‘Leave it in a good spot.’ Kentucky AD Barnhart talks facilities, football and future.
On the eve of the most anticipated Kentucky football season ever, Mitch Barnhart provided an update on the overall landscape of UK Athletics during a Thursday morning speaking engagement in downtown Lexington.
Barnhart was the featured speaker for September’s edition of the Lexington Forum, a monthly community conversation that focuses on issues central to the growth and success of Lexington.
During the hourlong event, Barnhart participated in a moderated conversation and a question-and-answer session with a crowd of about 70 people.
Here are the highlights of what Barnhart discussed as the fall season of Kentucky athletics kicks into high gear.
Barnhart previews UK football
As far as specific team discourse goes, the Kentucky football program was the focus of several questions and discussion points directed to Barnhart.
He began the event by praising the experience the Cats will have at quarterback and on the offensive and defensive lines this season, with specific mention of UK’s potential Heisman Trophy candidate, Will Levis, behind center.
“When you’ve got a guy with experience like Will, who’s got the leadership ability that Will has, that’s helpful to us,” Barnhart said. “He’s incredibly capable athletically, incredibly smart. He’s got it ... when he walks in the locker room, he possesses the locker room.”
Barnhart also confirmed some expected news related to UK’s season-opening football game against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday night, as he said senior offensive lineman Kenneth Horsey “is probably not going to start this weekend.”
Horsey, who has been injured, is currently listed as second on the depth chart at left guard behind former Frederick Douglass High School player Jager Burton.
Barnhart said that aside from the Horsey injury, UK football will enter the 2022 season relatively healthy.
Upcoming facilities upgrades for UK Athletics
After a summer spent managing an in-house controversy related to future facility projects, Barnhart has now had two public appearances where he’s been clear about what’s next on the to-do list for UK Athletics facilities.
In both an August press conference and during Thursday’s appearance at the Lexington Forum, Barnhart listed upcoming facilities projects as:
▪ New indoor track and field facility;
▪ Renovations to Nutter Field House for UK football;
▪ New tennis facility;
▪ Extensive renovations for Memorial Coliseum.
On Thursday, Barnhart explored several of these facility topics in depth.
The new indoor track and field facility will be built on the site of Cliff Hagan Stadium, the former UK baseball venue that is currently being demolished.
Past UK track and field greats like Abby Steiner and Sydney McLaughlin — whose success on the college stage helped pave the way for the creation of the facility — were cited by Barnhart during Thursday’s event.
Barnhart said the renovations to Nutter Field House — which will now mainly house UK football with the track and field program getting its own facility — are necessary because of safety issues.
Barnhart called the facility “unsafe for football” and said UK football players would get injured when transitioning from the turf surface to the running track that surrounds it.
The new tennis facility was initially slated for the site where Cliff Hagan Stadium stood, but plans now call for the tennis facility to be built near Kentucky Proud Park, the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex and John Cropp Stadium, all of which are located in the Barnhart Family Athletics Complex on Alumni Drive.
Among the significant renovations planned for Memorial Coliseum, the most noteworthy one is the installation of air conditioning.
But, renovations to the 72-year-old venue will probably force four UK teams to practice and play elsewhere during the 2023-24 school year.
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What does the next decade look like for Barnhart, UK?
The final question posed to Barnhart during the question-and-answer portion of Thursday’s event was one that looked to the future: Ideally, what do the next 10 years hold for Barnhart and the UK athletic department?
Barnhart, whose contract runs through the 2025-26 school year, listed several goals for the next decade: To finalize new and improved athletic facilities, for the landscape of conference and school realignment in Division I athletics to settle, and for the core principles of competitiveness and education to return to the forefront of SEC discussions.
“We’ve tried to do things with as little debt as possible,” Barnhart said about UK’s athletic facilities. “Whatever we do in 10 years, I don’t want to leave it in any kind of a fire. We want it to be settled and for this thing to run smoothly and to leave it in a good spot, whenever we leave.”
Barnhart, who turned 63 last week, also said he believes it’s best for college sports if a dominant team exists within conference structures.
“My greater concern is what that leaves you with scheduling,” Barnhart said when addressing conference and school realignment. “I truly believe that every conference has got to have a dominant force that people want to go after.”
“Whether that’s an Alabama in football, a Georgia in football, a Kentucky in basketball ... I don’t believe in sports it’s good to have a bunch of 7-5, 8-4 teams in football. I don’t think you should have a bunch of 20-10 teams in basketball. You’ve got to have somebody out there that’s 28-2. You’ve got to have somebody out there that’s 11-1. Because I think that’s what people want to watch,” Barnhart added, noting the excitement that comes with underdog stories in college sports.
This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 7:58 AM.
