Latest / CBN Sports 1-ON-1 / EP.17 Kentucky's QB Kenny Minchey - A Second Chance to Lead
Transcript
- CBNS0017 Kenny Minchey : Welcome to CBN Sports One on One, where you'll hear exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in sports right here on the CBN Sports Podcast Network. I'm your host, Will Dawson. If you're like most of us and you love sports, but you're tired of the dark side of sports culture, be focused athletes, or even organizations that bow to an unbiblical belief system, we think you're gonna love this podcast. There's no yelling, no sensationalism. Just great conversations with athletes and coaches who recognize that their purpose is bigger than their sport. But one of the most surprising teams in college football this season is the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky's led by Notre Dame transfer quarterback Kenny Menshew. Now, Kenny left Notre Dame after nearly winning the starting quarterback role over Heisman Hopeful CJ Carr. As you'll hear in this interview, Kenny also talks about living a double life as a college freshman. And how he says God told him to come to Kentucky. Let's jump right in. Let's talk about growing up. Were you raised in a in a home that you would go to church on a weekly basis? I actually wasn't. it wasn't you know, it's Sunday we're going to church. it was more so me and my mom would go occasionally with my grandma on Easter or weekends around Christmas. so that was kind of how I was, you know, raised in terms of going to church. So it was, you know, a little bit more of a minute part of my life. And then in middle school I got invited by one of my friends to go to to go to Wednesday night church, which, you know, a few of my friends started going to who were a little bit older than me. So that was my first kind of like I wanna go to church. which was great. I feel like I learned a lot. I learned everything. I mean, that was a little bit older than when I was a child going to church and it was, you know, the A B Cs of of the faith. But started to learn more about Jesus and I felt convicted and actually got baptized when I was twelve at that church, which is a non denominational church five minutes from my house in Hendersonville. so I got baptized there. and then towards the end of middle school I started to go to a a Baptist church right down the street. with other friends on Wednesday nights. And so that was great experience. and then throughout high school it was kind of similar to how I grew up in terms of occasionally going. Mm-hmm. we'd go on some weekends as a family sporadically and then on the, you know, different holidays around the year, we would go or if certain family was in town we would go. and then in college was whenever my sh faith shifted, I would say. in terms of my my like commitment and then just basically like the Lord calling me my sophomore year and different people around the campus at Notre Dame definitely had a big part to do with that in terms of the different clubs or meetings I would go to or having one on one meetings with my mentor there. So I think that definitely helped shift my faith. And then coming here, there's also obviously great people on campus here who also helped me out. So It's been great. That's cool. And you strike me as somebody who's really smart, intelligent, probably a rule follower to some extent. When you were were in high school, you just wanted to be a good good kid and stay out of trouble. Do you think that that's does that sound like you? For sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Try to be a good kid. try to set the example as best I could. you know, obviously being in high school, just being around friends. Obviously you can do some quote unquote not so good things. But now for the most part it was you know, me and my friends are just doing some sort of sports activities outside or going to movies, just hanging out. So it's good to Yeah. We sit down with professional athletes, all throughout the year, stars and a lot of them say it wasn't real until and I heard that come from you as well when you got to college your sophomore year. What were the circumstances around that that it became real to you? My freshman year of college, I would say I was kind of basically living for the world. And Living for the world, but then also going to Bible study with people on the team or going to church with my teammates or meeting with different people on campus. And I think it felt like I was living some sort of double life or serving two masters and I didn't want any part with that. And so my sophomore year is when I truly felt convicted. and that was kind of the shift for me. What has changed for Kenny Minchie? prior to sophomore season and after. Like what does it practically look like for you to follow Jesus in your life? For sure. I would say the number one thing is just like confidence, peace, just walking around every day knowing that you know, the Lord's on my side and I'm forgiven so I can walk freely and I don't have I don't have too much to worry about really and you know, everything's gonna be all right. So the documentary Here Come the Irish Marcus Freeman sits you down, says that you're not gonna be the starter, right? What does that do to you during that time? as a football player and then also as someone who has faced adversity, but as a believer you have to handle that differently. Truthfully, I think the day after hearing that news, when I first heard it, I think I was still kinda in shock. and then the day after, still having to come into the facility and see my teammates and know that, you know, It wasn't the outcome that I wanted. That was definitely definitely a hard time for me. yeah, I just remember, you know, not really wanting to, you know, show up that day. But I think, you know, the next day, that upcoming week, heading into the season and throughout the rest of the season, it was just kinda a shift of definitely a lot of prayer, talking to the Lord and just knowing that like the Lord doesn't make mistakes and I'm exactly where I need to be. And for whatever reason this happened that I don't know why I did, that it's gonna work out for good and it happened for a reason and I'm just gonna show up every day and be faithful. So that was the sort of mindset that I took throughout the season, which I think looking back on it now I'm very thankful that I did and I didn't, you know, turn a cold shoulder towards anybody in the locker room or the coaching staff or definitely to towards the Lord. So it's worked out pretty well thus far. and you had no idea what it would be like as you're planning to come to Kentucky, what were some of the thought processes in your head? I mean, is that something that you you prayed about? I know that you had committed to Nebraska first, right? And then you decided to come to Kentucky. What were what were the thought processes? What were some of the prayers as you were considering that? Yeah, I would say just praying to the Lord in terms of I don't know where I I don't know what I'm doing right now. 'cause it was obviously very different situation that I'd been in, being out of school and having a transfer and basically uplift my life and move somewhere else. So I had no idea what I was doing. so just asking guidance from him, asking peace of mind, and then asking guidance from my family, 'cause my parents definitely had a big part to do with conversations with me, conversations with coaches, in terms of where I, you know, wanted to basically transfer to and go to school. So Definitely playing for guidance. So yeah, I I gotta talk about the big win over Texas A and I thought for sure that you guys were gonna beat Alabama. At least it it looked that way up until after halftime, third quarter, late third quarter. but it really looks to you now looking back, like this really was a door that God has opened for you. And still there's a lot of season to go. How thankful are you to him that he's given you this opportunity? Obviously, I didn't know where I was gonna go. when I was in the portal and Like you said, I had committed to Nebraska and I think the Lord was telling me to come here, in terms of, you know, making the decision to, you know, not go there and come here. So I guess all thanks to him for sure. and then also, like you said, just a great opportunity. and looking back now, you know, in December and January to everything that's playing out how it is. I think it's obviously working out exactly how it's supposed to. Like you said, Alabama game did not, you know, finish how we wanted to. but I think it's definitely a a great learning moment. And just, you know, the Lord allowed us to go out and have victory the next weekend. you know, in life, you know, it doesn't always, you know, come that quick or things don't turn around that quick, but it's definitely great to be able to experience that and do that in a different atmosphere. So that's great. In your s even in yourself, when you think about identity and what it is to be a football player, but then also being a football player who has this faith in God, what is your identity now, compared to what it used to be when you were growing up? I think growing up, especially in high school, when I I would not say I was deeply rooted in my faith. I think my identity was if you asked me, I would have said my identity was in Christ. but I think my identity was in just being a football player. you know, basically thinking that I was invincible and, you know, I'm gonna do this for the rest of my life. And you know, this is the only thing I care about 'cause it really it was the only thing I was putting time into. Cause long days, long training days, long practices, but I think that definitely switched, whenever I you know, started to seek the Lord more, just in terms of my like you said, my identity, knowing that I can do something, but not placing my faith in that 'cause if you do whatever that may be. For me it's football. For anybody else it may be their job or money or whatever it might be. placing our faith in anything in the world, it will it will fall, it will crumble. And the only thing that's strong is the Lord. So being able to switch my identity in in Christ, something that's a rock, definitely shifted kind of what I was talking about earlier. just having peace of mind and knowing that, you know, everything's gonna be okay. 'Cause if my identity was in football than transferring schools last year would have, you know, potentially broken me or for example, losing Talabama would have, you know, been very detrimental. Not that it wasn't, not that I, you know, don't want to win football games, because that's great and I'm a competitive person, but I know that no matter how I play on the field, whether it be good or bad, that doesn't define me. And more so in the bad parts, not allowing that to You know, bring my bring my spirit down. I love that answer. Within the last three years, I I sat down with Bo Nicks, much like we're doing right here when he was at Oregon. Sat down with Ty Simpson just a couple of years ago when he was at Alabama and I asked him this question What do you want to accomplish while you're still in college? And then what do you hope to accom accomplish afterwards? And I know you still have two years of eligibility, but who knows, right? Who knows what what God has for you. What is what is your focus? My focus right now is beating South Alabama. But That's a good answer. Yeah, it is, truly. I think everybody in the facilities focuses that. But but yeah, I would say obviously just having a a great year. I try not to look into the future too much. I try to worry about really just today and and this week. Yeah, ever since I was a kid, obviously the dream is to play in the NFL. So that is Obviously a a lifelong goal of mine, but I can't say that that's on my on my mind right now in terms of what I want to accomplish this year. But you know, playing at the NFL has definitely been a dream mine since was a kid. What does your relationship with Jesus mean to you? Who is he to you? Yeah, my relationship with Jesus feels like a a friend, someone I can lean on, someone I can, you know, thankfully talk to whenever I want to, whether it be at home or I'm in the car or in the facility, good times or bad times, someone I can lean on, being able to open open the Bible and be able to read his truth, the words that he's spoken, especially if it's, you know, words that when he talks about his followers, people like me, where if I'm going through a rough time or maybe I have some sort of false look outlook on myself or false identity about myself, knowing I can look and See that he's calling me a son. He's calling me that that I was made in his image and and to know that whatever some sort of negative outlook I have on myself, that's not what that's not what he said. And I would rather trust him. Kenny could have let getting benched at Notre Dame make him bitter, but instead he turned that adversity into opportunity, transferring to Kentucky, where now he's helped breathe new life into a Kentucky football program. That it only won a total of nine games in two years. I love how Kenny said the biggest difference is confidence and peace that he now has through his faith in Christ. That no matter what happens on the field, that the unchangeable truth is that he belongs to Jesus. That kind of confidence frees you up to live the life you know God has given you, the life that you were meant to live. We wish Kenny the best, and personally, As a Kentucky Alam, I'm extra excited about this football team and having a leader like Kenny Minchie. Well, if you enjoyed this podcast, please follow us and also check out our weekly sports show with guests, the other podcasts that we do called Fuel the Fire with Will Dawson. You can catch this podcast on YouTube, and we have feature stories with athletes as well as video shorts we think you're gonna enjoy. And we're on social media. On Instagram, we're at CBN Sports underscore. Just search for us on Facebook, XMP. TikTok. And until next time, we go one-on-one. We'll see you then.