2025-07-14 - LEACH REPORT

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This podcast of the Leech Report is presented by Boone's
Butcher Shop in Barnstown at one hundred Old Bloomfield Pike,
Family owned and operated since nineteen forty six, with fresh
meat cut on site daily. Boons Butcher Shop. It's vacation
time for me, so today's show is pre recorded. We'll
have another one of these on Friday. We'll have guest hosts. Otherwise,

(00:22):
Today marks the start of Southeastern Conference media Days for
football down in Atlanta. There's go'll be a lot of
football talk coming out of there this week, and we're
gonna lead off with some football talk. We'll have Van Hiles,
my partner for the Monday morning Quarterback shows during the season,
and we'll hear from UK safety Ty Bryant. Really impressive
young man. But let's get into the Wildcat news of

(00:45):
the day, and it starts with some comments from Kentucky
quarterback Zach Calzada from a media session earlier this spring.
He was questioned on a variety of topics, including his
leadership style.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
I mean I'm passing it on the field, man.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
You know, I have to control it, you know, as
a leader and as a quarterback, I have to make
sure that I stay composed. But you know those are
also when I'm on the field, those ten guys, and
those are my guys.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
So you know I'm I'm right or die.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
With the guys that I'm on the field with, and
you know I'm passionate and I want to win. That's
the most important thing to me when I'm on the field.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
How big is that leadership part?

Speaker 4 (01:18):
As the quarterback on an offense but basically ant higher
new group about ball, right, No, I think it's really important.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
I mean, I've studied a lot of football, and I
know that the best teams have quarterbacks that are selfless
leaders and talented, and you know, I just I just
try to do what I can to make sure that
I check those boxes and that I'm doing what I
can to continue to progress our team forward.

Speaker 4 (01:38):
How much you've embraced the Cuban missile nickname. I know
that's part of your heritage obviously, how much of that
as a part of it?

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, that's me, man, the Cuban miss will miss me.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
So growing up hearing that story from your grandparents, How
big was that in your life?

Speaker 1 (01:50):
That influence?

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Oh man, that that was It's gotten even more important
to me the older that I get, man, I think
that you know, my family is a true representation of
the A and dream.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
You know, my grandparents faced a.

Speaker 3 (02:02):
Lot of prejudice back in Cube, but they had to
leave with no money, everything taken from them, and all
to give a better life to their children and grandchildren.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
And my dad did a great job.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
You know, college athlete doing really well in finance now
and it's just as a man, I'd see it as
my responsibility to continue that legacy and move.

Speaker 4 (02:19):
Forward simply this transfer class, it's kind of that kind
of melting party. You got, like you're an American quarterback,
you got a Navajo left tackle. You've got guys from
all over the place out there, which is what's.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Kind of like everybody bringing their own experience to this.
I mean, that's the beauty of football anywhere you go.
You know, it's football is a melting pot. It's a
true team sport. All eleven guys matter, and all eleven
guys come from different backgrounds, They go through different adversities,
they've had different successes. But in this year that we
have as a team, it's just we want to come
together and you know, go for that common goal.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
Speaking of she has. What are your impressions of the enemy.

Speaker 4 (02:51):
Seems like such a such a well spoken, like, well
thought out guy out there.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
What's that like habiting?

Speaker 3 (02:55):
No, I love Pete and I love the rest of
the old line too, But you know, Pete's pizza austome man.
He's a great guy. He's a great guy to sit
down and talk to. He is very wise and along
with a lot of those other alignment too. I mean,
I'm just I'm very happy with him and I'm excited
to play behind him and the rest of that alignment.

Speaker 4 (03:11):
I assume that was a huge party of you coming
here because the offensive one struggle last year. You need
to know there were guys who could protect you where
you're keeping track of.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
That absolutely absolutely, and I feel confident about it. But
uh yeah, I mean when I sat down with Coach
Hamden when I got when I came on my visit,
I mean, he was very specific and clear. I mean
we watched cutups of all the weapons you know, that
I was going to have and all the people that
were going to be up front, and you know, it
made me really excited.

Speaker 5 (03:34):
When are your teammates at quarterback? Said he you know,
he's competing with the guy he's about thirty five years old.
But what about being a grizzled veteran in this group,
you know what I mean, the guy that can share
the knowledge.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Could you ask it?

Speaker 5 (03:48):
What's it like being, yeah, the veteran or can share
them the edge?

Speaker 3 (03:52):
Well, I still feel like, you know, I have a
lot of my youth left in me. I know, being
a twenty four year old quarterback in college isn't the norm.
And you know, I never would have thought that I
would have played.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
Past you know, even five years.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
But you know, like I said, you know, my journey's
had a lot of ups and downs and a lot
of adversities. I missed about a year and a half
back in twenty twenty two and twenty three, and you know,
for me, I just had to do what I could,
and it was a really long process to get back,
you know, to the physical ability to play football again.
So you know, I just think that I carry a

(04:23):
lot of experiences with me and the guys that are
open to that into listening. You know, I love sharing
those experiences and what I've learned. And you know I
also learned from the young kids too.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
So how does that work? Oh? Man, everybody has different perspectives.
You know, there's wisdom and everybody.

Speaker 3 (04:38):
So I just I'm never I feel like I'm never
too old or too big to learn from anybody.

Speaker 4 (04:42):
So I'm curious, what do you think you were one
and ten at your varioustops?

Speaker 2 (04:47):
How'd you get to five? And what's what's the process?

Speaker 4 (04:48):
Like you got thirty one new tramp from the other
guys got your numbers?

Speaker 2 (04:51):
Is there bargaining in the background?

Speaker 6 (04:53):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (04:53):
No, I know bargaining, man. My sister actually is.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
She's a three time All American soccer player at Texas
say and and she just transferred to Notre Dame. Best
center back in the country by the way, And you know,
we just we we came to a conclusion on we're
going to be number five. It's a number that we've
never worn before. But you know, I think that was
pretty cool that we get to kind of go out
there and rock the same numbers this year. Did you

(05:16):
have a connection to one or ten before? I mean,
ten's obviously.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
Been Ten's been my number since high school.

Speaker 3 (05:23):
I wore it all through college and then when I
got to a carnal word, you know, I felt kind
of cool. We're in the number one. It kind of
gave me superpowers. But I just wanted to go back
to my roots from my last year there, and really,
you know, remember why I was there, and I just
felt like being in ten was was what was best
for me last year.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
And Zach Calzana and our opening segment a wild Cat
News presented each day by Giuseppes of Lexington Ard. You
go to Giuseppes Lexington dot com and game plan for
your next trip there. You can see what's on the menu.
Also know that they will have daily chef specials as
well the pasta's made right there on site. Joined now

(06:21):
by Van Hiles, former Wildcat and NFL dB my partner
on the Monday morning quarterback shows in the season. And
since this is kind of the unofficial start of talking season,
I guess they always say with SEC media Days in Atlanta, Van,
it is a time when we start to focus even
more on the college football season, and optimism is a

(06:42):
little bit in short supply for the Wildcats. But I
did hear you on the Sunday morning sports talk show
a couple of weeks ago making the case for having
some optimism, So I'll let you make it here on
this show too.

Speaker 7 (06:56):
After doing the Morning Morning with you last year, only
thing we could do is go up. I hope it
wasn't so that season with poorly I think, I.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
Think the I think the analysts outperformed the team will
say that.

Speaker 7 (07:12):
I hope so, I don't. For me, every season is
a new season. As a guy who who played through
a one to ten season, that season is gone. Everything
going forward should be optimistic until the season starts, and
there's for me, there's there's great reason to be optimistic.

(07:32):
People were upset about the outcome of last year, and
many people who were saying there should be changes, Well,
we made changes. We flipped the roster. We added more
portal guys. We added to me, more guys that I
think fit the mold that coach Stoops won't. And now
there are some people who upset about that we flipped
the roster. I think this change was needed. It seems

(07:54):
to me that the locker room is better. And this
is what I based that off of solely. When you
get recruits that come in and they want to come
to Kentucky, that locker room has to be the reason
why that the guys within that locker room are the
the car salesman's are the the the salesman of the program.
If they're selling the program well enough to get the

(08:15):
recruit that they've gotten the last six weeks, it means
that that has changed. And that's that to me is
a reason to be optimistic.

Speaker 1 (08:22):
And what I've said is I understand why people would
not pick them high in polls, and especially that are
you know, not following things as closely as the fans
media do here that they look at all the changes
on the roster. They won four games last season, and
you are just naturally, I think, going to put that

(08:43):
team down near the bottom of the rankings. But if
they were right in a lot of the guys that
they brought in, and if they have truly recognized some
changes that were needed and implemented them, then there is
a chance they could be significantly better than what people think.

Speaker 7 (09:03):
Right for me, in comparison to the Thief of Joy,
but we always a lot of fans compare programs to programs. Right,
there's a lot of fans have said that there are
certain programs, all Ribber programs have surpassed us the last
couple of years. Well, then what I look at is
where was Indiana. Where was produced? I mean, where was

(09:24):
Vanderbilt rated preseason in their conference? And look what they
did last year with overhauling their program, and they're tipping
their roster. I'm not saying that we will be as
lucky as them, but it can be done. And I
think that the way that they flipped it and the
talent that they got in the areas of need, they
just didn't get high talented guys in certain positions. They

(09:45):
got it in the positions of need. I think getting
those guys in those positions, I think is a REASONAB
be somewhat optimistic. That it doesn't mean we're gonna win
ten games, but I think that this team is gonna
be the product on the fields canna be better.

Speaker 8 (09:57):
Than it was last year.

Speaker 1 (09:58):
What more with Van Hiles on this go back to
our chat with Van Hiles or more Wildcat and nfl dB.
He's more optimistic than many about the upcoming football season
for Kentucky and one reason is that he thinks the
quarterback play can be significantly improved.

Speaker 7 (10:14):
You know, I kind of fell for it. I fell
for the guy we're getting from a major program, especially
in our conference. But the thing about it, he didn't
have the game reps, and the game reps I think
was a cause for him not having as great a year.
I think we got a guy who's playing the SEC
who went down the level but got reps, and I

(10:36):
think he's going to be solid for this program. We
are not a program that need a four thousand yard quarterback.
That's just not us. We need a guy who can
get us in and out of plays because it's in
and out of huddle, and protect the ball and when
we need a big play, to make a big play.
And I think Zach has shown that, especially at this
as incarnate words, he has shown that he can be
that quarterback. And I think this I think Bowlie Cutter

(10:59):
had having a year under this belt, especially having a
couple of starts. I think it's gonna voevode well for
if we have some issues, if that gets hurt, or
there's some issues in the game where we need to
get a backup quarterback in. I think this is going
to be the best backup situation that we probably had
since since Saria Smith. So that's something positive for the
quarterback room. Also, having a coordinator who was in the

(11:23):
second year, even though the ross has flipped a little bit.
The wild receivers are pretty much the same the running backs.
Of the running back in the room that are seen
the system cut or seeing the system. I think having
the same system two years in the ROUW is going
to be It's going to be a good thing for
this offense.

Speaker 1 (11:37):
And we heard from Calzada in the opening segment of
the show today and he talked a bit about his
approach to the game. He's a fiery guy on the field,
but you know, he said he's with his guys ride
or die. Everything I hear about him as a as
a leader has been good. And I think if you
look back over Kentucky's most successful team, they coincided with

(12:03):
great leaders, great leadership at that spot. You know, even
back when I was just starting to follow Kentucky football
and a guy like Derrick Ramsey, but most recently, I
think if a guy like Steven Johnson who was one
hundred and sixty five pound quarterback in the SEC, but
he led certainly by example and maybe by word too,
that those guys would go through fire for him. And

(12:26):
you know, I think you talked about protecting the ball
the script. I think for Kentucky to overachieve you've got
to limit turnovers, and you've got to minimize the shooting
yourself in the foot plays, and you've got to maximize
your opportunities for success. And they were not very good
in the red zone next last season, and so you
got to have a quarterback that people believe in and

(12:46):
that also is going to say we're scoring here as.

Speaker 7 (12:49):
A guy who played quarterback, when your guys get into
the huddle, and if you're going to flinch, the team
is going to flinch. And I think Will Levis was
the kind of quarterback we had a years ago where
even though things are not always going right, he has
that sense of calmness, that sense of confidence that no
matter what's going going on in the game, that we're

(13:11):
gonna be successful. And I think last year that might us.
That South Carolina game, I think is a big pinpoint
in the season, how that season went. I don't think
we have that adversity from a quarterback position in that
game well, and I don't honestly think that the players
had the confidence from that point on in the quarterback

(13:33):
to say, Okay, if things go wrong, he's going to
lead us to X. And I think hopefully, I think
Cazada has been through a lot of things in his
years as a starting quarterback. I'm hoping that he will
be able to give that confidence when things are not
going well. When things are going well, it's easy. What
does your quarterback do when things are not going well?
And I think Zach has shown that he can whether

(13:56):
that's going better than maybe the quarterback from last year.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
I think you a good point about handling adversity because
I think back also the Vandy game. They have a
nice drive going to start the game, they get a
penalty and immediately it kind of goes down the tubes
on them, and Yep, certainly the opponent could have something
to do with this, but you can have something to
do with it yourself. I think the Auburn game where
they get off to a good start.

Speaker 8 (14:19):
It's weird.

Speaker 7 (14:19):
I'll never forget when I went to the Bears and
my first day there, I was talking to one of
vets and he said that, and then it's a then
line between ben four and twelve and twelve and four.
That's something all of Marshall. Error is small, and if
we don't take advantage of the situation that we have,
we will have a season.

Speaker 1 (14:39):
Like we just had on defense. I remember the ninety
nine season, after couching Houston, all those guys left. That
team was able to make it to a bowl game
when it wasn't expected to do so, and one of
the things they did is led the sec and takeaways.
What can this defense do well?

Speaker 7 (14:56):
This defense, man, it's for me. This defense all really
lies on the nose. Tackle is Goosta's the nose tackle?
Last year, our nose did not consistently demanded a double team.
If we can get Boosta to use that motor that
he has and demand a double team, it starts there.
If he demands a double team. Our linebackers are not

(15:18):
the biggest linebackers, but they're quick and fast. It allows
them to shoot gaps kind of like Trevor Wallace did
in the beginning of the year and was at twenty twenty two.
That's what we need, and I think the back.

Speaker 8 (15:30):
Halves has experience.

Speaker 7 (15:32):
Now it's time for them to step up. I think
the thing that we can do well is stop the run.
I hope that we can stop the run. We can
stop the run, then I think it makes things easier
for coach White to call defenses.

Speaker 1 (15:43):
Van Heils, you'll hear them throughout the season on the
Monday morning quarterback shows here on the Lead Report and
we appreciate.

Speaker 7 (15:49):
The time, sir, anytime, thank you.

Speaker 1 (15:51):
Something to put on your calendar for this Thursday night
here in Lexington, you can raise a glass to the cats.
Club Blue, the official NIL fundraising partner of UK, is
announcing a special bourbon bottle signing with the La Familia Group,
the UK alumni basketball team. This will be a Bespoken
Spirits and Gray Line station Thursday at six All four

(16:13):
of the Club Blue Bourbon releases will be available for
purchase there. Players will only be signing bottles of Club
Blue Bourbon. Each purchase includes signatures from the Law Familia team.
Every bottle purchase supports the NIL efforts at UK, so
do not miss your chance to meet the team and
take home a signed Club Blue collectible. That'll be Thursday,
six pm at Bespoken Spirits at Gray Lion Status. This

(16:35):
pre recorded edition of the show. I'm taking some time off.
I'll have some guest hosts later in the week and
early next week. Coming up next is an interview I
taped with UK veteran safety Ty Bryant. Remember at the
end of last season after that lost to Louisville was
Bryant and Jamory Macklin, who were two guys who said
that Kentucky needed more accountability than it had had last season. Well,

(16:59):
I had a lot of good things to say on
that front, and more so, let us listen to UK's
Ty Bryant joining us next is Ty Bryant, safety for
the UK football team, and the season is just around
the corner. Tie, how's the summer gone? After spring practice?

Speaker 8 (17:17):
Everything's been going well. I mean we've just been working out.
We've been doing a little seven on seven as well
and just feel words. But everything's going pretty smooth.

Speaker 1 (17:24):
What are your objective's goals whatever you want to call
it for this next season. You've got a lot of
experience under your belt.

Speaker 8 (17:32):
Now, Yes, I do me personally. For the team, I
just want us to win a little bit more. Obviously
last year was what we expected. Coming into the year,
we thought we hadn't really our hopes and it just
didn't pan out the way we wanted to pan out.
But for the team, I just want us to win
a little bit more. I feel like we can do
that with the chemistry we got. We've been doing a
lot of things that involved chemistry with all of us,

(17:54):
just team events that just brought us closer together. And obviously,
you know, we got a lot of different new guys.
So I think we got like thirty one new guys
plus freshman or something like that, something crazy. So I
just wanted to win a little bit more. But for myself,
I actually I really don't really be sharing my goals
between me and yeah.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
What about the chemistry with so many new guys, how
is that developed?

Speaker 8 (18:21):
If I'm being completely honest, I mean, I feel like
everybody that we jail, we jail so so great. We
jailed so great, and you know, just with a lot
of new guys coming in, and I feel like our
coaches have done a great job. Our coach has done
an amazing job by just planning out team evincing. What
we do on every Wednesday is we have like competition things.

(18:43):
So after we get done doing off field work and
stuff like that, we split up into our teams. I
think it's team of eight, teams of eight and we
just go out there and we you know, do different
games like home run derby and dodgeball all they ball
stuff like that. And I can tell by that the
morale ofy team.

Speaker 1 (18:58):
Is just way better the end of last season after
the loss to Louisville, and did your guys long winning
streak in that series? I think it was you and
Jamoori were two of the guys that were in the
interview room, and both of you separately, we're talking about
the same things. I'm paraphrasing here a little bit incorrect
me if if any of these words are incorrect, but

(19:20):
a lack of accountability and needing more discipline. I'm assuming
for everything you're saying that has has changed. Wondering did
you or you and Jemory did you all talk about
that with Coach Stoops after the season before you, you know,
we're going into winter workouts.

Speaker 8 (19:38):
Yes, sir, it definitely. It got brought up in our
end of the year meeting. Coach Doukes called me and
I think on that Monday and talk about plans going
forward because obviously with the transphert portally, you never know
what some players are going to do. So he just
wanted to make sure my hair was straight and I
was going to stay. And after that we kind of
just talked about things that we need to do going
forward to make sure that that season never happens again,
and I talked to coach White. Are DC more about

(20:01):
that than anyone, But yeah, just like with the new guys,
I just feel like a lot of them are on
board to be a leader and just to make sure
that they don't we don't lose like we did last year.
So we've done a lot of different things like team
less stuff, player less stuff, and I feel like at
the end of our leadership is is a little bit
better than it was last year, and hopefully that can
prevail us and we can win some more games.

Speaker 1 (20:23):
This day and time. I'm sure as a coach, you
see those quotes and anything may lose, Tie or Jamury,
both of you are back. And why was it important
that you can speak certainly for yourself. I don't know
if you talked to Ja Bori with why was it
important to be back when it didn't go the way
you wanted it to go and you had the opportunity
to look elsewhere?

Speaker 8 (20:44):
Because it's a simple answer. And that's that's Brad White
right right right there, man, He's the answer right there him.
Coach Collins, Coach buff I feel like my development under
them those three has been very great and I just
trust and believe in everything they have going on with
these and our defensive numbers. At the beginning of the
year they were pretty solid, and then towards the end

(21:05):
they started to lack a little bit, but that was
also just because of some things going on inside the organization.
But yeah, I mean, I just feel like Coach White,
he has the best interest from me. He really knows ball,
and him and I have built a great connection, and
I just felt like, you know, just I shouldn't leave.
I should just stick it out, stay true to it,
and everything is going to play out the way I
wanted to hopefully.

Speaker 1 (21:26):
What do you see that's different from coach stops for
the staff as a whole, I feel.

Speaker 8 (21:33):
Like we've been like so our schedule is a lot
different than it was last year. Like last year we
only and I could seek for my freshman year too,
we only like Monday through Friday. We just lifted like
that was it. But like this year is different, Like
we're on the field. We're on the field like on Mondays,
and we're we're on the field Mondays Wednesdays, and then
we have player lands stuff on Saturdays. So I just

(21:53):
feel like just our schedule is different, and yeah, you
could just tell the staff's taking another like a different approach.
This year. We've been in our books, more, more meetings,
and they're just trying to make sure that we just
don't have another season like we did. And I really
appreciate that.

Speaker 2 (22:07):
Appreciate it for that sharp young man.

Speaker 1 (22:09):
As we listened to some of the preseason thoughts of
UK's safety Ty Bryant here on the Leech Report, it's
a big football week, talking season, kind of really cranking
up with SEC Media Days in Atlanta. You'll be seeing
and hearing a lot of coverage of that. Throughout this week.
We'll have more of our interview with ty Bryant. We
continue our interview that I taped with Ty Bryant, who

(22:31):
figures to play a key role for the Kentucky defense
this season. This would go back to younger than you
can remember, but when coach Brooks got things turned around
here and nobody was expecting him to do it at
that time, it was in part his leadership, but also
some really strong leaders guys like Keenan Burton, Wesley Woodyard

(22:54):
or the two to one on offense one on defense
that come to mind. And I know you guys have
probably you know, heard from those guys along the way
when they bring in speakers. But is that the most
is that the biggest reason for fans that aren't optimistic
to consider being optimistic the leadership component, yes, most definitely.

Speaker 8 (23:14):
But I also just feel like, I mean, we put
on a lot of videos, our video crew does, but
I just feel like the work that we're putting in
and it's just not me just me, like you know, cliche,
not at all, but the work we're putting in is
really is different. And like I continue just to say
that everybody in the building, nobody in the building wants
to have a year like we did, from you know

(23:35):
us as the players, to the coaches, to the nutritions
we have on staff, to the the athletic trainers. Like
nobody wants to go through what we went through again
because like just naturally, just everybody wants to win and
we didn't win it. But like, yeah, I think we
heard from Wesley. I can't remember if it was my
freshman year or last year, but we heard from him
one time. He just talked about the leadership. He just
talked about the leadership aspect and you know, things that

(23:57):
we just need to clean up. And yeah, so I thought,
you know, our leadership is definitely want to improve this
year and it's gonna get us over the hull.

Speaker 1 (24:05):
Yeah. I think that probably being a long time Kentucky
football fan, I mean I go back to when your
dad played. I was sitting up in section one twenty nine,
uh and uh watching number nineteen catch balls and he uh,
you know played a short time after a gout named
Dererick Ramsey who was a strong leader. And then guys
like you know, Keenan and West say there have been others,
but those are just always three that kind of come

(24:27):
to my mind that that's, you know, kind of a
common theme in some of the better UK teams is
that kind of strong leadership, you know, Cash and Drake
and Landing, that trill of Kentucky boys there and the
you know, middle part of the last decade also was
there at the top of the list. Uh.

Speaker 2 (24:45):
Let me ask you.

Speaker 1 (24:45):
About your interview with coach Stoops and you know, maybe
you're gonna do some some more of that kind of stuff.
I think they're using you to be the kind of
team reporter.

Speaker 2 (24:54):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (24:54):
Why is that fun for you? And what did you
like about how your interview with coach Dupes went.

Speaker 8 (25:01):
I feel like it's month for me personally, because like
I can just be in front of the camera and
just be myself. I like to do that after ball
is over with. I want to be a coach. So
it's just helped me just become more well spoken than
that in that field. But what was take a part
of that question?

Speaker 1 (25:18):
And just what did you take away from your chat
with Coach Stoops?

Speaker 7 (25:22):
Oh?

Speaker 8 (25:22):
I mean, I just like seeing, you know a little bit,
because I don't really get to talk to him too
too much because obviously he's a busy man and we're
busy doing a lot of things, and so I just
kind of just gotta I kind of just got a
feel for how he feels like the season is going
to go a little bit more. And on top of that,
just we got to ask him some fun questions. So
that's always fun just to get to know somebody's sponsor.
You know, he wasn't he wasn't Coach Stops right there,

(25:44):
he was Mark Soops.

Speaker 2 (25:45):
So yeah, yeah, I thought.

Speaker 1 (25:47):
You know, the in the movie Remember the Titans, there's
that scene where the Denzel Washington character has you know,
guys on one side of the ball, learned something about
a teammate and you guys did some of that. I
heard coach stops say, yes, I how how did that go?
I mean, was it kind of was it awkward at
all for guys or did they have fun with it?

(26:07):
Did they enjoy it? Did it pull you together?

Speaker 2 (26:10):
Uh?

Speaker 8 (26:10):
We had fun with it. We got a lot of
guys that are that are that are that are goofy.
That's the right word to put it. They're goofy. So
we had we had fun with it. And just like
I feel like things like that, you know, it's just
it's helpful for the team, Like you know what I'm saying,
Just doing some goofy little stuff like that, it could
really just bring us together. And during the spring, we

(26:31):
actually did a competition series after every single practice and
one of those was the lineman catching punts and I
can't lie that was that was that was really fun
Like that was really funny, and like to watch it
on film and see other people's reaction when certain lineman
dropped the ball like it was funny, like cam OWDs,
he dropped to his knees and he was rolling on
the ground. Because we could have feeled a way as

(26:52):
the defense, but a ball got dropped. But then we
end up winning that day anyway. But yeah, it's just
things like that. It's just, you know, I feel like
things that really bring the team together the most.

Speaker 1 (27:02):
So the natural fan question is gonna be were any
of those guys good at it?

Speaker 8 (27:05):
Yeah, we had we had a few good guys at it.
I can't remember exactly what the top of my head,
I remember who dropped it, but I'm I'm not gonna
say his name. I remember who dropped it, but I
can't remember. I think we only had it on the
defense end. One person drop it and everybody else, like
you know, everybody else they caught it and stuff like that.
And after the last person caught it, we we we
attempted to run to the end zone, but you know.

Speaker 7 (27:28):
After practice so like that, you be tired.

Speaker 8 (27:30):
So we stopped probably at the fifties, and then we
all just celebrated, but we all ran down to him.
At first celebrated was like ron and Ronald. We got
like the fifty and then you know, we went up
to coach. But yeah, things like that. It's always fun.

Speaker 1 (27:42):
I remember talking to again in Dallas. Oh it's great.
Defensive back here's in the Hall of Fame from those
great teams in the seventies. And he told a story
because you know they had they won two games in
nineteen seventy five and then won, you know, the Peach
Bowl next year. Then they came back when the Peach
Bowl the next year and then went ten and won
the following year. And he said, one of the things

(28:04):
that happened is the players became accountable to each other.
So it didn't coaches didn't have to hold guys accountable.
Players you know, held each other accountable. It kind of
sounds like from what you're saying that you're seeing that
kind of thing happen even though it's such a new team.

Speaker 8 (28:17):
Yes, most definitely. I can. I can say like in
the weight room, we've been doing that too, and like
if anybody's in, you know, uh, I'm trying to find
a clean order for if anybody's.

Speaker 1 (28:30):
In pulling their weight so to speak, not pulling their
weight so to speak.

Speaker 8 (28:35):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're even not pulling their weight, then
we're quick to tell them about themselves. And you know,
I feel like things like that that's what you need, Like, yeah,
in a team like that and coach sous. That's one
thing that he harped on a lot last year when
we were going through like our little you know, our
bad moments, is he just needs a player led team.
And he talked about I remember at the end of
the Louisville game, he just talked about, you know, whoever's

(28:57):
coming back next year, we better be ready to work.
And he talked about he shouldn't he shouldn't have to
leave the team. We should hold each other accountable and
want to play for our brother beside us. And I
feel like during this year is matt and drills and
we're going through it during the winter, you've seen a
lot of that, like people just like pulling away and
just wanting to play for their brother. And that's I mean, wanting,
you know what I'm saying, to fight for their brother

(29:18):
because obviously it's not fun, uh, sitting there and you
gotta you know, it's pedal to the metal there, Matt
and drills, like you know, it's a lot of running
and stuff like that. So it's just you've seen a
lot of leadership there and that carries on to the field.

Speaker 1 (29:31):
And yeah, it is I think clear to anybody listening
to this that the stuff you're saying is genuine. You're
not just kind of saying what you think fans want
to hear. Yeah, yes, and so, And that's that's the
thing that uh, you know, I think fans can feed
off of a little bit. Is uh, if you guys
believe it, then maybe they'll believe it at some point.

Speaker 8 (29:54):
Yes, sir, I hope so. And like I mean, obviously
after last year, we're going to have to win some
fans back and world. I mean, that's not anything that
we you know what I'm saying like that we we
don't know already. But I mean, I just hope that
they believe and they show up on Saturdays, and even
tho they don't show up on Saturday, just tune in
on Saturdays and then you know, the rest of it
just gonna take care of itself, because I really do
feel like that we're wanting to have a better season

(30:16):
than we did last year. And all that I'm saying
it's not just for you know, it's not fake. It's
really it's really we've been putting in the work. We've
put it in the time, we're putting the energy in
the effort just to make sure that we don't have
a season like we did last year.

Speaker 1 (30:28):
And that's a great thing about sports, is that for
all the talk, you get to go prove it on
Saturdays once the game starts.

Speaker 8 (30:36):
Yes, sir, I agree. I mean look at TCU a
few years ago when they went to the to the Natty.
They didn't have a year like like the way they
did the previous year, but they bounced back, and like
you said, that's what sports is all about, just being
able to bounce back and show how how relentless you
are when it comes to one adversity is well.

Speaker 1 (30:55):
I appreciate you doing this and know schedules are busier
than ever and you guys can you know there's no
time off for coaches or for players these days, So
I appreciate your time.

Speaker 8 (31:05):
Yes, I appreciate you for having me if you ever
need me again, and trust me, I'm aging for it.

Speaker 1 (31:09):
That is the pride of Douglas High School here in Lexington.
Ty Bryant, his dad Cisco, played for the Wildcats back
in the eighties on a couple of Hall of Fame
Bowl teams under Jerry Clayburn. I think he could have
a big year if Kentucky pulls off some surprises, maybe
even a contender for some SEC recognition. This is the
Leech Report. And I want to take a second to

(31:30):
talk about a company that was started by Kentuckians and
it is still based right here in the Bluegrass, run
by Kentuckians. That is shuffle Bean Coffee. Their commitment to
quality goes from seed to cup, starts with the best
of coffee beans, Arabica beans from Rainforest a Lions certified
farms in Costa Rica. Shuffle Bean is perfect for the
casual coffee van or the true coffee officionado. It's the

(31:52):
official coffee of rupp Aerna and the KFC I'm Center.
Pick it up at Central Kentucky Myers Stores, order through Amazon,
or get it at Shufflebean Dot. Put some hustle in
your shuffle with Kentucky's own shuffle Beam Coffee. Time for
this day in Wildcat history, and it's some birthdays to
pass along. Happy Chandler, the former Governor and Commissioner of

(32:13):
Baseball and super Wildcat fan, was born on this day,
as were two members of the Fabulous Five Wildcat Legends,
Wallace Wawa Jones and Kenny Rollins. And yesterday was also
a good day to be born to be a Wildcat Legend.
Basketball Hall of Famer Frank Ramsey was born on July
the thirteenth, as was one of the all time UK

(32:34):
football greats. Josh Heinz Allen, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars,
shift gears to Kentucky women's basketball. In this final segment
at the recent preseason press conference, tianni Key talked about
her focus for year two in the program.

Speaker 6 (32:48):
Yeah, I think, honestly a big focus throughout the season,
through the postseason, and even now. It just was just
doing the little things. Focusing on the little things. Like
Kochruck says, a lot of somehow fast you do it,
it's how you do it, So like just focusing on
those little things and doing them well and just getting stronger,
being like you said, doing the dirty work, doing whatever

(33:09):
the team needs, honestly, just being helpful and anyways what
I strive to do. So I think, you know, each
team in the SEC brings something a little bit different,
very similar though, but just getting stronger I think was
like a big focus honestly, just like dang like yeah,
like you said, banging around, I think it was fun,
but it also showed me like some things I need
to work on as well. And I think, you know,

(33:31):
taking that experience and adding it to the postseason, to
this new season, preseason all that just like like I said,
growing from that, just taking all of that absorbent and
then moving forward, you know, and.

Speaker 9 (33:42):
I can add to that like Tianni did. Last year
was her first year with a prominent role. You know,
her first three at UNC very limited. I don't know
if you know the confidence was there, if it was
instilled in her she got here last year, and it
probably took her a while all to understand that. You know,
we all believed in her wholeheartedly, and we needed her

(34:04):
to just go out there and play. And today I
was just telling her she needs so she needs to
love herself as much as I love her and uh,
and to have that kind of you know, attitude and
go out because Tianni showed us last year, you know
what she's capable of doing number one.

Speaker 6 (34:19):
Uh.

Speaker 9 (34:19):
But she was quickly our enforcer. You know, if there
was a little scuffle, Tianni had a whole different personality
and she was coming through and like, you know, you
don't you mess with us. And then this went over
here started to follow suit, and you know, so it
kind of became an attitude that, you know, yeah, we're
we're tall, we're lean, but we're also tough and uh

(34:41):
and I think a lot of people it was it
was just it was fun to watch going into the SEC.
And I've had coaches even tell me this that we
were a lot longer, uh and more athletic than they anticipated,
you know, because you watched people and they tried to
isolate us. They were like, okay, well they're not as fast,
we're going to take them off the dribbled and then
all of a sudden we were blocking their shots.

Speaker 1 (35:02):
And that, of course is coach Kenny Brooks. He was
seated between Tianni and Clara Strak and he thinks they
are going to make quite a potent combo in their
second season with UK. That's it for this initiation of
the Lead Report, present up by Bob Kat Enterprise