Tag: kentucky football

Is Maxwell Hairston playing today? Injury updates for the Kentucky cornerback

Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston is dealing with a shoulder injury. Here are the latest updates.

Kentucky football plays Auburn on Saturday night and it’s a must win game. The Wildcats have lost two straight games and find themselves with a 3 – 4 record overall, and just 1 – 4 verus SEC opponents.

Injuries have certainly played a part in Kentucky’s recent struggles. They’ll be without multiple starters once again when the play the Tigers.

One of their stars, Maxwell Hairston, has been dealing with an injury that has cause him to miss Kentucky’s last three games. What is his status for Saturday?

Maxwell Hairston injury update

Maxwell Hairston will miss his fourth consecutive game against Auburn with a nagging shoulder injury.

How long will Maxwell Hairston be out?

His long-term status is still unknown at this point. He’s the most talented cornerback on the team, and his return would be a huge boost.

Kentucky cornerback depth chart

D.J. Waller will likely start in place of Waller, with Freshman Terhyon Nichols certain to play as well. Auburn’s offense isn’t one of the higher-scoring in the nation, but they do pass the ball well. With Hairston out, Kentucky will need the secondary to bounce back after a tough game against Florida.

Staff predictions for week nine’s matchup between Kentucky and Auburn

Here is the staff prediction for Kentucky football against Auburn on Saturday.

 

Kentucky football finds themselves in a must win situation going into week nine of the college football season. After two consecutive losses, first to Vanderbilt, then to the Florida Gators, the Wildcats are 3 – 4, and in serious danger of missing a bowl game for the first time in eight years.

The struggles on offense for Kentucky are well documented. Outside of their wins over Southern Miss and Ohio, points haven’t come easily. The defense has mostly been solid, but the offense hasn’t been able to keep pace.

Related: SEC power rankings after week eight

This week, the Wildcats take on the Auburn Tigers, who have also had a tough 2024 season. They’re 2 – 5 on the year, and winless against SEC teams.

Here is the staff prediction for Kentucky versus Auburn on Saturday.

Vance Meek – Lead Writer

Kentucky 21 – Auburn 17

The backs of the Kentucky Wildcats are against the wall. Fans are beginning to call for Mark Stoops’ job, and are questioning the addition of quarterback Brock Vandagriff. If there is any fight in them, it will show up this week against Auburn.

With injuries to the running back unit, Kentucky will be forced to utilize their talented receivers more, and take more shots down the field. There’s still a chance that they struggle to score more than a few times, but against Auburn, three touchdowns might be enough.

Tight end recruit Mikkel Skinner commits to Kentucky football

Kentucky football gained a commitment from 2025 tight end Mikkel Skinner.

A few months ago, Kentucky football was zeroing in on 2025 tight end Mikkel Skinner, and were working to recruit him to Lexington. The highly touted prospect was set to be a key piece of the class.

In the end, though, Skinner committed to Cincinnati. It was disappointing, but the Wildcats and their staff moved on, and put together a solid class despite missing on him. Things change in current college football world, though.

Related: Where Kentucky ranks in SEC power rankings

Three months after committing to Cincinnati, Skinner announced that he was decommitting. Kentucky jumped right back into the recruitment, and it as paid off. On Wednesday, Skinner chose the Wildcats over offers from a plethora of other schools, including South Carolina, Ohio State, and the Florida Gators.

Skinner is ranked as the number 182 overall player in the 2025 class by 247sports. He is rated four stars, and is the number 11 tight end in his class. This is a great pickup for Kentucky at a position of need.

J.J. Weaver is a semi-finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award

Kentucky football’s J.J. Weaver is one of 20 semi-finalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award.

Kentucky football had several players who were on the preseason lists from college football awards. Defensive lineman Deone Walker was up for multiple awards. Linebacker J.J. Weaver was up for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, and now, it has been announced that he’s a semi-finalist.

On Tuesday, the 20 semi-finalists were announced, and Weaver made the cut. The Senior is one of the Wildcats’ leaders, and is one of six semi-finalists from SEC teams.

Related: Where does Mark Stoops’ salary rank nationally?

Here is his bio on the Witten award site:

Weaver is a four-year letterwinner and a standout linebacker for the Cats and a member of the Wuerffel Trophy and Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch Lists. Elected as a captain in three straight seasons by his teammates, Weaver overcame a torn ACL as a freshman then the sudden loss of both his father and his beloved high school coach a year later. His strong will to return established him as a leader, and he has become an advocate for mental health and grief counseling. He has established a foundation that has organized a bike drive and a back-to-school event in his hometown of Louisville. Last year, he launched a peer-led, first-of-its-kind grief counseling group on UK’s campus.

The Witten award is given to the player who displays exemplary leadership as voted by a selected committee. Three finalists will be named on December 16th, and the winner will be named on February 12th. Good luck to J.J. Weaver.

How much would it cost to move on from coach Mark Stoops

Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops is on the hot seat, but how much would a buyout cost?

Just a few short weeks ago, Kentucky football upset Ole Miss, who were ranked in the top five, and coach Mark Stoops was the toast of Lexington. Since then, things have gone downhill, and many fans are wondering if a new coach is needed.

Recently, USA Today sports released their annual Coaches Compensation Report, detailing the salaries of the head coaches of college football. Stoops comes in as the ninth highest paid coach of 2024 at just over $9 million.

Related: Best photos from Kentucky’s loss to Florida

So, how much would it cost to buyout the remainder of Stoops’ contract?

If Kentucky wanted to move on, it would cost them $44,437,500. That’s a steep sum to cough up just a couple of years after signing him to an extension.

The Stoops era of Kentucky football has been one of the most successful runs in school history. However, expectations are higher now as well. With the team at 3 – 4, and a very difficult schedule the rest of the way, it looks like a bowl game might not happen.

If they finish under .500, and miss a bowl game, the segment of the fanbase looking to move on will grow louder. Then the school will have to decide if they want to spend $44 million to go in a new direction.

The best photos from Kentucky’s loss to Florida on Saturday

Here are the best images from the Kentucky football loss to Florida on Saturday.

The Kentucky football team went into Saturday night’s game with the Florida Gators hoping to get back over .500, and get their bowl game chances back on track. The left the game with a blowout loss and more questions than answers.

Once again, the Wildcats offense struggled to score points. Outside of one long pass to Barion Brown, quarterback Brock Vandagriff wasn’t able to generate big plays, and the running game wasn’t enough to carry them.

Related: The US LBM Coaches Poll after week eight

The defense, which has been solid this season, wasn’t at their best either on Saturday. They surrendered 48 points, and just weren’t able to get stops when they needed them. Florida’s Freshman quarterback D.J. Lagway only needed seven completions to amass over 250 yards, as the Kentucky defense offered little resistance.

The pictures from the game tell the story of Florida doing whatever they wanted against Kentucky. Here are the best photos from the game.

Kentucky football missed a chance to get back into the US LBM Coaches Poll

Kentucky football falls further away from the US LBM Coaches Poll after a week eight loss to Florida.

If Kentucky had any hopes of getting back into the running for the US LBM Coaches Poll this week, it was quickly put to rest after kickoff.

Saturday night was a disappointing one for Kentucky football and Wildcats fans. Those who were hoping that the loss to Vanderbilt was just a slight hiccup were proven wrong, and Kentucky lost to Florida 48 – 20.

The Gators got out in front early, and then pulled away in the second half. Kentucky’s offense continued its trend of being unable to get on track, and just getting out-scored.

Related: Mark Stoops’ salary rank among college football coaches

In the SEC as a whole, there was another big shake-up, with the Georgia Bulldogs knocking off the top ranked Texas Longhorns. Georgia is now the highest ranked team in the conference, at number two. Vanderbilt also enters the top 25 this week.

Overall, nine SEC teams are inside the top 25 after week eight. Here is the full US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25:

 

Rank Team Record Points
1 Oregon 7-0 1,323 (51)
2 Georgia 6-1 1,238 (2)
3 Penn State 6-0 1,197
4 Ohio State 5-1 1,107
5 Miami (FL) 7-0 1,087
6 Texas 6-1 1,082
7 LSU 6-1 946
8 Tennessee 6-1 916
9 Clemson 6-1 907
10 Iowa State 7-0 829
11 Notre Dame 6-1 809
12 BYU 7-0 740
13 Indiana 7-0 651
14 Texas A&M 6-1 641
15 Alabama 5-2 554
16 Kansas State 6-1 488
17 Missouri 6-1 486
18 Ole Miss 5-2 444
19 Boise State 5-1 379
20 Pittsburgh 6-0 359
21 Illinois 6-1 347
22 SMU 6-1 249
23 Army 7-0 185
24 Navy 6-0 115
25 Vanderbilt 5-2 37

Kentucky falls under .500 with a blowout loss to Florida

Kentucky suffered a blowout loss to Florida on Saturday night, dropping their record to 3 – 4.

The 2024 Kentucky football season has been an up and down one so far, and lately, more down than up. After falling to Vanderbilt last week in a sloppy performance, the Wildcats weren’t able to bounce back, and lost a second straight game, this one to the Florida Gators 48 – 20.

The Kentucky offense struggled once again, as it has all year. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff found Barion Brown for a long touchdown in the first half, but overall, he was inefficent, going 12-of-26 for 165 yards. He also had two interceptions.

Related: Where Mark Stoops ranks in salary

On the other side of the ball, a Wildcats defense that had been very good all season, was torched for 476 total yards and 48 points. Florida Freshman D.J. Lagway started at quarterback and completed only seven passes, but they went for 259 yards.

Kentucky’s record now stands at 3 – 4, and a trip to a ninth straight bowl game is in serious jeopardy. They will now have to beat one of Louisville, the Tennessee Volunteers, or the Texas Longhorns to get to six wins.

The Auburn Tigers are up next, and they are struggling this season as well. It is now a must-win game for Kentucky or the season is basically over.

The loss to Florida snapped a three-game winning streak over the Gators.

Where does Mark Stoops rank among highest paid college football coaches?

Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops makes over $9 million in 2024. Where does that rank among college football coaches?

USA Today Sports has released it’s annual Coaches Compensation Report, and contains the salaries, bonuses, and buyouts and where they rank among their peers for the 2024 college football season. So where does Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops rank?

Stoops will make a total of $9,013,600 for this season, including a $9 million base salary plus bonuses. That makes him the ninth highest paid coach this season in the country. It’s the fifth highest in the SEC.

Related: Staff predictions for Kentucky vs Florida

Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart leads the way at over $13 million, Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns is second in the SEC and third overall at over $10 million, and Kalen DeBoer of the Alabama Crimson Tide is at $10 million, putting him 3rd in the SEC and seventh overall.

There’s little doubt that the Stoops era at Kentucky has been one of the more successful in school history. They have been to eight straight bowl games, and have managed to be relevant in a tough SEC. He earned an extension in 2022, and is now paid as a top ten head coach.

Staff prediction for Kentucky football’s matchup with Florida

Here is the UKWildcatsWire staff prediction for the Kentucky football game with Florida on Saturday.

Kentucky football looks to bounce back this week after a shocking loss to Vanderbilt. The loss dropped them to 3 – 3, and 1 – 3 in SEC play. Defensively, they’ve been excellent, but the offense has struggled mightily all season.

The Florida Gators are up next for Kentucky. They are also 3 – 3 this season, and have looked strong at times. At other times, however, they’re inconsistent and look like a bottom of the conference team. They enter the game with the Wildcats without their starting quarterback, instead leaning on talented Freshman D.J. Lagway.

Related: Five things to watch for in Kentucky vs Florida

It’s a game that could go either way. Kentucky has won their last three meetings, but if the offense goes missing again, they won’t have a chance.

Here is the prediction from UKWildcatsWire:

Vance Meek – Lead Writer:

Florida 24 – Kentucky 13

Kentucky’s defense can keep them in any game, as they have proven all season. However, the offense is just struggling to put up points. The playcalling is conservative, possibly to try and make it easier on quarterback Brock Vandagriff, but it’s not working.

The Wildcats will need to open up the offense, and make some plays down the field. If Vandagriff isn’t capable of doing it, they may need to go with the backup.