By LARRY VAUGHT
Tim Couch couldn’t help but smile last season when he watched what offensive coordinator did with the Kentucky offense. He put the passing attack back into Kentucky football and quarterback Will Levis and receiver Wan’Dale Robinson made one think back to the days almost 25 years ago when Couch was throwing to Craig Yeast and others.
Couch started his UK career under Bill Curry but developed into the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft when Hal Mumme took over the program and brought in the Air Raid offense that reenergized Kentucky football.
“Certainly I feel quite a bit of pride in that. I was with Hal recently and we talked about how we got things started. Kentucky football was not good when Hal came. He got fans involved because of his offense and put the addition on the stadium,” Couch said. “It was a fun brand of football for players and fans.
“It really changed football across the nation. Most colleges run some type of Air Raid offense. It made its way to the NFL. It just had a huge impact on football and I am proud I was part of it.”
Couch thinks UK coach Mark Stoops, always a defensive-oriented coach, will now keep the passing game a big part of the offense every season.
“What Mark has done at Kentucky is phenomenal. I was not sure someone could sustain that success year after year . I could not be happier for him and the fan base loves him. Now add in this passing attack and it could really get to be even more fun,” Couch said.
Couch understands the hype for Levis now that he’s being projected as a first-round NFL draft pick in 2023 and potentially the No. 1 overall pick. He’s also being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate. However, Couch says Levis has one advantage he did not — a better overall team.
“They are more talented overall than we were. The offensive line, running backs, defense are all good,” Couch said. “They have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. Will surely feels like it is not all on him. He has a great running game and great defense to lean on.
“He does not have to score every time the offense has the ball for Kentucky to win. He can just play his game and make plays when they are there. That makes your job so much easier.”
Couch says Levis has to make sure he motivates teammates to put in extra work this summer on their own to be fully prepared for the 2022 season.
“I would organize offseason workouts. I would post notes through the (football) building about throwing 7-on-7 at this time on this day. I would encourage everyone to show up unless they had another responsibility at that time but made sure they all knew how important it was to be there,” Couch said.
“We would have huge turnouts for the workouts. Almost all the defensive backs, running backs, receivers would show up. It’s just something that a quarterback has to take charge of and make sure it gets done and I have no doubt Will is going to do that.”
Couch also is confident Kentucky is going to do just fine coming off its second 10-win season in the last four years.
“I love the system they have. You can win year in, year out with it,” Couch said. “They want a NFL style approach to offense now. In the past they have kept games close and been able to pull them out and win a lot of games that way.
“All you can ask for is to have a chance in the fourth quarter to win. That’s how Stoops built the team with a good defense and offense that was about the running game. It has worked great for them but now they have added a NFL style passing game and big-time quarterback to make it even better.”
Former four-time Kentucky Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year Sophie Galloway is thrilled to be competing in her first NCAA Championship this week in Eugene, Ore.
She qualified in the triple jump at the Bloomington regional with a leap of 42 feet, 9 1/2 inches — a UK freshman record, fourth best all-time at UK and her personal best in just her seventh meet at UK.
But as talented as Galloway is, she has marveled at the talent of UK senior sprinter Abby Steiner this season. Steiner is a two-time 200-meter indoor national champion, has been part of record-setting relay teams and has the school record in the 100-meter dash.
“It is so great being around Abby,” Galloway, track and basketball standout at Marshall County High School, said. “I love to pick her brain. You are sitting in the presence of a celebrity but she does not make you feel that way. She just walks around like she is happy to be here.
“I really don’t think she knows how good she is. She is such a hard worker, too. She does everything she is asked. She is just so good. She really was born special.”
There is one other thing that Galloway really likes about Steiner.
“She is quiet. Some athletes like to talk on social media and be seen. She does like to be seen and that will take her a long way,” Galloway said. “Pro coaches and sponsors looking to sign somebody to a contract want a kid who will represent the brand well. She has a clean slate, keeps her mouth shut and is very humble. And she’s incredibly fast. What’s not to like?”
Former Oak Hill Academy (Va.) coach Steve Smith sent some terrific players to the University of Kentucky before his retirement after the 2021-22 season and will have Chris Livingston joining coach John Calipari’s team next season.
The first player he sent to Kentucky was Ron Mercer, who was on UK’s 1996 national championship team and 1997 team that lost to Arizona in the national title game. He was the Naismith Player of the Year at Oak Hill.
“He had a great career at Kentucky winning one title and probably should have won the second one,” Smith said. “He got in foul trouble in the final against Arizona or I still think they would have won.
“But he had a great career and was a lottery pick (in the NBA draft). Unfortunately he had knee problems that cut his pro career short. He lives in Nashville now and plays golf all the time. If I do move that way I plan to play golf with him a lot.”
Before Livingston, the last Oak Hill player to come to UK was Keldon Johnson — who is developing into a star for the San Antonio Spurs after being a late first-round draft pick.
“Keldon had a great career at UK and is playing lights out in the NBA now,” Smith said. “I knew he would be really good but I did not know that he would be this good this quick. He’s going to sign a big contract soon.
“He plays so hard. He is not worried about points. He is going to score, rebound, defend because he wants to be a good player. HIs effort and attitude makes him a success.”
Johnson got to play in the last Olympics and Smith believes that helped his development.
“He also got to play a lot right away in the NBA and is playing for a great coach. I really believe he has a chance to be a special player in the NBA,” Smith said.
One of Smith’s favorite players at Oak Hill was Cliff Hawkins, a defensive whiz for coach Tubby Smith.
“He truly loved playing defense. He would get mad if he did not get to guard the best player on the other team no matter what size he was,” Hawkins said. “He could take a team totally out of its offense because he got after it every possession.”
Hawkins played at Oak Hill with Steve Blake (Maryland) and Ron Slay (Tennessee).
“That was probably one of my best teams and we did not have a guy over 6-7,” Smith said. “We were undefeated that year because we just really guarded people. It was the best defensive team in my 39 years at Oak Hill and that was mainly due to Cliff. Then he did the same thing in college for Tubby.”
Other players Smith sent to Kentucky were Rajon Rondo, Doron Lamb, Jules Camara and Rashaad Carruth.
Kentucky associate coach Vince Marrow knows how proud former UK offensive line coach John Schlarman would have been to see Luke Fortner drafted in the third round recently by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Schlarman could see things in guys that other O-line coaches just could not see,” Marrow said about Schlarman, who passed away late in the 2020 season from cancer. “I remember when he recruited Luke and said he could be a great center but we had Drake (Jackson). But John said way back in 2017 that he thought this kid (Fortner) could play a long time in the NFL.”
Fortner waited for his chance to play and then became a starting guard before moving to center last year after Jackson’s graduation. He played so well that Jacksonville made him the first pick in the third round — the 65th overall pick. Schlarman wore No. 65 at Kentucky during his playing career.
“Luke played every position in the O-line,” Marrow said. “He played center last season but he got a lot of starts at guard and could get you out of some games at tackle. He’s a smart young man, which is what NFL teams look for, and he is big.
“Now that he can play center and also swing and play guard, that makes him even more valuable in the NFL where teams only have eight or nine offensive linemen on game day. You have got to be versatile and that’s why Luke is going to be so valuable in the NFL.”
With the NBA Draft approaching on June 23, Kentucky All-American Oscar Tshiebwe might still be wondering if he made the right decision to not keep his name in the draft after the spectacular junior season he had.
However, Rivals/Yahoo basketball writer Krysten Peek thinks he made the right choice and should not look back.
“He is probably the smartest player that didn’t drink the Kool-Aid and get into the NBA Draft,” Peek said. “He saw the writing on the wall that at best he would be an early second round pick.
“I think he just realized how much he could make at Kentucky (off NIL deals) and also how much fun he would have competing for the school again. I hope we see more players do what he has done and stay in school. I have incredible respect for him.”
Peek thinks another year at Kentucky can help Tshiebwe change the mindset NBA personnel have about him.
“West Virginia was not a good fit for him and he came to Kentucky and just annihilated the boards,” Peek said. “Give him another year under his belt at Kentucky to show the NBA guys there is still more to his bag can only help him move up in next year’s draft.”
Quote of the Week: “My hamstring feels really good, my body feels really good. I’ll be working out with the team this summer, doing everything with the team this summer in preparation of playing this season. I’m feeling good, I’m excited,” Kentucky junior guard CJ Fredrick on his status after missing last season with injuries.
Quote of the Week 2: “You can’t replace 6 yards per carry like he averages. Not that others can’t do it, but he has proven he can do it and you know what you are getting. Other guys can be good but I am not sure anyone can be as consistent as him,” former UK all-SEC running back on UK senior running back Anthony White.
Quote of the Week 3: “You could not have asked for a better story or finish this season. We thought nothing could change if he came back. We would rather go out right now. You are hot right now and let’s go when you are on top but it was totally his decision,” Dale Robinson on why his son, Wan’Dale, decided to put his name into the NFL draft rather than play another year at UK.