Good morning from the edge of football season in the Bluegrass. Kentucky is down to two more sleeps before the Will Stein era begins, and Wednesday was packed with the kind of updates that make the wait feel a little shorter.
Stein spoke twice on Wednesday, first on his weekly SEC teleconference and then again on his weekly coaches show. Kentucky also heard from quarterback Kenny Minchey, inside linebacker Grant Godfrey and defensive lineman Tavion Gadson after afternoon practice as they looked ahead to Youngstown State. The interviews were part of the day’s buildup to Saturday.
There was also a notable change on the depth chart. Adam Zouagui will open the season as Kentucky’s starting kicker because Jacob Kauwe is dealing with an injury.
Zouagui, a transfer from South Florida, is 99-102 on PATs in his career and 11-25 on field goals. He will also handle kickoff duties.
Alex Afari is back on the roster, at least for now. Louisville Circuit Court Judge Brian Edwards ruled in Afari’s favor on Tuesday, allowing the Kentucky linebacker to join the lawsuit against the NCAA and effectively giving him a temporary restraining order to play a fifth season this fall. Afari was at practice Wednesday morning, but the matter is still tied up in ongoing NCAA court battles.
Stein said he is taking a cautious approach.
“He’s been working with us throughout fall camp,” Stein said when asked about Afari’s status on yesterday’s SEC Teleconference. “So we’re waiting for a few more things to be answered, and if those get answered, then we’ll proceed.”
“Just with everything else, I mean, there are still some things that have to happen, I think, for us to feel really confident about playing him.”
For now, Afari is eligible to play Saturday against the Penguins, though that could change depending on how the legal situation develops.
Kentucky volleyball had a clean night in Memorial Coliseum, too. No. 3 Kentucky swept UCLA 25-12, 25-18, 25-23 in the SEC/Big Ten Challenge, handing the Bruins a rough introduction to a ranked opponent.
Setter Cassie O’Brien finished with a season-high 43 assists and spread the offense around effectively. Morgan Gaerte led the way with 16 kills, Brooklyn DeLeye added 15 and Asia Thigpen chipped in 10 as Kentucky hit .346 as a team. Lizzie Carr was efficient as well, posting seven kills on .583 hitting.
“It was nice to see us battle and compete when the pressure’s on,” Craig Skinner said. “We’re always trying to push the envelope…We set a standard and we have to execute them.”
The Wildcats are 5-1 now, with their only loss coming in four sets to No. 2 Pitt.
Their next test comes Sunday in a big one: the first-ever volleyball match at Wrigley Field against No. 13 Penn State in round two of the SEC/Big Ten Challenge.
First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
On the podcast front, there are two new episodes out for Kentucky fans trying to keep up with everything. The 11 Personnel crew of Nick Roush and Adam Luckett broke down Afari’s return and previewed Saturday’s opener.
The Sources Say trio of Jack Pilgrim, Shawn Smith and Spencer Smith discussed where Kentucky basketball stands after the Mark Mitchell situation. Both are available on the KSR YouTube channel and wherever you get your podcasts.
The Kentucky-Louisville rivalry also shifts to soccer tonight. The women’s teams meet for the first time in the regular season in 10 years at The Bell in Lexington at 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
Kentucky has owned the series, leading 12-4-2 overall and 6-1-0 at home. The Wildcats are 4-1-0 after scoring nine goals in a 9-1 win over Wright State, the second-most goals in program history.
Kentucky is averaging 5.2 goals per game and has outshot opponents 112-37. Louisville also enters at 4-1-0.
Admission is free, and the first 250 students will get free pizza.
Tonight also brings a full slate of Week 1 college football warmups, with 11 FBS games on the schedule. The lineup includes Massachusetts at Rutgers at 6:00 p.m.
ET on BTN; Bethune-Bookman at UCF, Akron at Wake Forest, Merrimack at Delaware, West Georgia at Kennesaw State and UAlbany at Buffalo, all at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ or ACC Network; Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No.
25 Missouri and Colorado at Georgia Tech at 8:00 p.m. ET; Eastern Illinois at Minnesota on Peacock at 8:00 p.m.
ET; Idaho at No. 21 Utah at 9:00 p.m.
ET on ESPNU; and UAB at Illinois at 9:00 p.m. ET on BTN.
KSR’s Happy Hour returns to its usual time today at 4:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, with plenty of football talk and the usual nonsense to close out the workday.
And for anyone keeping score on the KSR+ Season Kickoff Sale, time is running out.
In Other News...
Kentuckys 2012 Title Team Just Got Left Out Of A Brutal Debate
A fresh reminder of how crowded the modern college basketball throne room has become arrived this week when CBS Sports surveyed nearly 100 Division I mens coaches about the best teams of the 21st century. Kentuckys 2011-12 title team, the one that rolled to a national championship with a 38-2 record, had to settle for sixth place in the voting, collecting 10 percent and missing the top five in a field stacked with recent powers.
The result says as much about the era as it does about one season, with the 2023-24 UConn team drawing the most support and Kentuckys 2014-15 group also getting mentioned. For Wildcats fans, it is another chance to measure John Caliparis best Kentucky teams against the sports most celebrated champions, and to wonder how a roster that delivered the program its eighth national title still winds up just outside the center of the argument. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Players Believe Fans Will Notice Something Different This Saturday
The buildup to Kentuckys season opener has already started to feel a little different around the program, with players talking openly about the anticipation of finally lining up in front of fans again. Linebacker Grant Godfrey and defensive tackle Tavion Gadson were among those sounding eager for the 2026 season, while quarterback Kenny Minchey is getting ready for his first start after spending three years waiting on the sideline for this chance.
Youngstown State comes to Kroger Field to open the season, and it should give Kentucky its first real chance to show what this new look feels like in game action. Tickets are still available, and for a fan base trying to get a read on the next chapter, Saturday offers the first glimpse of whether the energy inside the stadium matches what the players say theyve been feeling all along. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Defense Is Finally Handing A Patient Wildcat His Big Chance
Grant Godfrey has spent enough time in Kentuckys system to know that opportunity in football rarely arrives on schedule. For 2026, though, the patient linebacker is set to be at the center of it all, with the season opening Sept. 5 against Youngstown State and the defense looking to a new voice to keep everything aligned.
Godfrey has been confirmed as the units defensive signal-caller, the player wearing the green dot helmet and relaying directly with coordinator Jay Bateman. It is a meaningful step for a player who battled through early setbacks and competition before winning the job through his leadership, grasp of the playbook and the trust he built with Bateman, all of which now put him in position to steer the Wildcats defense. [Read more 🡒]