He grew up in California but didn’t start out playing football. Instead, Jordan Anthony studied the game until he was old enough to play. He eventually moved to Mississippi but didn’t even play football his freshman year of high school.
     His sophomore season he did play but was just used on defense. However, the speedy Anthony got a chance to play receiver last year for Tylertown High School and had 15 catches for 700 because of his blazing speed.
     His 100-meter dash time of 10.21 seconds ranks second in the world in the under 18 category and his 20.86 in the 200 ranks fourth according to the International Association of Athletics Federations — an organization of more than 160 countries.
     “I am not just a track guy. If you watch my film you will see I am a football guy and always will be,” said Anthony. “Football is my first love. I love blocking and bringing excitement to the game. I would rather help somebody else score by making a block than scoring myself.
     “I think I am a versatile player. If you see my film, I can break down a defense. I can sit in windows. I am a very smart guy when it comes to running routes.
     Kentucky will be happy for him to score as often as he can. He verbally committed to the Wildcats last month after also considering Mississippi, Florida State and Boston College. He also had track offers from national powers Alabama and LSU. He does plan to run track at Kentucky as long as it does not interfere with football.
     Anthony says he was “actually slow” before getting really fast in the last year. Of course, a “slow”100-meter dash to him was 10.9 seconds before he exploded on the national scene with his 10.21 at the Nike Outdoor National Championship. He did that even though he had not been training for about four months and just competed to see how he might do.
     While some schools recruited him as a lockdown cornerback because of his speed, the 5-11, 165-pound Anthony says Kentucky talked “exclusively” about him as a receiver. He says new UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen told him out UK wants to “air it out” and how well he fits in with that system.

Jordan Anthony has world-class speed that he believes will fit perfectly into Liam Coen's offense at Kentucky. (Twitter Photo)

     “I think teams are going to have to be ready for us with this offense,” Anthony said. “He wants to just pick you apart and get the ball to different receivers.”
     The Mississippi receiver announced his commitment during a visit with family to Lexington but said he was committed before he ever got to campus.
     “Just nobody knew it until I committed but I was definitely planning to commit while I was in Lexington,” he said. “I trust coach (Mark) Stoops and his staff to take care of me.”
     His lead recruiter was linebacker coach Jon Sumrall.
     “Coach (Sumrall) is just Coach. He will always be himself. He will tell you what is right or wrong. He just tells you like it is and I like that,” Anthony said. “He just understood me. Kentucky will develop me as a young man and I will get a great education. A diploma lasts longer than ball. Coach (Sumrall) has been like a father figure to me.”
     Anthony’s father had a “big impact” on his life before recently passing.
     “If not for him, I would not be playing. His death gives me motivation. He had been waiting for this moment for me to be able to get a great education and play on the big stage,” Anthony said.

     If you are looking for a potential breakout star in the Kentucky defensive line this year, pay attention to 6-1, 318-pound tackle redshirt freshman Octavious Oxendine of North Hardin.
     He played in three games as a true freshman in 2020 but a lot more is being expected from the four-star recruit who picked UK over Tennessee and others.
     “He’s a very smart kid,” defensive line coach Anwar Stewart said.
     How smart? Stewart said he has used UK senior defensive lineman Josh Paschal to mentor him.
     “He is like Josh’s shadow. What Josh does, he does,” Stewart said. “He is always working with and competing against Josh. That’s what you have to do to develop and improve your skills.
     “He has taken on that with Josh and Josh is really helping him come into his own. He’s a good kid with an unbelievable work ethic, so that helps, too. I love that kid. He is one guy I push and coach hard because he wants to be great and he wants to be pushed. I am expecting a lot from him.”
     Another player to watch is sophomore defensive lineman Josaih Hayes of Mississippi. The 6-3, 310-pound Hayes played in five games last year but had what Stewart called a “really good offseason” to get ready for this year.
     “He is looking good. I watch him work out every day and he is just a powerful, explosive young man,” Stewart, a former UK defensive end/linebacker and 13-year CFL veteran, said. “By the end of the year people are going to know and love him.
    “He has a great personality. He is a momma’s boy and if I have any issues I call her and she will straighten him out. Guys just take to him. He was highly recruited out of high school and has been

     No one is going to be surprised if Nebraska transfer Wan'Dale Robinson is the X-factor of the UK offense. He's on the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award given to the nation's most versatile player and coach Mark Stoops made it clear at Media Day that Robinson would be returning kicks as well as playing receiver.
     “Wan'Dale brings a different element in the return game, along with playing wide receiver,” Stoops said.
     That is why Robinson wanted to play at UK once he decided to transfer.
     “I mean I’m super excited. I’m just glad to be home,” Robinson, a former Mr. Football at Western Hills High School, said. “Just to be able to play in front of these fans and actually have a packed house now.”
     Kentucky associate coach Vince Marrow says Robinson is “special” and will energize the UK offense.
     Robinson said it was a “pretty normal” summer for him spending time with the strength staff and not letting the hype stop him from making sure he's ready to play Sept. 4 when UK opens the season.
     “We work really hard during the offseason to be able to be ready to go now, so we are really excited to get going,” Robinson said.

     Anthony White ran for 1,758 yards and 11 touchdowns from 1997-99 and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He still ranks 13th on UK’s all-time rushing list. During those same three years with Tim Couch and Dusty Bonner at quarterback, he caught 194 passes for 1,520 yards and eight scores while averaging 7.8 yards per catch. The only UK players with more catches are Craig Yeast (208) and Derek Abney (197).
     White is also ninth on UK’s all-time career receiving yardage list with his 1,520 yards and two of those ahead of him — Yeast and Quentin McCord — were his UK teammates in the Air Raid offense. White’s 78 catches in 1998 are

the fourth best mark at UK behind James Whalen (90), Yeast (85) and Randall Cobb (84).
     Couch, Yeast, Cobb and Abney are all in the UK Athletics Hall of Fame. White is not but count UK defensive line coach Anwar Stewart, White’s one-time teammate, and TonyFranklin, White’s position coach at UK, among many who think he should be.
     White also is a co-host on WLAP Sunday Morning Sports and John McNece worked several years on Sunday mornings with White.

     Senior Alli Stumler understands as four-time defending Southeastern Conference champion and now defending national champion that the Kentucky volleyball team is going to have a big target on it this season.
     The Cats also lost three All-Americans — national player of the year Madison Lilley, Gabby Curry and Avery Skinner — off the national championship team.
     “Every year you have to find the right chemistry,” Stumler said. “Every year we bring in new players and work to find out what that team might be like in the fall. During the summer we hang out as much as we can off the court so we are ready to go when we step on the court.”
     Kentucky begins practice this week and opens the season with an exhibition match Aug. 19 at Western Kentucky and then begins regular-season play with three games in the Dayton (Ohio) Tournament Aug. 27-28.
     “We did lose some pieces of the puzzle we have been building for a while. A lot of players need to step up and they already have,” Stumler, who also earned All-America honors last season, said. “People know their roles might be different than last year and they have to step into that new role and take it.”
     Stumler said the UK volleyball culture is the point where it is “expected” that players step into whatever role they are put in and perform.
     “I think we have great incoming freshmen and players I think are ready to take on new roles,” Stumler said. “We will be totally fine and I am excited to see what this team can bring. We are excited for the challenge coming up.”

     Kentucky football commit Grant Bingham of Johnson Central will open his season with two games in Lexington. Johnson Central will play Aug. 20 at Henry Clay and Aug. 27 at Lexington Catholic — two easy chances for UK fans in central Kentucky to see him play.
     Johnson Central coach Jim Matney says his 6-6, 300-pound all-state offensive lineman is a “solid player” that continues to try and get better.
     “We are trying to get him ready for UK,” Matney said. “We have had several kids out of the mountains do well in the line in college including recently with the boys from Belfry at Louisville and UK. A lot of schools are having success with mountain kids and he will be one because he’s a tough kid.”
     Matney understands it’s important to let Bingham work on skills he’ll need at UK.
     “We want to have him ready for Kentucky so we work on his overall package. He does not do a lot of pass blocking with us. We try to put in some extra time (with pass blocking) to get him ready for college,” the Johnson Central coach said. “He’s not had any letdown in his workouts since he committed to Kentucky.
     “He has been pretty level headed despite turning down Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami and others. He’s a little bigger now but it is good weight he has put on. You can see he is thicker.”

  Quotes of the Week

Quote of the Week 1:

     “I am definitely looking forward to having big Oscar on the team. He will be a big presence inside and give us an element we didn’t have last year,” Kentucky guard Davion Mintz on having transfer Oscar Tshiebwe on this year’s team.

Quote of the Week 2:

     "As a younger kid I think it is extremely, extremely important. I do wish I would've played more sports in high school,” Kentucky quarterback Will Levis on playing multiple sports growing up.

Quote of the Week 3:

     “Just trust in the process, giving the glory to God. It’s all the season, hard work, dedication, and just really grateful to be able to represent my country and just have this opportunity,” former UK track star Sydney McLaughlin to NBC’s Lewis Johnson after winning an Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles.