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A Letter to Lynn Bowden Jr., Thank You!

Published

5 years ago

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Lynn Bowden Jr. has come a long way in his three years at Kentucky and has sacrificed himself for this program and for his “forever home” in Lexington.

On behalf of the BBN, I want to respond to Lynn with this.

Lynn “Come See About It” Bowden,

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After a 10-win season, this season had unmatched anticipation from the Big Blue Nation. After Terry Wilson and Sawyer Smith were both sidelined with injuries, that excitement turned into doubt and a 2-3 record before you took over, in what we all thought would be a waste of a season.

Yeah, we seen you return kicks, punts, and make some insane catches and plays as the best playmaker on the team, but it would be a lie to say that we didn’t have a little doubt when a wide receiver was named as the quarterback prior to the Arkansas game.

Those doubts were gone in 60 minutes when you literally carried Kentucky to a win on Jared Lorenzen Night with 176 rushing yards, 78 passing yards, ending a three-game skid with a 24-yard run to win the game.

The next eight games to close out the season were some of the most exciting games and impressive performances Kentucky football has ever seen. We seen moves quarterbacks don’t make and things quarterbacks aren’t supposed to do, but you did, and you led this team to a 6-2 record with you under center including a bowl winning pass.

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Lynn, you manufactured a season to remember, when we did not think there was a chance of that, and you did so in only EIGHT games as quarterback, when EVERYONE knew you were going to run. I mean just look at this year’s accomplishments.

    • Paul Hornung Award (Nation’s Most Versatile Player)
    • SEC Leading Rusher (1,468 yards)
    • NCAA Leading Rushing Average Per Attempt (7.9 yards)
    • Consensus First Team All-American
    • First Team All-SEC
    • Belk Bowl MVP

As a quarterback who ran the ball 20+ times a game, you sacrificed yourself and took some hard hits, but you showed heart and grittiness and always found a way to stay in the game. We can play the what if game and wander what would have been if you had played 12 games at quarterback, but one thing is for sure, you will live in Kentucky football folklore for a loooonnnnngggg time.

Let’s come see about it in the NFL!

Thank you,

The “Best Fans in the Damn Land” aka Big Blue Nation

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Football

Kentucky Athletic Collectives Rank 11th of 16 Teams in SEC, Bring in over $11 Million

Published

2 weeks ago

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December 10, 2024

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Kentucky ranks 11th of 16 SEC teams in collective fundraising.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

For better or for worse of college sports, NIL is here to stay and it certainly gives an advantage to schools with more money. Just looking at the SEC alone, collectives raised more than $200 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Unfortunately, Kentucky is ranked in the lower half of that.

According to documents from the House v. NCAA proposed settlement, Kentucky raised $11,254,204 from athletics collectives for the 2023-24 fiscal year. That ranks 11th of the 15 public universities in the SEC and is just more than half of the top collective, Texas who raised over $22 million.

Full Rankings

Rank
School NameCollective Funding
1Texas22,272,474
2LSU20,137,141
3Georgia18,326,566
4Texas A&M17,228,714
5Alabama15,995,406
6Florida15,802,237
7Oklahoma14,817,595
8Tennessee11,602,164
9Auburn11,588,953
10Arkansas11,544,039
11Kentucky11,254,204
12S. Carolina9,554,700
13Ole Miss8,872,378
14Missouri7,146,859
15Mississippi St.6,467,166
NRVanderbiltNot Available (Private School)

While collective funding is low, Kentucky has been a top 20 athletic program in total revenue, partly thanks to being a school that profits from its basketball program. Looking ahead to 2025, Kentucky is expected to stay in the top 20 nationally in athletic revenue, fifth in the SEC by bringing in an estimated 131,139,792. Ahead of programs like Georgia, LSU, Florida, and Tennessee.

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With revenue sharing coming in the near future, even more money is going to be involved in roster and program building. Schools in the Big Ten and SEC have an even bigger advantage due to their new TV deals, giving them up to an extra $70 million or more.

A new era of college sports is here. It’s time to prepare and embrace it.

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Kentucky Wide Receiver Calls for “A Lot” More Leadership and Accountability from Staff

Published

3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops walks onto the field before the game against the Louisville Cardinals.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

A poor offensive line. Inconsistent quarterback play. A lot of things led to Kentucky football’s abysmal 2024 season. However, they had the talent to finish better than 4-8, only defeating one power opponent this season. So what could have helped?

Kentucky wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin was asked that question after the Wildcats’ loss to Louisville on Saturday. To his credit, he answered honestly and professionally.

“A lot more leadership,” Maclin said. “Holding guys accountable for things. A lot more discipline for all the guys… All around, players and coaches. We’re still a team, I don’t want to point at any one person or specific group. All around we need better leadership.”

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Maclin is a junior and could return for another season. Despite talking about Kentucky taking the next step, he has not made his decision and will be returning home to talk to his family to do so. If Maclin does return, it sounds like Kentucky will have a leader in the receiving room.

Despite being a 1,000-yard receiver at North Texas, Maclin was not targeted often. However, on his 13 receptions, he caught four for touchdowns, the most of any receiver on the team.

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Kentucky Player Seen At Concession Stand During Kentucky’s 41-14 Loss to Louisville

Published

3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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A Kentucky football player was seen at buying food from the concession stand in Kentucky's 41-14 loss to Louisville.

Kentucky’s on-field product against Louisville was poor to say the least, sending 99% of Wildcat fans home early. It even sent an injured player from the sideline to get a snack…

Yes, offensive lineman Gerald Mincey, one of Kentucky’s most expensive transfer portal additions, was seen at one of the concession stands at Kroger Field during Kentucky’s 41-14 defeat.

Watching a 4-8 team is bad, but even worse to do on an empty stomach.

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Mincey is a senior and will not be returning next season, but it is nice to see him reinvesting some money back into the program.

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