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If you were looking for reasons to be optimistic about the upcoming Kentucky football season, don’t look at the results of the SEC Football Media Days poll.
It was no surprise that Texas received 96 votes to be the No. 1 team in the Southeastern Conference and Georgia got 44 to place second. Both are again expected to be top five teams and definite national championship contenders.
What about Kentucky? The good news — if you want to call if that — is that UK was not picked last in the SEC. That spot went to Mississippi State. However, Kentucky was projected to finish 15th in the 16-team league. Considering UK went 4-8 last season and has had a massive roster turnover, that 15th place projection was not a huge surprise.
Media members also picked first, second and third team players on offense, defense and special teams. Guess how many Kentucky players were named? The answer is ONE.
Punter Aidan Laros was a co-third team pick along with Devin Bale of Arkansas.
Former UK offensive lineman Dave Hopewell, an Alabama native who now lives in Harrodsburg, was on Kentucky’s 1977 team that went 10-1. He’s been bitterly disappointed in UK’s recent play.
“The 2024 season was a huge disappointment. We were 1-7 last year in the SEC. That hurt. If I think about it too much, I will cry now,” Hopewell said on WPBK-FM. “I don’t want that to happen ever again.
“What are our goals? My whole thing as a player is I wanted to win the SEC and win a national championship. I wanted to be undefeated. Do we ever hear our administration talking about winning a national championship in football? Never happens. We hear about in baseball, volleyball and even baseball. But not football.”
Hopewell was just warming up.
“In football I keep hearing that we want to be productive. I am so tired of that. Bring a coaching staff in here that sets a goal of winning a national championship,” Hopewell said. “I am getting disappointed, I am losing interest, I don’t see the (college) president and AD emphasizing what can we do to get there.
“I see complaining about money and NIL killing us. I think if we bring the right coach in ,,, he (UK coach Mark Stoops) has a lot to prove this year. Prove us wrong. I want to see somebody who has the desire to win. I am not saying I am giving up but it is time for a change in the way we think.”
And Hopewell shared these feelings before he knew the results of the preseason SEC media polls that showed UK absolutely no respect.
5 Responses
It's a put up or shut up year for Mark Stoops. Even with a weak bowl game his time is over. I agree with Dave. It's always we aren't trying to make any headlines. Or we are just going to work hard and prove that we are a .500 team in the sec? Where's the passion?. We are 0-0 and you would think we are 0-1 the way the administration talks in gloom about everything. Stoops needs to get Kentucky back to another Shitty bowl and he needs to step down. So he can say hey I didn't find Kentucky bowl bound or close to it. Here is Kentucky in a better situation than I found it. We need someone to take us to the next level. Stoops can go to the music city bowl with the best of them. As far as a playoff run or close to it. I doubt he ever accomplishes that. If he could ever prove anyone wrong this is the year to prove people wrong.
Once again, you nailed it – proving why you at Mr know IT ALL !!!
I won’t post any comments, but instead give you a big thumbs up! Don’t want to trigger any unhealthy reactions if someone reads my comments & disagrees.
Stoops knows the waters hot. He should want to leave Kentucky better than he found Kentucky. This is the year to do it. I'm honestly tired of him and his dumb "Youngstown" personality." Back me in a corner and I'm going to fight my way out "lol. Thats what Stoops says is the Youngstown in him. I can tell his brother Bob was the smarter kid in the family hence he was very successful at everything he did. Mark and Mike are the stupid brothers who can't do anything right. Youngstown has nothing to do with it. They play a boring style of football and big ten football in Youngstown!
You are a good one to call somebody stupid!
He can fight his way out of the corner just like how our players do want to fight and get penalized. How about think your way out of the corner? He can't do that.