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Kentucky Football Season Preview with Tom Leach · The Craig Way Show

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: On the program here on thirteen under the Zone. So
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: I just went through all of this, this deal of
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: laying out some incredibly complimentary comments for our next guest here,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: but I'm more than happy to repeat those. I said,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: if you are we were talking about the wildly popular
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Kentucky native Chris Stableton, and I said, and if you
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: go into the bluegrass, youll en Calorie.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: No.
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  Speaker 1: End of wildly popular commentary about our next guest. Tom
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Leaks to play by play voice of the Kentucky Wildcats
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: is with us. I appreciate the time and glad you
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: were able to stick with us there through the staff foos.
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: How are you, my friend?
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: I am doing well.
• 0:47
  Speaker 4: I know what happened. Yeah, we both know what happened.
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  Speaker 2: My friend Mark Stoops is trying to settle disappearance on
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: the Craig wat Show.
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: Well, i'll tell you what. You know what, the first
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: thing I was going to do.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: I was going to hop into the fact that you
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: know that that long tenure certainly that Stoops had there
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: at Kentucky and had a lot of success, and that
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: was a great game in lection last year that went
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  Speaker 1: overtime and all this kind of stuff, and we get
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: in our business, and then we'll jump to talk about
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: a guy I knew when he was the offensive coordinator
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  Speaker 1: over here Lake Travis a few years ago, your new
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  Speaker 1: head coach, Will Stein. But you bring up an interesting
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: point that we do establish these relationships with our coaches
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  Speaker 1: and work very closely with them, and then if one
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  Speaker 1: leaves for another opportunity, or one's contract is not renewed,
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  Speaker 1: or for whatever reason, if the coach doesn't return, there
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  Speaker 1: is a little bit of a sense of loss, and
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  Speaker 1: then there's some readjustment. Isn't there a time when it
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: comes to a new head coach coming in.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, and you can appreciate this, I've caught a break
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  Speaker 2: with coach Stein.
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  Speaker 4: Normally have just kind of.
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  Speaker 2: A get to know you period the new coach and
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  Speaker 2: you know, learning, you know who they can.
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  Speaker 5: Trust, who they can all that kind of stuff.
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  Speaker 2: But Will his dad played at Kentucky in the eighties,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: so he grew up coming to games with his mom
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  Speaker 2: and dad and listening to the.
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  Speaker 5: UK network, So we already had a little head.
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  Speaker 4: Start on a relationship with him. Thankfully.
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  Speaker 1: That always helps, That always makes it makes a big
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  Speaker 1: difference on that all right, So the first question was
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  Speaker 1: going to ask you is a similar question the way
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  Speaker 1: this has worked tom with when I've been doing these
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: SEC previews, I mentioned this.
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  Speaker 3: I made a point I wanted people to.
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  Speaker 1: Know that it's been by you know, just by the
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: scheduling when it worked out for the different guys to
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: be on with us. And it is a sheer coincidence
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: that after a Monday's conversation with Jeff Danceler, who of
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: course is going to take over the football played by
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: play duties for Georgia this fall, but Tuesday, Wednesday and
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: today all of our converse stations are with veteran play
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  Speaker 1: by play voices who will be working with a new
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  Speaker 1: head coach. It was Chuck Barrett with Arkansas on Tuesday,
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  Speaker 1: it was Sean Kelly with Florida yesterday, and now here's
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  Speaker 1: you with will Stein. So I'll start it by asking you,
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  Speaker 1: although there's a little more familiar ground than with regard
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: to will Stein for you and even a little bit
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: for me as opposed to say, John some Roll at
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  Speaker 1: Florida or at Arkansas with Ryan Silverfield as well, but
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  Speaker 1: what have you been able to notice just in the
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  Speaker 1: demeanor demeanor, whether it was through the spring practices and
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  Speaker 1: then and then now as fall camps are getting underway,
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  Speaker 1: any noticeable differences in what you're seeing in how Will
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: Stein is preparing to run his football program.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: You know, he's more The main thing you I think
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  Speaker 2: probably think about is he is more of a much.
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  Speaker 5: Much more of an offensive background.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: Was a quarterback as a player, and it's been an
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  Speaker 2: offensive guy and a coordinator sees come up through the
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  Speaker 2: ranks where Mark was on the defensive side and came
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  Speaker 2: to it from from you know, just an offensive guy
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  Speaker 2: and a defensive guy are a little different. I have
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  Speaker 2: not seen a lot of very much practices yet. A
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  Speaker 2: munch of the practices they just if I could Tucky
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: just started today. They're they're what they call training camp
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  Speaker 2: face and in the spring with the duties with with
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  Speaker 2: Keeman and then finishing up with basketball season and then
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  Speaker 2: they got started a little early. I did not see
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  Speaker 2: a lot of spring practice. One thing I did notice
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  Speaker 2: that he did, and you know from the beginning, Mark was, uh,
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  Speaker 2: you know, opening open and welcoming of.
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  Speaker 4: Former players and all that.
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  Speaker 2: But Will is I think actively sought them out. And
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  Speaker 2: maybe it's because it's you guys that he grew up watching.
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  Speaker 2: So you see a lot of these former players, Tim Couch,
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  Speaker 2: Derrek Abney, these guys showing up at practices and Will
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  Speaker 2: will have them talk to the team. So he's very
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: much trying to connect his current players, even this in
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  Speaker 2: il Ah and all the transfer the transfers that go on,
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  Speaker 2: trying to connect them with famous players from Kentucky's past
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  Speaker 2: that did great things.
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  Speaker 1: Well, you brought up, and I thought it was a
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  Speaker 1: very good point when you're talking about the offensive direction
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  Speaker 1: of the deal, because everywhere else that Will has been
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  Speaker 1: be at UTSA obviously most recently in Oregon. And then
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  Speaker 1: I said, when he was the offensive coordinator on one
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  Speaker 1: of the most prolific high school football programs in the
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  Speaker 1: state of Texas right here in Town Lake Travis where
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  Speaker 1: Baker Mayfield win and several other Garrett Wilson with the Jets,
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  Speaker 1: all of these different players that had come through this
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  Speaker 1: incredible offense and their head coach ain't Carter more defensive minded.
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  Speaker 3: And so when Will was here, the offense.
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  Speaker 1: Was left to his devices to try to tinker with
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  Speaker 1: and get better, and they did, and it made him very,
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  Speaker 1: very successful, and he was able to parlay that, obviously
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  Speaker 1: into what he's done at the collegiate level. Is what
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  Speaker 1: is it correct accurate sake to say that Will is
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  Speaker 1: one of those offensive minds savants the way we've heard
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  Speaker 1: Steve Sarkisian you know now and several other guys, you know,
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  Speaker 1: Garrett Lincoln, Riley, several of the other coaches who were
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: head coaches on the national scene. As this guy steps
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: into his first head coaching collegiate job.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, no, I think that's definitely true.
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  Speaker 2: Now, I had the healthy respect for the importance of
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  Speaker 2: the other side of the ball because he played for arguably,
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  Speaker 2: year in and year out, the best program here in
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  Speaker 2: Kentucky and Trinity High School, and so they're a program
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  Speaker 2: that's you know, built on you know, those old time
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  Speaker 2: football fundamentals of defense and physicality and running the ball.
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  Speaker 2: So between playing there for coaches at Trinity High School
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  Speaker 2: and then coming up at U of L as a
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  Speaker 2: walk on quarterback under Charlie Strong, who was a great
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  Speaker 2: defensive mind, there's has been for a long time. You know,
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  Speaker 2: he's been around guys that you know, value defense, and
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  Speaker 2: so he does. But you know, he's a former quarterback.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: You know, those those guys think offensively, and you know,
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  Speaker 2: I think their mine's always kind of working on you know,
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  Speaker 2: what's what's new in the game, what can they learn.
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  Speaker 2: He hired Joe Sloan as his offensive coordinator, who had
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  Speaker 2: been at LSU, and you know, he said they used
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  Speaker 2: to to talk in the you know, in the off
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  Speaker 2: season or at coaches gatherings, just talking offense. Offensive guys,
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  Speaker 2: I think especially like to pick each other's brains. And
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  Speaker 2: it was like that when I was first starting here,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, coach Mummy and Mike Leach were here,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, those guys with that offensive mindset love
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  Speaker 2: to talk offense.
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  Speaker 1: Visiting with Tom Leake's played by play voice of the
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  Speaker 1: Kentucky Wildcats here on thirteen hundred the Zone. Since we're
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: talking about quarterbacks last year, when the long Ones had
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  Speaker 1: that overtime game there in lectioning in the heck of
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: a football game that that went down there, and that
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  Speaker 1: sixteen thirteen ball game, Cutter Bowley gave a lot of
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: trouble and then of course Bully ended up transferring the
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: Arizona State. But Kenny Minschie was a guy with some
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  Speaker 1: quarterback experience. Is he the guy who's kind of in
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  Speaker 1: the lead to be the starter in this first season
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  Speaker 1: under coach Stein.
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  Speaker 2: Most definitely, there's not any question about who QB one
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  Speaker 2: is never started a game. But it was a similar
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  Speaker 2: situation with Will Levis when coach Doops was trying to
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  Speaker 2: upgrade his offense and he hired Liam Cohen out of
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  Speaker 2: the NFL and Liam found this guy who was a
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  Speaker 2: talented quarterback who was just buried behind another player at
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  Speaker 2: Penn State and brought Will Levis to Kentucky and it
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  Speaker 2: really worked, and so different staff hoping it plays out
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  Speaker 2: in the same way, and that Kenny Minshee, by all
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  Speaker 2: accounts of people I've talked to a Notre Dame, took
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  Speaker 2: it right down to the wire with Carr last year,
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  Speaker 2: and they were would have been very confident in going
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  Speaker 2: with Minshee, but he just a close runner up. And
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  Speaker 2: so now he's been around college football for three years,
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  Speaker 2: but this is his chance to get the keys to
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  Speaker 2: the car. And he had committed to Nebraska, but once
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  Speaker 2: he got the chance to come and play for Will
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  Speaker 2: Stein and Joe Sloan, with their reputations of what they've
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  Speaker 2: done with quarterbacks, he seized on that opportunity. So he
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  Speaker 2: is most definitely the guy, and now it's up to
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  Speaker 2: him to take it and run with it.
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  Speaker 1: I want to ask about a couple of other transfers
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  Speaker 1: on the offensive side. One is Nick Anderson, wide receiver
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  Speaker 1: who when he played at Oklahoma cous Texas problems even
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: as the long Wrens have been successful three of the
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: last four years against Ou, but the one they lost,
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  Speaker 1: Anderson was a big factor. The other is the name
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  Speaker 1: we know well, Cedric Baxter Junior, CJ. Great guy, and
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  Speaker 1: there was a a stable of backs here and CJ
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  Speaker 1: saw an opportunity there and transferred that.
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  Speaker 3: How about what you know so far of CJ.
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  Speaker 1: Baxter and also Nick Anderson, there is transfers on the
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  Speaker 1: offensive side.
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  Speaker 2: At the Preseas. In news conference media Day earlier this week,
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  Speaker 2: coach uh Stein said that Nick was going to be
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: a little late getting started just way. He didn't get
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  Speaker 2: into specifics about what it was, but I think there's
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  Speaker 2: just a little some kind of physical issue of some
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  Speaker 2: type that they expect him to be in the mix
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  Speaker 2: here very soon.
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  Speaker 5: Practices of us had just started today and then uh.
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  Speaker 2: I talked to c J. Baxter at media day and
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  Speaker 2: he said he's one hundred percent good to go, and
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  Speaker 2: you know, he the the you know, number one slot
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  Speaker 2: and running back is is there for him to take
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  Speaker 2: if he takes the opportunity, takes advantage of the opportunity.
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  Speaker 2: He did not go through a spring ball and they
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: were uh, and they knew what they had and just
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  Speaker 2: wanted to make sure that they got him the fall
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: camp and to the start of the season. And so
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: he said he's one hundred percent healthy. So uh, we're
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: looking forward to seeing what he does uh with his opportunity.
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: And Anderson Stein has built an outstanding offensive lines. Yes
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: Sports ranked them third best in the country. That would
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: be quite a new level back to some of the glory.
• 11:14
  Speaker 5: Days of coach Stoop's term in that area.
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: With what they termed the big Blue Wall here. If
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: they're that good, then they feel very good about the
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  Speaker 2: O line. They have an All FDC candidate at tight
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  Speaker 2: end and Willie Rodriguez in his third year. But the
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  Speaker 2: wide receiver room there's I think I think the feeling
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: is there's a lot of talent there, but they're waiting
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: for you somebody to demand to be the guy with
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: his play in practice and then when the games starts.
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  Speaker 2: So I think there's talent in the wide receiver room,
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: but there's not a defined pecking order yet and with
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  Speaker 2: Anderson being you know, a step late, maybe out of
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: the gate to start fall, that gives other guys even
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  Speaker 2: more of an opportunity. So we'll see how that one
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  Speaker 2: plays out.
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  Speaker 4: CJ.
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  Speaker 2: I think is the guy to start with it running
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: back when he's healthy, and he.
• 12:03
  Speaker 4: Says he is.
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  Speaker 1: I got to ask you about this schedule because one
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  Speaker 1: thing they've talked about teams that play in this day
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: and age now with the nine conference games, teams that
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: play a traditional rival at the end of the regular
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: season a non conference game. We were talking about that
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: with Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida Florida State obviously the same
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: as the Cats having to play Louisville on Thanksgiving weekend.
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  Speaker 1: The other two it is like you only have two
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: weeks of non conference play to get in gear. In
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: the case of Kentucky you got one, you got Youngstown State,
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: and oh Alabama comes to town on that followed by
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: a road trip to College Station before the next non
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: conference game against South Alabama. So I get the feeling
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  Speaker 1: there's that sense of urgency there to try to make
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  Speaker 1: sure that the guys are ramped up and ready to go,
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: because yes, the Youngstown State Penguins are the opener, but
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: the Alabama Crimson Tide a week two.
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  Speaker 5: Yes, and you know, Kentucky is looking to this new.
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: Staff, and you know they are certainly looking to be
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: as good as they can be in year one. But
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: I think, uh, certainly understand that it's going to get better.
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  Speaker 2: The way that they're recruiting their their talent based so.
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  Speaker 4: The way you even you know.
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: Improve that talent procurement is to pull off an upset.
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: And certainly it's like the line from the Herbs Brooks
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: character played by Kurt Russell and miracle, great moments are
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: born from great opportunity, and they.
• 13:33
  Speaker 5: Have great opportunity for sure, this.
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: Lead, no doubt about it.
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: These time leads play by play voice in the Kentucky Wildcats, Tom,
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: I know we don't see each other in the regular season. Hey,
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: maybe both teams get on the run and meeting in
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Otherwise, Uh, I know, I'll
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: see when you come down here to Lostin for basketball,
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: So we're looking forward to that as well. And then
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: in basketball obviously a much anticipated pastime there in the Commonwealth.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: I appreciate you taking the time and We'll look forward
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: to seeing you down the road.
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: Thank you for joining us.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: Look forward to getting back down to Austin. And best
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: of luck to the Longhorns this season and do coach
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: stops and hope, but they have a since they don't
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: play the Cats, they.
• 14:16
  Speaker 4: Can win all their games. That's true.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: There you go, Hey, thanks, appreciate it all right. That
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: is the play by play voice of the Kentucky Wildcats,
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: and that's time.