact made with the quarterback but the pressure likely has something to do with the inaccurate throw. Veteran cornerback JQ Hardaway beats Toledo wide receiver Trayvon Rudolph to the spot for the game’s first big play.
Kentucky would take a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game just seven plays later. A young player not known for his pass rush helped flip this football game early.
Steven Soles Jr. helps create quick change stop
Following a goal-to-go stop by the Kentucky defense, Zach Calzada and the Kentucky offense took possession of the ball at their own two with 13:13 left in the second quarter. The Cats held a 7-0 lead just before disaster struck.
Calzada took a safety on a poor RPO read and gave the football right back to Toledo’s offense just one play after an 11-play drive by the Rockets. The road team had some real momentum for the first time in this football game after that play.
Kentucky’s defense quickly bowed up.
The Cats quickly forced a third-and-eight before sophomore Steven Soles Jr. produced his splash big play of the season.
The undersized outside linebacker beats Cole Rhett with an outside rush move where an inside shoulder dip helps Soles turn the corner. Once he’s at the top of the rush, Soles is able to get his hand on Tucker Gleason’s throwing arm and dislodges the football. Kentucky is unable to pounce on the loose ball, but this pass rush win creates a quick win for the defense when Toledo had a chance to flip the game.
Kentucky’s backup outside linebacker came up big on a huge third down.
Tavion Gadson creates a turnover on downs
Just one possession after taking a safety, Zach Calzada connected with tight end Willie Rodriguez for a 23-yard gain on second-and-seven to set up the Kentucky offense just outside the red zone. Unfortunately for the Cats, Toledo star safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren punched the football out and gave the Rockets the football back.
Toledo quickly advanced the football to midfield following a 13-yard completion from Tucker Gleason to tailback Chip Trayanum. Head coach Jason Candle would call the former Kentucky running back’s number again on fourth-and-short a few plays later.
Kentucky bowed up again. Backup defensive lineman Tavion Gadson shows up in a big moment.
The redshirt sophomore shoots the gap to replace the pulling right guard and fights through the center’s block. Sam Greene does a good job of knocking the playside tight end back at the same time. The lead fullback gets caught in no man’s land while Gadson strains to finish the play. That effort leads to a tackle for loss that gets the defense off the field.
Kentucky would add three points on the very next possession to take an eight-point lead. The Cats would never lead by less than eight for the rest of the game. Gadson’s effort play is a big reason why UK was able to keep Toledo at arm’s length.
We saw the defensive depth show up in big moments on Saturday. Sam Greene, Steven Soles Jr., and Tavion Gadson are each players with three years of eligibility remaining who will have key roles this season and in the future for this defense. Each looked the part on Saturday.
Kentucky
Fayette County school board chair, KEA sue to block Kentucky law that would oust current members
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Fayette County Board of Education Chair Tyler Murphy and the Kentucky Education Association have filed a lawsuit challenging a newly enacted Kentucky law that would overhaul the governance structure of Fayette County Public Schools and force all current board members out of office at the end of 2026.
The lawsuit names the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Fayette County Board of Elections and Fayette County election officials as defendants.
At the center of the legal challenge is Senate Bill 4, which lawmakers passed over Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto earlier this year.
Under the law, the seven-member Fayette County Board of Education would be reduced to five district-based seats, the lawsuit reads. The terms of all current board members would end Dec. 31, 2026, and new elections would be held for the restructured board.
The lawsuit argues the law is unconstitutional and asks the court to block its implementation, including any election-related actions tied to the measure.
Court filings contend the legislation unlawfully targets a single school district and interferes with the terms of duly elected local officials. Plaintiffs also argue the law violates provisions of the Kentucky Constitution governing local elections and public officeholders.
Attorneys included exhibits detailing criticism of Murphy and Fayette County Public Schools leadership from state lawmakers, including a petition seeking Murphy’s removal and a letter from state Sen. Chris McDaniel calling for the resignations of Murphy and Superintendent Demetrus Liggins.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the law is invalid and requests expedited review from the court due to upcoming election deadlines.
No hearing date had been announced as of Wednesday.
The lawsuit comes as Fayette County Public Schools continues to face scrutiny over budgeting decisions, district spending and governance issues that have drawn attention from state lawmakers over the past year.
In a statement, Representative Matt Lockett criticized Murphy as he highlighted what he stated are district failures under Murphy.
“This lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to distract from the disaster that Fayette County Public Schools is under Tyler Murphy’s leadership as board chair. Under his watch, the district has spiraled into a financial crisis so severe that it is now seeking to borrow up to $110 million simply to keep the lights on and make it through the school year. Students have been failed. Families have been failed. Teachers and staff have been failed. Taxpayers have been failed. And the Lexington community has been left paying the price for years of mismanagement and poor oversight.
Rather than taking responsibility for the district’s financial failures and focusing on what is best for students, he has chosen to file a lawsuit challenging a law that was duly passed by the General Assembly and enacted through the constitutional process. He may be emboldened by recent rulings by activist judges, but there are no legitimate grounds for overturning a duly enacted statute simply because you can’t do the right thing by this community. The General Assembly has both the authority and the responsibility to establish standards for public offices and governance structures across the Commonwealth.
At a time when Fayette County schools are facing unprecedented financial turmoil, the focus should be on accountability, transparency, and fixing the problems that have brought the district to this point. The only filing Fayette County taxpayers should be expecting from Mr. Murphy is his resignation.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has been causing fear around the world, and a Lexington doctor is preparing in the event a case is found in Kentucky.
According to the CDC, there have been 49 deaths and over 300 confirmed cases across the two countries, with more suspected cases still being investigated.
UK Healthcare is working to become a Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center through the National Special Pathogen System, which would allow the facility to treat Ebola patients in-house.
Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels, an infectious disease physician at UK Healthcare, said the current outbreak is serious, but Kentucky residents are not at significant risk.
“Ebola scares people just because of the mortality, the death rate, associated with it and some of the long term consequences when you do survive. Fortunately, the strain that we’re seeing in Eastern (Democratic Republic of Congo) is thought to be not as deadly, but either way it’s a very serious disease. It carries a lot of stigma and fear,” Van Sickels said.
Here in Kentucky, however, is a very safe environment, Dr. Van Sickels said.
Currently, Dr. Van Sickels says UK Healthcare operates as an assessment hospital, meaning it can evaluate patients with symptoms who have traveled to regions with active outbreaks, coordinate testing with the state, and transfer patients to higher-level care centers if needed.
Once the Level 2 designation is complete, UK Healthcare will be the only facility in Kentucky with that capability.
“We’re the only facility in Kentucky that is able to have a level 2 designation once we finish this grant award and get approved,” Dr. Van Sickels said.
In January 2026, UK Healthcare received a grant from the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC), the governing body of the National Special Pathogen System.
“It’s approximately half a million dollars to transform our institution,” Van Sickels said.
The funding has been used to run simulation drills in coordination with Lexington Fire, EMS, and the state health department. The grant also enabled UK Healthcare to upgrade its protective outerwear, with all seam points covered to provide additional protection. Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids.
During a recent site visit and simulation, evaluators identified vulnerabilities in the facility’s previous protective suits.
“When we had our site visit and had our stimulation, for example, they said that the seams that we had on our old suits, you could pull and stretch, and that they were rather porous,” Van Sickels said.
Van Sickels had been working on the preparedness project since the beginning of the year.
Citing lessons learned from the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which spread to the U.S. and resulted in 4 cases and 1 death.
“Ebola 2014 taught a lot of hospitals in the US about high consequence infections, established what is now NETEC, the educating body for our country, uh, about high consequence pathogens,” Van Sickels said.
“We’re constantly wanting to push preparedness, uh, because that is the key to success in evading further outbreaks,” Van Sickels said.
UK Healthcare expects to complete its Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center designation by the end of summer.
The Kentucky Wildcats have had some fits with West Virginia over the past few days, as the baseball team was sent home by the Mountaineers on Monday night. Now, they have flipped a Wildcat commit.
Bryian Duncan Jr., a Cario, Georgia native, committed to the Wildcats in March and has now flipped to West Virginia. The 3-star running back had a recent visit to Morgantown, then announced his commitment to the Mountaineers.
Duncan, a 5-foot-9 player who can play out wide and at running back, is the No. 60-ranked ATH in the nation and the No. 89 player in Georgia, according to 247 Sports. He’ll play in the Big 12 with the Mountaineers, giving himself a good opportunity to become a true gadget guy with legit speed.
This isn’t a big disappointment for the Wildcats, as they’ll collect nearly 10 commitments as the summer rolls on and already have a pretty loaded RB room for the class of 2027. Kelsey Gerald and Mason Ball are two tailbacks who have already pledged their commitment to the program.
Head coach Will Stein and Co. have been stellar on the recruiting trail as they have the 13th-best class overall and the fourth-ranked class in the SEC, according to 247 Sports. Expect the Cats to pick up a few more commits here soon and rise in the rankings.
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