2025-08-01- KSR - Hour 1

It's UK Football Media Days as Mark Stoops and Mitch Barnhart join the show.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington. Welcomes Jeff Allen and his
clean Comedy show July thirty first through August second. Then
from Kill Tony and Bad Friends, catch Jesse jets Ke
Johnson August seventh through the ninth and don't miss Lexington
Favorite Miss Pat August fifteenth and sixteenth. Per shows are
sure to sell out. Four tickets to all Comedy Off

(00:20):
Broadway shows call E five nine two seven one joke
or visit Comedy Off Broadway, dot com.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Comedy Off Broway.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

Speaker 4 (00:33):
Now here's Matt Jones.

Speaker 5 (00:35):
Welcome everyone. It is Kentucky Sports Radio, Friday August the
first time Matt Jones here at UK Football Media Day
in Lexington, Kentucky. An overcast day by a day where
we will have lots of guests on for throughout the
two hours. If you're a UK sports fan, this is
not gonna be a whole lot of non sports today,

(00:57):
maybe a little bit. This is the UK Football Day.
Clark's popping up full lines eight five nine twenty two
eighty seven. A vision Auto glass text machine is seven
seven two seven seven four five two five four in
this dish sponsored by the t J Smith officer called
TJ He'll make them pay. UK Football Media Day. I
missed this last year. Yes, so I haven't been in
this stadium. I didn't go to a home game last year.

(01:19):
I watched him at home, so I haven't been in
the stadium in like two years. And uh, kind of
nice to be back. It's it's you know, the players
are out on the field. I don't know any of them,
but it's good to see them. And we are gonna
have a big day. We will have Mark Stoops, Zach Calzada,
Aiden Leros, Uh, what's the big guy's name. We're gonna Pete.

(01:41):
She has Pete. She has Pete. The largest human that
has ever walked though, is a monster. I mean that's
the biggest person. Dion Walker's like, okay, dude, leave me alone.
And uh and then bush Hamden Yes, and I've asked
for Mitch Barnhardt and have not gotten an answer, so
we'll see about that. Guys. Nice to be out here again,
isn't it.

Speaker 6 (02:01):
There's a feeling that you get when you walk into
the stadium like this that you just like it excites you.
This is Mariles first ever time on the field, on
this field. He was walking and walked into the candy store.

Speaker 5 (02:12):
Did you not bring him last year? Ron wasn't here
last year? Was oh okay, where were you? Yeah? You
all break the uh don't leave at the same time.
Where where'd you go?

Speaker 6 (02:20):
I had a medical thing that day?

Speaker 5 (02:22):
Okay?

Speaker 7 (02:22):
Oh yeah, all right, Well I hope you're okay. I
got trouble last year. We're talking to Stoops. You got
in trouble.

Speaker 5 (02:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (02:28):
He came up, pulled out the chair I was on
the air, said you want to talk, and I said,
of course, but I didn't go through the proper channels.

Speaker 5 (02:34):
You gotta go through proper channels. You got it, and
you didn't do that. What a rebel. Well we are here, listen.
I would normally start with that insane Reds game yesterday,
but I'm not gonna do it because since we're at football.
Maybe I'll bring it up later. But Shannon, I will say,
when I give you tickets, craziest games in the world, right.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
Right, yeah, I mean the cycle that Ellie hit a
couple of years ago, and then last night that was
the wildest.

Speaker 5 (02:55):
Game, unbelievable, Shannon. If Shannon is in the ballpark expecting
sane things happened. But we are here, all right, So
first impression, So we're gonna actually probably break early so
that we can have stoopids as much as possible. Early impressions.
Number one, Ryan, I don't know these people. I was
looking around and I'm like, I don't recognize any of
these players.

Speaker 6 (03:16):
But that makes sense. It's a new team, right, yeah,
over fifty new players. I pointed out trying to find
Zach Calsaona. First I've ever seen him in person. Number five.
I saw Quizinberry, the kid from Boyle County. He was
out here wallago. So I see some familiar names, familiar faces,
but most of the guys I'm like, you no idea this.

Speaker 5 (03:32):
And even when I look at this roster. First of all,
a lot of people. You're seeing the expansion of the
rosters due to the scholarship increase. One hundred and twenty
people on the rosters. There's a lot of people on
here where it's like, WHOA, that's a lot. That's just
a ton of human beings on the team. It is
a lot of them out here.

Speaker 7 (03:51):
I came to the whatever they called it a few
weeks ago where they just played without two an touch
and their.

Speaker 5 (03:57):
Meeting great people here whatever it was.

Speaker 7 (03:59):
So I've seen them in person, but haven't been able
to do many interviews or haven't heard a lot of stoops.
A lot of the stuff gets scheduled while we're on
the air. So I'm excited Mitch Barnhart is talking right now.
I'll get to that in just a second. The other
the second biggest thing is how big the Pete guy is?
Where did they find that person?

Speaker 5 (04:14):
New Mexico? He's our offensive lineman, right, he's a tackle
be good. First of all, Shandon, you should see this person.
He's the He looks like the Empire State.

Speaker 3 (04:23):
Building, bigger than to deem at Ov w uh well,
not as wide as Kadeem, but maybe t taller.

Speaker 5 (04:29):
Wow. I mean, I think he's taller than the Dean
Walker might be a little bigger. But this dude's taller
than him, isn't he? It's close.

Speaker 7 (04:37):
I think he's listed at six eight sixty seven. I
wish Dion were on this team so we could just
get them side by side.

Speaker 5 (04:43):
Dude, can you imagine if they lined up against each other?
Good night? I mean that, have you ever seen a
bigger offensive line. I mean, I've seen a gay, I've
seen fatter offensive lineman, but I've no I think I've
ever seen as tall and big a dude.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
You're right.

Speaker 6 (04:57):
He walked across the field. He didn't look like he
had any fat on him. He's a well built, strong
guy walking across the field of wall goes.

Speaker 5 (05:03):
That's a big due. What we'll do is I'll stand
next to it and you'll get a sense today he's
because he's gonna over He's gonna tower over me.

Speaker 7 (05:10):
And what he'd ryan with a picture with him too, well,
the right is gonna look like a little baby with him.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
He's listed on the official site six eight three twenty two.

Speaker 5 (05:18):
Six eight three. Well, I could say he's all that
and then some. And he's not short, dark and handsome.
He is.

Speaker 6 (05:25):
He is tall, and then he's legit supposed to be
really really good. He's not just a big guy. Dude's
NFL potential.

Speaker 5 (05:30):
Yeah, So he'll be over here later. Mitch is talking
right now there. It's happening right behind us, but we
can't hear it. So I'm giving you the updates as
they get sent to me. Here are the updates that
we've had so far, thirty six million dollars will be
spent on Kroger Field upgrades, fifteen million on general upgrades,

(05:50):
twenty one million on the suites. I guess that's just
kind of life nowadays. He did say what we were
gonna have WiFi, but in five years WiFi. I feel
like he's been talking about Wi Fi for a decade.

Speaker 7 (06:04):
And like five years think eventually we'll just have Wi
Fi everywhere on the planet.

Speaker 5 (06:09):
Before We're gonna have Wi Fi in our brains before
they have it.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
So long did they have to bring it overseas?

Speaker 5 (06:15):
Why does it take five years years? I feel like
in five years you could build this stadium.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yeah you could.

Speaker 5 (06:24):
Elon could have that up in an hour. I mean,
they're gonna build a tunnel from the Nashville Airport to
downtown Nashville in six years. I don't understand it.

Speaker 6 (06:32):
Any business you build a install Wi Fi as they
build a building.

Speaker 5 (06:36):
I was able to call Spectrum and I had it
that afternoon.

Speaker 2 (06:41):
There we go.

Speaker 6 (06:43):
But you know, I remember Dwayne Peebe having this conversation
with us. When Dwayne was here. They were going to
Wi Fi a long time ago.

Speaker 5 (06:49):
I remember in two thousand and three, the doll up
that they were talking about Netscape. I remember they got mad.

Speaker 7 (06:56):
Frank Kursey was always on the phone so they could
get on the internet, and they were talking about it
back then.

Speaker 5 (07:00):
All right, so I guess it'll be that long. He
also I think the big news, from what I've seen
him say so far, is that they're not going to
release the revshare for sport to sport. He said he
was going to keep that private. You know, I'm not
going to spend today ranting about this, but I've given
you my opinion. I don't know how a public university
can do that. I don't know how a public university

(07:23):
can spend twenty point six million dollars of money and
people don't see where it is. Someone would have to
explain to me what the exception is. Because we know
what every coach makes. You can go on there. You
can see what every professor makes, what every janitor makes.
You can see you can find online every dollar that

(07:44):
this university spends. And maybe there's an argument for not
saying how much you're giving each athlete for privacy reasons.
I can respect that, but not even saying what sport
it goes to. I mean, literally, they have to say.
When they build a building, they have to tell you
the public, what they've spent on each aspect of the building.

(08:08):
They have to say what contractor got what money. They
have to say all that. I don't know how they
can hide what they're spending on each sport. And Mitch
says we can't do it because our opponents won't do it.
I mean, okay, but I can't believe our opponents don't
have to do it either. That's gonna get challenged in

(08:30):
court and I will be shocked if that gets upheld,
that they can do that.

Speaker 6 (08:33):
Well, you said it to me, just a guy looking
in so that they're hiding something?

Speaker 5 (08:37):
Why you hide? I don't think that. I believe him
when he says he doesn't want the opponents to know.
But I just don't know how you can do that.
All right? I see Mark Stoops coming right now. Let's
we have a hard break at ten thirty. Why do
not I take the break now and that way we
can have the full time with you. Is that all right?
All right? We will take the break now. We will
come back with Mark Stoops right now after this, Kasi,

(09:00):
welcome back. Tell you sports radio, all right, I have
Mark Stoops. We have him for fifteen minutes, so I
got a lot I want to get to. Let's start
with this. Though you're doing okay. You know you had
the procedure that doing great. Yeah good. You're wearing sunglass
makes you look like y you know, a badass reader.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
If you think I look bad, you see the other guys.

Speaker 5 (09:18):
That's the answer. That's the answer, all right, So tell
me about the team. There's fifty new guys, so it's
like we don't know a lot of the guys. Tell
people in the best shortest way possible, strengths and things
you got to see get better over the next four weeks.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
Well, I mean, I think you've heard me talk a
lot this summer. I'll try to be relatively quick. You know.
For me, we had to get better upfront, right, I mean,
that's that's quite obvious. You really can't do anything if
you don't, you know, have the guys up front. So
I think it started with the offensive line. I feel
like we got a bunch of new guys there, you know,
much stronger, much more depth. Saying with the defensive line,

(09:56):
it starts there. I mean, you have to be able
to protect, you have to be able to run the
ball a little bit, have the balance you're looking for.
So I'm excited about depth.

Speaker 5 (10:04):
We've heard. I'd heard from people they felt like the
started group was good. You feel good about the depth
as well.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
I feel like we got eight guys that could start okay,
you know, so you know nine and ten we're working
on height.

Speaker 5 (10:16):
I saw the dude from New Mexico. That's the biggest
person I've ever seen.

Speaker 2 (10:19):
Yeah, he's he's a big dude, and you need to
have him on.

Speaker 5 (10:22):
He's coming out.

Speaker 2 (10:23):
He's good. He's an interesting guys. He's awesome to talk to.
He's a great interview. He's very deep. You know, you
guys have some good conversations.

Speaker 5 (10:31):
Well good, What is there a position where you go?
This is one I gotta see guys step up. I
want to make sure we get where we need to be.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
Well, you know, I mentioned the old line already. I
think that goes without saying saying with the d line,
I think it's fair to say that our receivers have
to be consistent and have to step up.

Speaker 5 (10:48):
Now, you got like seven or eight guys that I
could see playing. Is it really just like a competition?

Speaker 2 (10:53):
It is that it's definitely by committee and we will see,
you know who who steps up. I mean, you know,
so you know obviously j Mac, you know, Jimoury is produced,
you know, and really had a good finish to the season.
Hopefully he'll carry that forward, you know. So you know,
Fred is a guy you know hardly coming back.

Speaker 5 (11:13):
Is a guy.

Speaker 2 (11:14):
Kendrick Law you know, is one that we need to
step up and be a player for us. He's very strong,
so you know, we need him to be a bullple.

Speaker 5 (11:22):
It looks to me like your running backs could be
a strength. Yeah, do you feel that way? Yeah, without
a doubt. Definitely again a position that we needed to
get better from a year ago. I definitely feel like
we've done that. We got the size that we're looking for.
Telling about the two guys that came in.

Speaker 2 (11:36):
Well, Seth is a guy that that I think is mcgallan. Yeah,
he's just dynamic, He's really good out of the backfield.
He's a complete back. He's a game changer. I think
he's you know, he's a pro prospect, you know. So
he's a very good, complete player. And Dante's the big
physical guy that we've been looking for.

Speaker 5 (11:54):
Yes from Nebraska, right exactly.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yeah, and you know we wanted that a year ago,
a chip and unfortunately for him he was injured a lot,
you know, but but uh, Dante's is the big stock
running you've had over the ones we've had over the years.

Speaker 5 (12:06):
You I think we've talked during the offseason about last year,
you know, discipline and some of that were things who
are the leaders of this team, who are the guys
that sort of because I've heard that is significantly better
this year.

Speaker 2 (12:20):
It is, and I think you know, we've had to
address it. You know, as I've mentioned over and over again,
you know, we definitely fell short. It wasn't an area
where I'd like it to be stated like it was
the major problem. The major problem was we weren't good enough. Yeah,
you know that that's the bottom line. We weren't good enough.
I didn't do a good enough job with the whole team.
So we will definitely be better. There's definitely great leaders

(12:42):
on this team.

Speaker 5 (12:43):
You know.

Speaker 2 (12:43):
You look at Alexafari, you know, you look at Jordan
love It, you look at David Gusta. You know, on
the offense, there's multiple guys up front, Jagger Burton, you know,
so there's you know, it's tremendously better across the board.

Speaker 5 (12:57):
Yeah. Uh, that that's I've heard that a well, so
let's talk about you look at the schedule. I mean
that is a it's a brutal schedule. Somebody could say, man,
you guys could be a lot better and it's still
hard because the schedule's very difficult. But I would assume
that's exciting for the players.

Speaker 2 (13:13):
Without a doubt, and the same with me. It's like,
it is what it is, you know, so we just
embrace that. You know, I've talked a lot in the offseason,
but it's true, like, just embrace this journey. You know,
we had to hit it whatever you want to call
it had We had to get better, right, we had
to reset. And I feel like we've done that. You know.
Does that mean we've arrived or we're there. No, We've

(13:35):
got a lot of work to do. But I love
this team, and it's not just coach speak. When you
love showing up every day and love working with the team, like,
that's a good feeling.

Speaker 5 (13:45):
I sometimes say I'm just I mean, I'll say to
you what I say when you're not here. I sometimes
think I can tell how things are going by how
you look. You look better than you've looked in a while.
Is that reflective of how I think it's fair? It's
definitely fair. You just look like you have more energy.

Speaker 2 (14:02):
Yeah, I think I think it's fair, you know, like
I you know, just physically, just my ankle, you know,
it's it's one thing, but it's a big thing. You know.
I had to have my ankle replaced, and I just
that in itself, I fill a thousand times better. You know,
it bothered me all last year really, you know, it
was tough. So got that fixed in the off season.
That helped, and uh, you know, I just think, uh again,

(14:25):
just embracing the great challenge in front of us and
just you know, accepting it.

Speaker 5 (14:30):
When when Vince left, there was a worry around people
that oh no, it's falling apart. When that happened, what
was your did you see it coming? And then it
does feel like to me after that, lots of commitments
came like there was almost I don't want to say
a re energizing or what, but but what was it
like when you were you surprised and then what happened?

Speaker 2 (14:51):
Yeah, definitely I was surprised, definitely surprised. But as I mentioned,
you know, that's water under the bridge. Vince and I
are good. You know, there's never an easy way to
tell somebody you've been with for twelve years that you're
going to leave. That that's just not easy to do.
And so there's no hard feelings there.

Speaker 5 (15:09):
But we're beating them in November, right Oh, well that
that you know, without a question, we're going for the throw.
I mean, we got to let him know who the grown.

Speaker 2 (15:20):
Man is, right yeah, well without a doubt, but uh no,
big you know, Vince is is It's all good that way,
you know, it is what it is. You know, everybody
has to do what's right for them. He's in a
role off the field that that maybe it suits him
better right now as he moves forward, you know, you know,
for the next twelve years, who knows, you know, but

(15:42):
I thank him for what he's done. How's hard feelings
and we moved right on. I mean, that's just it.
You know, people think it's such.

Speaker 5 (15:48):
An excite people have recruitings done, especially because that's that's
one of the things that people wonder well.

Speaker 2 (15:53):
And I think in June people are looking for stuff
to talk about, right, Yeah, let's be honest, and so
when that happens, it's it's kind of a big deal
to people on the fans and everything, but not to
the organization. I mean, these guys we moved on quickly
and in recruiting things, you know, to me and a
lot you know, we can't talk about it all right
now and be glad to jump on again later. But
I feel like with this settlement in the way things

(16:14):
are going, I really feel good. Okay, let's talk about yours.
I really do.

Speaker 5 (16:18):
Do you feel that people are obviously concerned wondering about basketball, football, ripshop?
Just talk to me just about football. No. Do you
feel like you have the resources that you need to
go and be competitive?

Speaker 2 (16:30):
Yes, okay, and and in particular Matt, with the settlement
and with basically like a salary cap, if we could
adhere to this nationwide, and then I think we'll be
in the best position we've been in a long time.
These last two or three years have just been rough.
I don't even care to go back, you know, don't
like making excuses. It was just rough, you know what
I mean. It's just so.

Speaker 5 (16:51):
But if you explain to me, there's there are are
reports out there that the football program may not be
getting as much as others.

Speaker 2 (17:00):
That's not true. Not true, simply not true. Okay, yeah, yes,
I don't. I think Mitchell at press conference this morning
took my spot because I did mine Monday. But maybe
he has addressed that. I don't know. I can't get
into it.

Speaker 5 (17:12):
Sure, you're not true?

Speaker 2 (17:13):
Not true?

Speaker 5 (17:14):
Oh true.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
Well, I'm very pleased with where we're at, and I
feel like because of some of the things we've done,
you know, with this cap if you will you know
what I mean, if we with with this settlement, if
if we if everybody abides by these rules and we
have some governance for this, then I feel like we'll
be in the best position we've been in for a while,

(17:36):
especially the next couple of years.

Speaker 5 (17:38):
Do you Okay, So there's people who say, I mean,
you know this, this is probably the most criticism I've
seen you have to take in an off season since
you've been here. You see it or hear about it.
Even if you don't see it, How do you react
to that? When you do? You it's I have a

(17:59):
hard time, yeah, but I'm our time believe in.

Speaker 2 (18:01):
You don't notice it, You're like me, You feel stuff
that's fair, absolutely, but I accept it. I mean, like, listen,
when I said twelve years ago, thirteen years ago, when
I walked in here, I knew what I was getting into.
That's not bs Like I know. I've been around this business.

(18:21):
Brothers have been head coaches, I've been around it.

Speaker 5 (18:23):
All.

Speaker 2 (18:24):
That doesn't mean it's easy, doesn't mean you like it.
But I know very clearly you know there's gonna be
ups and there's gonna be downs, and it's not fun.

Speaker 5 (18:35):
Man.

Speaker 2 (18:35):
I feel you know when I say that, it's not
just me saying that, Like I feel for the like
the way we played and everything, Like I don't want
to come out here in this stadium and perform like
that and have a team like that. That matters to me.
I have pride in what we do in our team,
and that wasn't good enough. And you know, I can
promise you we're just working hard to get it wreckedfied

(18:56):
do you?

Speaker 5 (18:58):
I will say? Watch. I mean you took a lot
of criticism for a while. I have felt like in
the last couple of months we've talked about this, there's
been some like all right, let's go, let's do this.
And one of the things there Shannon had. You haven't
had to use the bell yet, right, like we haven't
had to use the buzzer and the bell. Because we

(19:19):
were talking about words, people said, the fans want to
hear you're motivated. You've been saying grateful and uh do
you you know what that? Fans are out there with
the motivated thing? Why not embrace it?

Speaker 2 (19:31):
Well, listen, one thing is is that's fine, I'm motivated.
When when have I not been motivated?

Speaker 5 (19:38):
I know that's what. Well, that's where it came from.

Speaker 2 (19:39):
When I won ten games? Yeah, two times in four years.
It hadn't been done in fifty Was that motivated?

Speaker 5 (19:45):
You were motivated? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (19:46):
Well is that there?

Speaker 5 (19:47):
Yeah? That's there. No.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
So so don't don't don't act like I'm not ever motivated.

Speaker 5 (19:52):
You are.

Speaker 2 (19:52):
We're always motivated.

Speaker 5 (19:53):
Ye you know, there you go, there we go?

Speaker 3 (19:55):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (19:56):
Do you all right? So? I love when you're when
you're swashbuckley. You're comment about the SMU coach on the ESPN.
We played it a lot where you said, if he
wants to, you know, strap it up and bring it on.
It does annoy you when conferences try to act like
the SEC is not the thing, right.

Speaker 2 (20:14):
I think it's funny. Yeah, I didn't make it, you know,
I just thought, like, if you're some other head coaches,
A couple of them are really good friends of mine,
you know that are that are making comments in the offseason,
why wouldn't they say that. Of course they're going to
say that they want us to go and beat each
other up. You know they some of them have been
in this league.

Speaker 5 (20:33):
But it's ridiculous to act like this. I mean, I
don't care what like this.

Speaker 2 (20:38):
Clearly, Matt, do I really need to justify our schedule?
Put it up?

Speaker 5 (20:42):
Yeah? I mean I'm with you on that. I'm with
you on that talk. So you what is your philosophy
going forward with how the portal is, et cetera. Football's
got to be so hard because you want to develop guys,
but you need guys in the immediate term. How do
you decide how to balance that?

Speaker 2 (20:59):
Yeah, I think there's just got to be a good balance.
You know, obviously last year was really heavy. You know,
it's not typical for us to have fifty new players.
You guys know that you follow us very closely, and
and you know, I don't think that'll happen again. I
really don't. Okay, you know, you know that's not that's
not our plan. You know, we have really good players

(21:20):
that are young and that are growing in our program,
and we want to continue to develop that. That's that
model for us is never going to change. You know,
the old recruit and developed. I mean, that's still there.
I mean, that's very much who we want to be
the players. I think, you know, as we move forward
the next three years, I think there'll be a little
bit more stability just because of the free agency, with

(21:41):
the portals that makes sense. That last three years, I
mean it's just astronomical. You know what what you you
don't could play players.

Speaker 5 (21:50):
If you were in college players.

Speaker 2 (21:53):
Yeah, for sure. And so I think that's just you know,
it's going to be hard. It's it's hard for us
to to sustain that, you know, if the model stayed
the same.

Speaker 6 (22:03):
My favorite Mark Stoops is ticked off Mark Stoops here,
I think got your best. When you've got like a
chip on your shoulder and I see that coming back,
what did you do and for you to get that back,
get that fire back?

Speaker 2 (22:15):
I think. You know, I again I understand that I agree,
you know, to some extent, I think I'm always trying
to stay ahead, try to stay motivated to do what
I need to do to your guys's point. But but
you know, I think just nobody likes you know, hey,
let's be honest. I mean we we we you know,
we took it on the chin last year, right, and

(22:35):
and nobody likes that. Anybody that's a competitor, you don't
like that. So you know, we've got to get it fixed.
And uh yeah, I'm as competitive as anybody, and I
don't like that. I don't like the way we played.
And there's been other times, you know, where we've left
it on this field, and there's going to be good
and bad, and it's always going to be a hard schedule. However,
you know, it's it's time to reload.

Speaker 5 (22:58):
I could talk to you all day, but there may
be Mark, thank you very much for doing it.

Speaker 2 (23:01):
Thanks appreciate you.

Speaker 5 (23:02):
Here, we'll take a break, Mitch Barnhart when we return.
That's good. Yeah, it was good. Great. TJ Smith, personal
injury attorney called TJ. He'll make them pay. Now.

Speaker 3 (23:13):
More of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

Speaker 4 (23:16):
Here's Matt Jones.

Speaker 5 (23:17):
Welcome back Tucky Sports Radio. Mitch Barnhart, UK athletic director
joining US. Uh, Mitch, this has to have been This
has to have been one of the more difficult years
you've had with all the stuff that's been going on. Right.

Speaker 4 (23:31):
Yeah, As I mentioned earlier, we've had about I would
say ten years worth of work in college athletics. It's
been jammed down the pipeline in about six to ten months.

Speaker 5 (23:42):
Okay.

Speaker 4 (23:42):
And uh And when I say that, not from just
the institutional perspective, from the global perspective of what's going
on in college it's been. It's been a lot. We've
had good leadership from a lot of folks, and a
lot of folks are trying hard. But it's been a lot.

Speaker 5 (23:56):
I mean, even for you personally, going back, you know
it's fifteen months ago you had to hire a new
basketball coach. All the way through all that's happened. That's
that's a lot. Okay. So I'm a legal dork. I'm
also a political dork. So when all this stuff's been
going on, I've been following it. And I will tell
you I'm a lawyer who did constitutional and labor law
and like politics, and I have a hard time following

(24:19):
How does the how do you all that? How do
you guys keep up with what's going on a day
to day basis on all this.

Speaker 4 (24:26):
Yeah, it's incredibly complicated, the challenges of governance structures. You've
got an INCAA governance structure that is struggling. You've got
the new Collegiate Sports Commission which is brand new, which
has real has no new pathways for us yet they're
trying to get rules in place and everything like that

(24:47):
as they go. Then you've got Congress, the Senate, US
Senate from the executive branch, got people weighing in and
saying this is a pathway we need to go. And
then you've got four conference commissioners in the I mean,
so there's a lot of folks in the middle of this.

Speaker 5 (25:04):
Yeah, a lot of in the kitchen.

Speaker 4 (25:05):
Yeah, it's complicated. As they say, complex complicated. I'm not
sure what it is, but it's one of them.

Speaker 5 (25:10):
Are there are people in college sports you don't even
have to say your dad, but are there people who
are like trying to take the leadership on it? Yes?
And do they have our most people in college sports
on the same page or is it all over the place? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (25:24):
I think I think you know you've you clearly have
the FBS and the four autonomy conferences that are that
are sort of, I would say, in the leadership position
of what's going on in college sports. And for some
that may not be what they want to hear, it's
a reality. I think, Commissioner Sankie, we're thankful in our league.
We've got a dynamic leader in Greg his dear friend.

(25:46):
I trust him. He's incredibly smart.

Speaker 5 (25:50):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (25:50):
There's other commissioners that obviously are joining alongside him. They're
having conversations, so I think that they're taking the forefront
of cole lessing. Between that Athlootic directors move to the
commissioner's commissioners to the presidents, and the presidents to the
legal Now we've been in hall I've been to d C.
I think some of my my assistants telling me I
have four times in the last ten months we've walked

(26:12):
the hallways and been around that and been on the phone.
I mean we've been on the phone a lot, and
it's so they ask us to you know, we've got
to stay in our lane, so to speak. But there's
also times where they want our opinion. What does it
look like? Boots on the ground and you what you're
doing with the work, Because you can talk about it
at one level, but absolutely implement implementation. It gets real

(26:34):
different when you're taking it to put it on account
that actually plays it absolutely.

Speaker 5 (26:38):
My read on it. Tell me if I'm wrong. I
read that all this is great court decisions, commission blah
blah blah. If it's going to hold up for sure
when you get to those none justices on the Supreme Court,
you're going to need a congressional law passed in the
House and the Senate with sixty votes, which means bipartisan,
and then it can stay. And do you agree with that? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (27:01):
I think that's what we're gonna have to get that
spot for it to have to last a while.

Speaker 5 (27:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (27:05):
You know what I'm hopeful we're not going to do
is put us in a position where every three to
four years we're changing the landscape again. We need some stability.
The waters are super choppy right now and we need
them to settle, and we need to get to our
young people and our programs deserve that. They deserve to

(27:25):
know the landscape that they're in. And frankly, as I
mentioned earlier in the pressure was we had six hundred
and seventy five student athletes last year. I have five
hundred and twenty five this year. We lost one hundred
and fifty.

Speaker 5 (27:37):
Oh wow.

Speaker 4 (27:38):
So and everyone doesn't really catch that until all of
a sudden you look up and the baseball roster went
from forty two to forty three guys down to thirty four.

Speaker 5 (27:46):
But they're all in scholarship now.

Speaker 4 (27:47):
But they have more scholarship. Yeah, yes, absolutely all true.
But but for your people, but fewer people. And I
always wonder at the end of the day, all of
those that got displaced, did they land someplace, did they
find a home? And we all know at the end
of the day football, men's basketball stirs this whole thing.
We get all that, but at the end of the day,

(28:08):
I'm also responsible for that other four hundred and fifty people.

Speaker 5 (28:11):
Well, let's talk real quick about a couple of those
things as it applies to UK. You feel like you're
gonna have to cut a sport at.

Speaker 4 (28:17):
This juncture, We don't think.

Speaker 5 (28:18):
So.

Speaker 4 (28:18):
We think we're in a really solid spot. I've gotten
support from the university administration and we feel good about that,
and so we feel really comfortable. I've walked into our
locker rooms, with our team meetings, and I feel really
good that we can be stable for a good long time.

Speaker 5 (28:33):
There's twenty point six million in revenue. I don't think
I realized until I saw that you said it in there,
but two point six of that is the scholarship, right,
So really it's eighteen.

Speaker 4 (28:43):
Yeah, so that is a mandate of the settlement. You
have to take that off the top if you add scholarships,
any scholarships that you add have to come off that
twenty point five million dollars. And if you give the
Alston Awards, that's another two point five million, which we
are not doing the Alson Awards. We've replaced that with
revenue share or scholarship, which is the the Austin Academic
Awards from the NCAA from about eight years ago.

Speaker 5 (29:05):
So you basically are playing with eighteen million dollars. Now.
There was a report that the SEC met and they
wanted all schools to set the same amount of money,
and the report was that Kentucky objected. Is that true?

Speaker 2 (29:20):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (29:20):
Absolutely, I think that that is an institutional decision. I
think that we ought to be able to make institutional
decisions about how we spend our money. What is important
for one school might not be as important for another school,
and in your priorities in place. There was a school
somewhere else in the country, I can't remember which school
it was, and they said they were going to give
every student a piece of the revenue share. Well, that's

(29:41):
sort of helpful, but not really. If I'm giving somebody
five hundred dollars, but I could have given them a scholarship,
I'd rather give them the scholarship that's worth much more
than the five hundred dollars. So we want to be
thoughtful about what we do, and I think each institution
has to make choices. What is important for one school
maybe football, and one school might be women's basketball. And
you know, there's there's certain schools that have got incredible

(30:04):
priorities for baseball in our league.

Speaker 5 (30:05):
And that makes a lot of sense to me. But
then it becomes okay, well what do we do at
this school? You have said you want it to be
flexible in your mind, though, is there a part where
you have to say, I'm going to have to choose? Oh? Yeah,
I mean, and how do you make that?

Speaker 4 (30:24):
Yeah, we we absolutely are going to have to make
some roster choices, but I want to make sure we're
in conversation with all of our coaches at that point,
and we've been. They've been awesome. Let me repeat incredible.
I mean that Bill to sit down with both marks
and sit here and say, hey, this is where we are.
Kenny Brooks and women's basketball. You know he's in the
recruiting process. Mitch, what do we say? And well, what

(30:46):
do you need? Tell us what you need? Tell us
let's match Rob Mullens, who is my deputy. A long
long time ago, I hesitated a huge tree. So Rob
always had a great line matching resources to expectations. So
what are the expectations and what are the resources we
need to match to those? And so I think we've
done a really really good job of matching resources to

(31:09):
expectations for our coaches, and they've been able to go out.
It's clear, it's it's it's been successful in recruiting. Our
coach has been able to bring in the rosters that
they wanted to bring in. And as we look forward,
they're they're all saying the same thing. We're in a
good spot.

Speaker 5 (31:26):
I suspect that you tell me this was another report.
You tell me if it's true. You know, it is
very difficult. Lots of school Every school wants to be
good at football. You mentioned, some really want women's basketball,
some really want baseball. I can't imagine there's a school
in the country that cares more about basketball than here.
So as you're sitting here looking at this football team

(31:47):
and saying, we're playing the hardest league in the country,
But I got this basketball team that they want the fans.
The fans want to be the best team in the country.
How do you do that with those two sports?

Speaker 4 (31:56):
It's magic?

Speaker 5 (31:59):
What a great answer. No, it's.

Speaker 4 (32:03):
It's a it's a puzzle. It's a puzzle.

Speaker 5 (32:06):
You know.

Speaker 4 (32:06):
I want to make sure that we're we're being thoughtful
about that. You know, the as I told them in there,
I said, the settlement goes up four percent every year.

Speaker 5 (32:17):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (32:17):
And then so that twenty point five million, we think
we're we're hopeful that we that the that is a
in the litigation, we can get to a spot where
maybe we can say that two point five million dollars
was a one time offset and we can get that
added back because.

Speaker 5 (32:33):
It's being the scholar scholarships. It's not new anymore, gotcha
and so.

Speaker 4 (32:36):
We're I don't know how that'll work, Matt, I don't.
I don't know how that will work with if it does,
it does.

Speaker 5 (32:41):
Whatever the amount of money is, Kentucky, you think can
have it, Yes, okay, So in some respects, whatever the
money is, you're not worried about raising.

Speaker 4 (32:48):
No, we're gonna be involved. We're gonna be We're gonna
be at the at the at the maximum we can
be to support our programs and and not be disadvantaged.

Speaker 5 (32:57):
And that is something that I'm not gonna say which schools,
some schools in the Power for conferences might have a
hard time with. Yes, okay. And do you worry about
the Big East teams that don't have football the amount
of money they could spend on baskets?

Speaker 4 (33:10):
Certainly it's different. And that is a conversation. That's a concern,
you know, I mean, and as it relates to our
basketball program, making sure that we're that we're aligned in
the in the proper ecosystem, so to speak. Yes, all right, well,
so make sure that we're in that conversation.

Speaker 5 (33:24):
I think it's only fair that I ask you my
biggest concern about this, which is I'm a I'm a
public information guy. Right. I heard that you said in there,
and I understand your position, which is, I don't want
to tell you what we're doing because that gives the
other people a competitive advantage. Help me understand how public institutions,
not just you, okay, because I'm sure they're all going

(33:44):
to take this position, how do public institutions justify not
telling people what they're spending the money on.

Speaker 4 (33:49):
Yeah, so for part of that, you know, part of
that is in terms of a student for a perspective,
we want to be able to protect students, right, just
support and I and again that's it more, it's it
will be fluid from moment to moment. It could change
from moment to moment, and so you know, it's I
think that there's a competitive piece for us and then

(34:12):
student rights peace for us, and we.

Speaker 5 (34:14):
Can argue it all the student rights. And I don't care.

Speaker 4 (34:17):
I get, I get people want to know, but let.

Speaker 5 (34:19):
Me let me just make my car I'm not talking
player by player. I don't. I don't think it. I don't.
I don't know if the public should know what alex
afar right, But how do these how do does the
SEC or any school justified not letting fans know what
which program they're spending money on.

Speaker 4 (34:36):
Yeah, I mean I don't. I'm not sure the the
legal pieces and all that. You know.

Speaker 5 (34:41):
I don't.

Speaker 4 (34:42):
Having said that, I just know that from a competitive
it's competitive for us.

Speaker 2 (34:47):
For absolutely, it's competitive.

Speaker 4 (34:49):
Absolutely, it's if.

Speaker 5 (34:50):
All the schools come together and say we're going to
release it. Are you cool with that? Well, at least
it is the matter. I appreciate it, you know what.
I even when I disagree, I respect people that are
upfront and on it. So I can take that last thing.

(35:11):
A lot of fans and I do my best to
explain it. A lot of fans who just love Kentucky sports, right,
I love Kentucky sports. College sports matter to me. Look
at this and go, is this all gonna survive? Well,
what would you say to that?

Speaker 4 (35:29):
Yeah, I'd say we that is certainly when you say
all of it, I mean all of it, not just football,
not just I would argue and not at the level.

Speaker 5 (35:41):
I get it.

Speaker 4 (35:42):
And so don't walk out here and say he's delusional.
Many have said that when you walked in and we
were throwing the final pitch to get to the College
World Series, that was an emotional moment for a lot
of Kentucky fans as it was for some of the
things we've done here. And so my point when Sidney

(36:03):
McLoughlin is running away with gold medals, that's as emotional
for a lot of our fans is a lot of things.
When you know, I could go down the list. My
point in all that is, I wanted to all survive,
man but can football and men's basketball. There has to
be a pathway. We have got to find a way
to ensure there's a pathway. It's too important for us
as an institution, it's too important for us as a

(36:26):
community what it means to this community. We just got
some economic impact reports from supposedly we're trying to verify
all that stuff of what the first second round of
the men's basketball tournament was.

Speaker 5 (36:37):
Trust me, somebody owns a restaurant, I can tell you.
But also the state I was down in London after
the tornado. If this stuff matters to people, you know,
it just does.

Speaker 4 (36:48):
It does, And so we've got to find a way
to ensure. You know, and if you weren't, you weren't
in there. But I told the story of the couple
in South Carolina that my wife and I befriended a
little bit, and they didn't know anything about the litigation.
They had no idea what was going on in the
world of college athletics, but they did know that we
were playing Duke next Tuesday night, and it was really
really important. And so I say that because our fans

(37:12):
are so special and this community is special, and between
the Keenlan and the horse racing and the Bourbon Trail
and what we offer and tourism, and we're a part
of that piece for this community and the jobs it
creates and the things that it does, we've got to
be strong for that. We've got to be strong for
for what we do at Kentucky. We we think we're

(37:32):
a really good front porch for the university and we
want to make sure that when people walk in the door,
it's painted well, it looks great on the outside, and
we lead them in something that's really really cool. So
it's important from a lot of fronts, not the least
of which just the emotional well being of our fans.
I want I want them to walk out and going,
you know what we are Kentucky and we're.

Speaker 5 (37:51):
Pride as it brings pride to people that need it,
and I respect that absolutely. I'll face this. I as
we were going starting this tumultuous path three or four
years ago, I would admit I thought Mitch has been
a great athletic director. For this is a conservative, kind
of old school guy. I think you've done a great
job with this. I really do. I mean, you have

(38:11):
navigated this way above my expectations. So I just want
to congratulate you on that. I really, I really do
mean thank you, Mitch. Appreciate you. Will take a break
and be right back. Welcome back, Kentucky Sports Radio. Shannon
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(38:33):
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I think that's the best Mitch has ever been on KRY.
I'm gonna be honest with you. I've always kind of
you know, his interviews are usually like talking around stuff.
That's maybe it was just that we only had twelve
minutes or fifteen minutes. He was direct. That's the best

(39:13):
he's ever done on here. I think, what do you
think maybe maybe besides when he came on with Pope
to introduce Pope to everybody, but that this is probably
right there with.

Speaker 6 (39:22):
It, very open, very candid, very straightforward. Answered your question.
Didn't death run anything. It was a little funny, got
us all laughing.

Speaker 5 (39:29):
A couple of answered them directly, like like I give
him credit, like that's not something he usually does. He
answered every single thing I said directly.

Speaker 7 (39:36):
It's a great interview. I told Jake, with you ca athletics,
I said, I gotta be honest. I did not expect
to laugh twice when he sat down, but when he
said magic and the.

Speaker 5 (39:47):
I mean I still disagree with him on that, but
I gotta respect the end. What a good answer. Yeah,
that was good, That was good health. I have definitely
news there right. Oh yeah, not ending any sports. I
don't know if he said this stuff in the in
the other ones. I'm but not ending any sports, saying
we will have the money, No matter what, and basically

(40:08):
saying that you know, well maybe even Mark Stoops saying
football is good. I think those are all three very
important newsy things to come out of this. I think.

Speaker 6 (40:16):
So also you to talk about it being a fluid
situation where it could change as the season goes on,
and things like that. So I thought both guys really
really helped themselves in the eyes of the fan base
and said what I think a lot of us needed
to hear him saying.

Speaker 5 (40:28):
But see, that's like I would say, that's good advice
in general, just like for these things, just answer the question.
Like people are smart, they can tell if you're not.
He answered all of those questions. And I bet there
are some some sports fans and former athletes of some
of those sports listening going good because there were definitely
has been have been rumors that a couple of these
sports might go away, and so he kind of I

(40:50):
think diffuses that.

Speaker 7 (40:51):
Yeah, that's both guys. It was very comforting for anyone
keeping up with us and watching it. We didn't really
get much time to react to Stoops, but I loved
how straightforward Stoops was about how those were what's're wrong? Like,
I'm I'm happy like we all heard the basketball that
they're getting smaller piece of pie stoops.

Speaker 5 (41:05):
Was like, no, that's completely false. And it is interesting
again you think of Mitch as like this conservative. I
mean literally, Shanton played loosen up my buttons baby as
he came in. I cannot believe you did that top
button done? But but he for somebody for him to.

(41:25):
Basically I asked him about the report that he objected
to everybody doing the same thing. I thought he would say, well,
I mean we may not have been. He was like, yep,
that was us that didn't try to hide it at all,
try to hide it at all. He's like, yes, we
were the ones that objected. Good because I think Kentucky
is the school that maybe needs to object the most.

(41:45):
We need to have the ability to pay basketball. And
good good for Mitch he did it.

Speaker 7 (41:51):
I don't know the person that was sitting right there,
that guy waggy Mitch like he stuck out his chest like, yeah,
it was me.

Speaker 5 (41:57):
I mean, yes, it was me. He did of his
top button buttoned. But I think underneath the pectoral muscles
were flexing like like mister spectacular Shandon like yeah, look
who's here? Like I was really who was that.

Speaker 2 (42:12):
The top button was halfway undone.

Speaker 5 (42:13):
I wanted to unbutton you know, one of these years
were grabbing him. Come on and right as he sits down,
Mario will unbutton the top button. See what he does.
But seriously, I thought that was great and I feel better.
I honestly feel better. Do that stuff now after talking
to so good A Right, we're gonna do players. Next.
We'll have Zach, Kylezada, uh, Pete, what's Pete's first name?

(42:34):
Mister Pete? And Bush Hamden. This is next. Kosr