Kentucky
Rick Pitino says he has donated to Kentucky football’s NIL, would do the same for Mark Pope and basketball
For close to two decades, Rick Pitino was a villain to Kentucky basketball fans, a man whose life and career had an almost Shakespearean arc.
After leading the Wildcats from the depths of scandal to championship glory, and after an ill-fated three-year run with the Boston Celtics, Pitino stunned many nationally and angered hundreds of thousands across the commonwealth by returning to the college game to coach archrival Louisville.
Nearly 25 years after being hired at Louisville, Pitino appears eager to mend fences with Big Blue Nation — and offer them up some money, too.
REQUIRED READING: Kentucky basketball, Mark Pope will put ‘aggressive’ offense on display — and plenty of 3s
In an appearance Thursday on Kentucky Sports Radio — which was being hosted that day by the hosts of the popular podcast “Pardon My Take” — the legendary coach, now at St. John’s, said he has donated money to Kentucky football’s NIL initiatives and would happily do the same for Mark Pope and the Wildcats’ basketball program as his former player heads into his first season as Kentucky’s coach.
“Well, I actually cut a check to the football program because I’m a casual friend of Mark (Stoops) and Eddie Gran,” Pitino said. “I cut a check to the football program. I would definitely cut a check if Mark (Pope) needs me for anything no matter what it is — except for my first-born, Michael — he can have it.”
The connections to Kentucky extend beyond the basketball and football programs, as Pitino noted later in the interview that he sent a text message to Wildcats baseball coach Nick Mingione, who guided the program to its first-ever College World Series this year, wishing him good luck.
While his relationship with Stoops — whose Kentucky tenure overlapped with Pitino’s stint at Louisville for four years — wasn’t widely known, Pitino’s connections to Pope have been well-established.
He coached Pope from 1993-96, an accomplished run that included a national championship in 1996 with one of the most dominant, star-studded teams in college basketball history. Pitino gave his former center a full-throated endorsement when Pope was named as John Calipari’s successor in April, helping assuage what had been intense public angst over the hiring to that point. At that time, Pitino added that he would donate NIL funds to the program if they needed it.
“I absolutely love Mark (Pope) and would do anything for his program,” Pitino said Thursday. “I always called the University of Kentucky Camelot for me. Never had a bad year, never had a bad day. They treated me like a king.”
REQUIRED READING: Antonio Reeves rounds out Kentucky’s 2024 NBA Draft class; Justin Edwards signs with 76ers
Though Pitino, even during his time at Louisville, has long referred to Kentucky as “Camelot,” he has been much more vocal in recent months about his reverence for the program and his fond memories from his eight seasons in Lexington, from 1989-97.
In a March interview on “Pardon My Take,” Pitino expressed regret for leaving Kentucky in 1997 to become the Celtics’ head coach and president.
“Dick Vitale, every time I speak to him, ‘If you would have stayed at Kentucky, you’d have more wins than any coach,’” Pitino said. “And you think back on that.”
Pitino contrasted his treatment at Kentucky with Louisville, where he coached from 2001-17 and led the Cardinals to their third national championship, but where he was fired from in 2017 after the program was connected to the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball.
In 2023, Pitino was exonerated by the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Resolution Process, which didn’t directly link him to any of the violations that came with the Cardinals’ recruitment of former five-star prospect Brian Bowen. Still, Pitino said he would only possibly consider returning to Louisville for any kind of banner-raising or ceremony if the university reconciles with former athletic director Tom Jurich, who was also fired in October 2017 in the wake of the FBI probe.
“They treated me with great respect,” Pitino said Thursday of Kentucky. “Obviously, I didn’t get treated great when I was at Louisville, but sitting back on it and examining it today, I totally understand why. So I am very, very fond of the University of Kentucky.”
Kentucky
Ronald Exantus being transported back to Kentucky
OCALA, Fla. (WKYT) – The man convicted in the stabbing death of a 6-year-old who was arrested in Florida while serving mandatory re-entry supervision is headed back to Kentucky.
In a press conference on Tuesday that included Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, officials announced that Ronald Exantus is being transported back to Kentucky.
Ronald Exantus was charged with stabbing and killing Logan Tipton in 2015. While he was found not guilty of the child’s murder by reason of insanity, Exantus was convicted on three assault charges for stabbing other members of Logan’s family.
The court sentenced Exantus to a combined 20 years in prison.
On October 1, The Department of Corrections released Exantus on mandatory re-entry supervision, overriding the parole board’s recommendation that he complete his full sentence behind bars. Exantus chose to service his mandatory re-entry supervision in Florida.
Exantus was arrested in Marion County, Florida on October 9. In a release, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said Exantus failed to register as a felon with the sheriff’s office within 48 hours as required by law.
WKYT is working to learn more details about the situation.
This is a developing story.
Copyright 2025 WKYT. All rights reserved.
Kentucky
Andre Woodson, Mike Hartline help Cutter Boley break through at Kentucky
It hasn’t been pretty for the Kentucky Wildcats on the football field this season, but one obvious bright spot comes in the form of a 6’5″ redshirt freshman quarterback out of Hodgenville in Cutter Boley. He entered the game late vs. Ole Miss and has started every outing since with one win and four losses, but steady growth leading to a breakthrough against Tennessee this past weekend.
Boley racked up 330 yards and five touchdowns on 26-35 passing with 31 rushing yards on seven carries, hitting marks matched by only four other SEC quarterbacks in the last 30 years. Tim Couch is the only other Kentucky gunslinger to throw for at least 330 yards and five touchdowns on 74-plus percent passing in a single game.
“He’s really done a phenomenal job with his presence in the pocket, and each and every week, he’s getting more and more confident in that,” Mark Stoops said during his call-in show Monday evening. “The other thing I think he’s really doing at a high level right now is he’s been exceptional at throwing the ball with accuracy on the move. Under duress, he’s gotten way better since the first game of the year this year that he started, and then in trusting that he’s going to have some protection. …
“He’s been hanging in there when he has to hang in the pocket, but he’s escaping at times, and then he’s been remarkably accurate when he’s on the move.”
Seeing so many quarterbacks torch the Kentucky defense this year, along with coming up with game plans for all of the opposing greats to come and go over the years, Stoops is grateful to have an elite one on his sideline that others have to figure out.
“Cutter is a tough young man, and he’s getting bigger and stronger. He has a very good feel for that pocket right now. That’s been fun because, as a defensive guy, to coach a lot of defenses, that’s very aggravating when you feel like you got things matched up really well and pretty decent pressure, and you escape and make something happen.”
What if I told you not one, but two former Wildcats are helping Boley in that ongoing breakthrough?
Andre Woodson, who threw for 9,360 yards and 81 touchdowns as a two-time All-SEC selection in his four-year career in Lexington, has built a relationship with the redshirt freshman as he’s found his footing. From one in-state kid to another, the Radcliff native has been in Boley’s shoes and wants to help him live up to that superstar potential in the blue and white.
“I know Andre reached out to him and talked to him, and I appreciate that. With Andre — you know, these guys care about Kentucky. They care about how we play and want to see a guy like Cutter develop. It’s been good.”
It’s not just Woodson, though. In fact, there is a former player in that building taking Boley under his wing as a hands-on mentor — the guy who actually followed No. 3 in Lexington, suiting up from 2007-2010. Mike Hartline, who threw for 5,680 yards and 38 touchdowns during his time at Kentucky, is now an offensive quality control coach on Stoops’ staff.
What Bush Hamdan doesn’t have time for as offensive coordinator, Hartline steps in to do the heavy lifting with Boley’s development. Without him, we don’t see the current on-field success for the kid from Hodgenville.
“Another one that has made a big difference for him is Michael Hartline,” Stoops said. “I tell you, Michael does a really good job. Bush has a lot on his plate and a lot to work on, and we’re up there all hours, day and night, but a lot of times when Cutter comes in, he spends one-on-one time with Michael. He’s really done a good job, he’s been a great addition to our staff.
“It’s another UK guy that cares about this place, and I’m very impressed with him. He’s a great coach, and he’s really helped us, and he’s helped Cutter.”
Two great Kentucky quarterbacks, but can Boley be better? He’s already up to 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns with five games to go as a redshirt freshman — then three more years of eligibility.
Things are starting to stick for the kid.
Kentucky
LSU fires Brian Kelly, owes $53 million buyout
The dominoes are falling in the SEC, the latest potentially impacting Kentucky in terms of candidates should the Wildcats move on from Mark Stoops. LSU has fired head coach Brian Kelly, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, coming off the Tigers’ 49-25 loss to Texas A&M to fall to 5-3 on the season.
It’s been an all-day back-and-forth leading to the breakup Sunday night, conversations taking place earlier regarding staff changes and a potential parting of ways, Nakos ultimately reporting Kelly’s status was “in limbo” and “in flux” in Baton Rouge. Those “high-level discussions” included officials within the athletic department, executives at the university, and even Gov. Jeff Landry.
Kelly was in his fourth season at LSU after signing a 10-year, $95 million deal back in 2021. With a combined record of 34-14 and 19-10 in the SEC, including 10-win seasons in each of his first two seasons, he will be owed a $53 million buyout — the second-largest in college football history, behind only former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher.
He joins James Franklin (Penn State) and Billy Napier (Florida) as Power 4 coaches fired during the 2025 season with 12 total FBS jobs already open.
What does that mean for Kentucky, now 2-5 on the year and 0-5 in conference play coming off an embarrassing 56-34 loss to Tennessee? Lane Kiffin has been a rumored target for not only Florida, but also LSU — the latter potentially more of a threat to reel him in from Oxford. Where would the Gators go from there? Franklin and Kelly are free agents, but Louisville’s Jeff Brohm is a name that has been tossed around. Would Oregon OC Will Stein return home to coach at his alma mater as a former Card? That would take a big-time target for the Wildcats off the table. Where does Jon Sumrall fit into all of this? Does UF go after the Tulane head coach? Does he replace Kiffin at Ole Miss?
Needless to say, the coaching carousel is spinning out of control with Kentucky potentially in the market for a new leader.
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