Mark Stoops’ ranking, Olivier Sarr’s eligibility and John Wall’s legacy in D.C.
Friday links:
Mark Stoops ranks No. 15 on coaching list done by Brad Crawford of 247Sports. “It wasn’t long ago that LSU Coach Ed Orgeron furiously walked back to his team’s locker room inside Tiger Stadium after a 29-point shutout loss to Alabama, the program’s eighth straight overall to its SEC West rival, vowing to never let it happen again. Now one of the nation’s highest-paid coaches coming off a national championship, Orgeron’s nightmares about Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide aren’t as common these days.”
Will Olivier Sarr be eligible?, asks Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader. “Rick Allen, the founder of Informed Athlete, a service that helps college athletes navigate the NCAA rules and transfer process, told the Herald-Leader on Thursday that he couldn’t think of a past transfer case comparable to Sarr’s, where the head coach was fired so close to the deadline to enter the draft.”
UK announced its Hall of Fame class, reports H-L. “Six individuals from four different University of Kentucky sports were named Thursday to the school’s athletics Hall of Fame. Chanda Bell (softball), Sawyer Carroll and AJ Reed (baseball), Ron Mercer and Wayne Turner (men’s basketball) and Danny Trevathan (football) will be enshrined as Kentucky’s class of 2020.”
Amani Gilmore is in the transfer portal, reports Josh Edwards of 247Sports. “Redshirt freshman quarterback Amani Gilmore has entered the transfer portal. His first collegiate play came against Tennessee-Martin but he did not record any statistics. Gilmore was rated an 85 by 247Sports coming out of Amite High School in Louisiana. He was regarded as the nation’s No. 32 pro-style quarterback with an additional offer from Tennessee.”
Former UK player on COVID-19 front line, reports Hayes Gardner of the Courier-Journal. “A few months ago, Jeremy Jarmon didn’t have to don head-to-toe protective gear during taxing 12-hour shifts, didn’t have to leave his shoes outside of his house when he got home, and didn’t have to use rubbing alcohol to disinfect his cuticles and nail beds and hair.”
Looking at John Wall’s decade in D.C., by Jerry Brewer of the Washington Post. “Add it to the growing list of things we won’t celebrate in 2020: Next month marks the 10th anniversary of the Washington Wizards selecting John Wall with the first pick of the 2010 NBA draft. If you want cake, make it the shape of hand sanitizer. Actually, it is a safe assumption that, even if the novel coronavirus hadn’t forced us into isolation, there would be limited recognition of Wall’s decade in the District. That is understandable considering he hasn’t played since December 2018, but it is still disappointing.”
NCAA enforcement strikes back at Kansas, reports Mark Schlabach of ESPN. “The NCAA enforcement staff said Kansas’ basketball program committed ‘egregious’ and ‘severe’ rules violations that ‘significantly undermine and threaten the NCAA Collegiate Model,’ and alleged that Jayhawks Coach Bill Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend ‘embraced, welcomed and encouraged’ Adidas employees and consultants to influence high-profile basketball recruits to sign with Kansas.”
No sports with large crowds in Oregon, reports Sam Cooper of Yahoo Sports. “If the highly anticipated Ohio State vs. Oregon college football game is going to take place in Eugene on Sept. 12 as scheduled, it will likely be played without fans. Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday that the state of Oregon will take initial steps toward reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic on May 15.”
Alabama AD says July decision needed, reports Mike Rodak of AL.com. “I think when we get into late June and the first week of July, we’re gonna have to make some decisions,” Greg Byrne told a group of ticket-holders and donors. “Coach Saban and I have had a number of discussions about it: what do we need for the safety of our kids to be able to come back and be ready, be football ready at the SEC level?”
Wilbur Hackett is graduating, reports Josh Sullivan of the Herald-Leader. “More than 50 years after he helped break the color barrier in the Southeastern Conference, Wilbur Hackett will earn his degree from the University of Kentucky. Hackett, a three-year starter at linebacker for the UK football team, is among 76 athletes who are on track to graduate from the school following the end of the spring semester on Friday.”
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 7:52 AM.
