By LARRY VAUGHT
It was only fitting that Kentucky senior offensive lineman Kenneth Horsey was named the 2022-23 Pop Warner College Football Player of the Year because of his leadership on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
“We are so thankful for Pop Warner. He started with Pop Warner here (in Florida). He started playing flag football for two seasons and I coached the team. He played football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, Taekwondo. He did three or four seasons of baseball after flag football because I wanted to make sure we were not pushing him in a certain direction. But he fell in love with football because of Pop Warner and that got him where he is today,” said Kenneth Horsey Sr., the UK lineman’s father.
Where Horsey is today is the dean of the UK offensive line. He’s played in 37 games and started the last 33. He was a team captain last year and likely will be again this season.
No one was exactly sure what to expect after Horsey needed open heart surgery just before his high school graduation.
“We were having dinner on Easter Sunday and he got sick. We had to have an ambulance come and we found out he had a blockage/growth on his heart valve and needed surgery when we had been thinking about prom and graduation coming up in May,” Horsley’s mother, Shari, said. “The cardiologist told us nothing was wrong with the heart muscle and now here he is today. We can’t be more proud of him and everything he has gone through. We are very thankful for the support of the Kentucky coaches and medical staff. It was all very scary.”
Horsey was one of three winners of the 2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year. He was named to the AllState Good Works Team for his volunteer work with the American Heart Association in 2021.
His mother admits she has “calmed down some” from his first season at UK when he redshirted and did not play in a game.
“I do still send him a text pretty much every day. The first year or so, I called pretty much every day. I needed to know how he was feeling because he went through a period that first year he was trying to do more than he should,” she said. “Now it is down to a text in the morning of calling him on my way to church on Sundays.”
Horsey’s father said initially he was reluctant to speak about his experience because he wanted to be known more for his play on the field.
“Then he saw how his story impacted other people and how it could help,” Kenneth Sr. said.
His mother had no brothers and “did not grow up in the world of football” and sometimes can’t believe all her son has done.
“It used to be if you wanted her to leave the room, all you had to do was turn on football. Now she is telling us plays,” Horsey’s father said.
Shari has learned enough to know the UK offensive line was not at its best last season when her son moved from left guard to left tackle. Returning offensive coordinator Liam Coen has moved him back to left guard for the 2023 season.
“I think they have learned from what happened last year,” Shari said.
“He wanted to play in the SEC to prove he could hold his own with college football’s best player. He has taken ownership of a lot of things that happened last season. I am not sure it was all on his shoulders but he is committed to making the line a lot better this year,” Kenneth Sr. said.
The UK sixth-year lineman is motivated by the legacy of former UK offensive line coach John Schlarman. Shari remembers him sitting in their living room welcoming them to the “Kentucky family” after her son’s commitment.
“What he went through (before his death from cancer) was devastating to watch but also inspiring that he was able to keep doing what he did and inspiring players to the very end,” Shari said. “He would not give up and give in. I am very happy knowing how coach Schlarman touched Kenneth and he never fails to mention him.”
Horsey’s father said there’s a “different” emotion even now when his son speaks about Schlarman.
“When we got to Kentucky he (Schlarman) was out there helping players move into dorms. He would stop and talk to us. He had quite the impact on us and made us feel so comfortable,” Kenneth Sr. said. “We’re just blessed by how everything has gone and the path coach Schlarman helped put our son on.”
Some NBA mock drafts have Kentucky freshman guard Cason Wallace dropping out of the lottery. However, Matt Babcock — a basketball analyst, scout and advisor — really likes the “two-way” potential Wallace has that not every draft eligible player has.
“He’s terrific on the defensive end and does many little things contributing to winning,” Babcock said. “On the offensive end, I believe he has more in his bag than he was able to show this past season at Kentucky.
“Like TyTy Washington’s role the year before, Wallace played primarily off the ball due to his lack of size due to Sahvir Wheeler’s need to play on the ball. However, I think Wallace has the potential to become a bit more dynamic as an on-ball creator and point guard.
“And if he does, that’s where he can really tap into his long-term potential.”
Former Kentucky receiver Craig Yeast played with quarterback Tim Couch, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and then spent eight years playing professional football.
He’s now the head football coach at Mercer County High School and got a lot at UK commit Cutter Boley last year when Boley led Lexington Christian to a win over Yeast’s Titans.
“I never like to compare other players to former players but Tim Couch, in my opinion, is in a class of his own,” Yeast said. “Tim Couch is that guy.
“I watched Cutter cut my Titans up last year. I know he had a few injuries after that but I believe they will be right back this year making a (state) title run. Then I think he will go to UK and learn as much as possible but I think he will be phenomenal.”
Why could he be that good?
“He’s a big, strong and athletic. He has a big arm but is also extremely intelligent,” Yeast said. “I think in the offense Liam (Coen) brings to Kentucky he will be a perfect fit for everything Liam does
“He is really good at moving around and throwing on the run as well and delivering dimes. What Liam does fits Mr.. Boley perfectly.”
Yeast will get a look at UK offensive line commit Hayes Johnson when his Titans host Taylor County Aug. 19 in Harrodsburg.
“He’s big, he’s athletic and he’s physical. That tells you everything you need to know about him,” Yeast said. “I have no idea how we will stop Taylor from running behind him and how we are going to block him.”
Only 12 Division I schools had a football team play in a bowl game and also had men’s basketball and baseball teams make the NCAA Tournament. It’s a hard feat to accomplish as national football champion Georgia did not have its football or basketball teams qualify for NCAA play.
So what 12 teams qualified for postseason play in the three major men’s sports? Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee from the Southeastern Conference were three of the teams. Duke, Connecticut, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina State, TCU and Texas also pulled off that feat.
The other team — Kentucky. The Wildcats played in the Music City Bowl, reached the second round of the basketball tourney and made the Super Regional in baseball.
Which team was the most successful? TCU lost to Georgia in the national football championship game, reached the second round of the NCAA basketball tournament and made the Super Regional in baseball. Tennessee beat Clemson in the Orange Bowl, lost in the Sweet 16 and made the Super Regional. Alabama won the Sugar Bowl, lost in the Sweet 16 and got to the Super Regional.
What Kentucky basketball is doing, or not doing, with NIL continues to be a huge topic in the Bluegrass with UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart saying coach John Calipari’s team is doing better NIL-wise than any other basketball team, Calipari saying he will not guarantee NIL money and Calipari losing players in the transfer portal but unable to attract new transfers.
So what is the national perception of Kentucky basketball and NIL?
“I think with NIL a lot of teams are still trying to figure it out. There is a lot of money being thrown around and not regulated. Teams can scoop up players in the portal or lose them,” Krysten Peek, national basketball writer for Yahoo/Rivals, said.
“Kentucky is not losing its luster at all. It has a crazy recruiting class coming in. Cal and his track record and what he does to get players to the NBA is incredible and recruits pay attention. That has not changed.”
Peek said she hears “different” stories about what players are making at different schools and how much money some teams are willing to spend.
“There is not a definitive number and this is so complicated that a lot of schools are basically using a general manager to handle NIL deals,” Peek said. “NIL certainly has changed the transfer portal but high school players still see what John Calipari can do for getting them to the NBA.”
Quote of the Week: “I grew up a college football fan. It just means more in the SEC. When you wake up on Saturday morning and any town the place is alive and buzzing on game day. It’s not the same feeling I would get on Sundays in the NFL,” UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen on one reason he came back to UK.
Quote of the Week 2: “He said, ‘You have to pray for your players every day. You have to pray for your staff and you have to pray for your players’ parents. If you do that, I guarantee you, you will have a great year.’ And I’ve done my best job to try to do that,” Kentucky baseball coach Nick Mingione on advice former UK coach Keith Madison gave him when he got the job.
Quote of the Week 3: “Kentucky canceled the series last year. Kentucky and Indiana is no longer a series. They called and canceled it. It’s done. It’s the last time we’re playing unless we play in the postseason. They asked if we want to come down here. I’m not coming down here without a return trip. So it’s done,” Indiana baseball coach Jeff Mercer on starting an annual series with Kentucky.