Jasper Johnson’s Decision and the Kickoff of the NFL Season

Hello everyone! A fun day awaits us…

Let’s start with the obvious. Five-star rear Jasper Johnson will announce his college decision this afternoon. Ranked No. 11 in the 2025 cycle by the On3 Industry Rankings, Johnson will choose between Kentucky, Alabama and North Carolina. The announcement ceremony will take place at Woodford Couty High School in Versailles, KY. The event itself will begin at approximately 2:15 p.m. EST, and Johnson’s commitment will be made at approximately 2:32 p.m. EST. NOT open to the public.

And barring something crazy between now and this afternoon, Johnson is expected to pick the Wildcats. Alabama was his first Division I offer and he grew up a North Carolina fan, but the family ties to the University of Kentucky and the opportunity to play for the school he grew up next door to will be hard to turn down (the NIL money helps, too).

Recruiting has been up and down in recent months, with Johnson’s three favorites jostling for the top spot in the public eye. But head coach Marc Pape The Wildcats are in a prime position to secure his commitment. It would create a two-man recruiting class that would also include a four-star center. Malachi Morenowhich is ranked No. 25 overall.

KSR will be on scene in Woodford County to bring you all the action as it happens.

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Big recruiting week for Pope and his team

Forget the Jasper Johnson situation for a moment and this week is still a major recruiting period for Kentucky’s new staff. Since Monday, college coaches have traveled across the country to visit the homes and schools of their top recruiting targets. Pope and his colleagues included.

Kentucky coaches have already made stops this week to test the four-star SG Braylon MullinsPF five stars Caleb Wilsonand SG five stars 2026 Caleb HoltAnd yes, they went to see Johnson at Overtime Elite, alongside the 2026 four-star PG Tay KinneyThey’ll visit even more prospects today and Friday, including players like five-star PG Mikel BrownPF five stars Chris Cenac (who just scheduled an official visit to Kentucky), four-star SG Brayden Burriesand others.

Stoops’ Final Thoughts on South Carolina

Now, let’s move on to football. We’re just two nights away from Kentucky hosting South Carolina this Saturday afternoon on ABC. The Wildcats continue to be a double-digit favorite to beat the Gamecocks, who narrowly missed out on a Week 1 win over Old Dominion. A Wildcat win sets the stage for a possible victory College Game Day showdown next weekend when top-ranked Georgia comes to town.

But first, South Carolina needs to be taken care of. We’ve been hearing from players and coaches all week as they prepare for a hugely important early-season game. Yesterday, we heard from the defensive coordinator Brad Blanc and members of the Kentucky defense. Later today, we’ll hear from head coach Marc leans over as he delivers his final pre-match thoughts. As always, we’ll be posting his comments on KSR’s YouTube channel as soon as possible.

While you wait, listen to everything Coach White says, Child of Zion, Tre’vonn RybkaAnd JQ Hardaway I had something to say about this week of practice and what to expect from the Gamecocks.

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First-Ever SEC Injury Report Released

The Southeastern Conference recently instituted a new injury report A system of “availability reports” that should provide some transparency on which players are available and which are not in the league. The very first official report was published last night and Kentucky has a few players on the list, fewer than South Carolina as well.

Kentucky:

South Carolina:

• Jakai Moore | OL | Released
• Emory Floyd | DB | Doubtful
• Bangally Kamara | LB | Questionable
• David Spaulding | DB | Questionable
• Gilber Edmond | EDGE | Questionable
• Bryan Thomas Jr. | EDGE | Probably

KSR’s match of the week is at NKY

KSR’s Game of the Week moves to Northern Kentucky for the third primetime showdown of the 2024 high school football season. After stopping in Bowling Green and Lexington for the first two weeks, respectively, we head just shy of Ohio’s southern border for a Top 15 game.

This Friday we will have a sneak peek at issue 8 Cooper Jaguar (2-0) and number 13 Ryle’s Raiders (2-0). Cooper will host the game, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST. Both schools have dominated the first two weeks of the season, with Cooper winning by a combined 83-6 and Ryle by a combined 76-22.

We should see a good game under the lights tomorrow night. Even the Massey odds can’t predict a clear favorite. The computer system predicts a close 28-27 win for Cooper. KSR will be making the trip to Cooper to see teams like Austin Alexander, Cam O’Hara, Jacob Savage, Dillon Smithand more.

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Show Me Your Tents is back

And the first episode of 2024 was hilarious. Big thanks to our friends at Country Boy for their help.

KSR’s Drew Franklin scoured the Kroger Field area before the season-opening win over Southern Miss to listen to fans and let them show off their tailgating rigs. There was plenty of impressive tailgating (my favorite is the one that makes noise as people walk by like they’re on a TV show) and even more drunk college students yelling into a microphone (or megaphone, apparently?).

2024 NFL season begins TONIGHT

I hope your fantasy teams are set and ready to go wild — NFL football returns tonight. The Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs will kick off the 2024 season at 8:20 p.m. EST on NBC/Peacock. The only former Wildcat involved is quarterback Devin Learywho was drafted by the Ravens earlier this year but is not on the team’s roster.

We then get another NFL game on Friday night (Packers @ Eagles) before a full slate of games officially kicks off the season on Sunday. There are eight games on Sunday with a 1:00 PM EST kickoff. Football is in full force.

Women’s football seeks to remain undefeated

For the first time since 2012, the Kentucky women’s soccer team is 5-0-0 to start the season. They will look to continue their winning streak tonight when Murray State (3-2-1) visits the Bell Soccer Complex. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. EST on SEC Network+. Kentucky is coming off its first road win of the season, a 2-1 victory last weekend against Illinois.

Beating Murray State would move the Wildcats to 6-0-0, which hasn’t been done since the 2011 season. Current head coach Troy Fabiano has yet to win six straight games with Kentucky. UK ranks in the top 10 in the country in shots per game at 22. Something special could be brewing with this group.