Connect with us

Football

Jordan Anthony Talks About Being a World Class Sprinter and an SEC Wide Receiver

Published

on

UK Athletics

Jordan Anthony is a heck of an athlete. Coming into the Kentucky football program as a freshman wideout this season, Anthony was ranked as a four-star recruit and a top-20 athlete in the country by 247 Sports. Yet, he may be even more impressive in another sport, track.

Running a 100m time of 10.14 and a 200m time of 20.52 Anthony was the fastest prospect in the 2022 class. Furthermore, according to the International Association of Athletics Federations, Anthony’s times rank 2nd and 4th in the world in the under 18 category, classifying him as a world-class sprinter.

Just for reference. prior to choosing Kentucky, Anthony’s impressive abilities earned him scholarship offers from elite track and field programs such as LSU, Alabama, and Florida State. These were in addition to his football offers from programs such as Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State.

Advertisement

Anthony’s speed and versatility have allowed him to become a two-sport athlete, as he is also running for the Kentucky track and field team, and just recently finished sixth in the under 20 United States 100m final.

I was able to catch up with him on Wednesday’s media day and talk to ask him some questions about balancing both sports. Let’s check it out!

How are you enjoying your time at Kentucky so far?

I am enjoying it, it is exactly what I wanted. When I committed, I knew what I was coming into and I was looking forward to it. It’s been a great experience.

How are you balancing being a two-sport athlete?

It’s just like high school, a walk in the park, just with a different uniform and bigger and better things. People don’t realize, Coach Ed (Eddie Gran) is really our track coach. That’s really our secret. Everything we do is track based, from the twitch to the movements.

Advertisement

What about the conditioning aspect? Given that both sports require different abilities?

It’s not really that hard. Track prepares you for a long time. You can run the 100m, that is a straight shot, it’s almost like running the length of the football field. Track prepares you overall.

First-round NFL draft pick or Olympic sprinter?

I’m going for both. I want to be the best dual-athlete ever, better than Bo Jackson.

When are we going to see a race between you and Barion Brown?

I don’t think he wants it. He has been ducking.

Advertisement

Football

Ray Davis Shows Selflessness and Humility After Historic Performance

Published

on

Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis (1) walks off the field after the game against the Florida Gators at Kroger Field.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky running back Ray Davis put up a performance for the ages on Saturday against Florida, one that put him among the top of the Kentucky Football record books.

Davis rushed for a career-high 280 yards, the third most in Kentucky football history, which included three rushing touchdowns and one reception for a touchdown. Close to the single-game Kentucky record for rushing yards, Davis stayed humble after the game, giving credit to his offensive line.

“You’ve got to give credit to the O-line and the receiver corps,” Davis said after the game. “These guys were blocking downfield. I was just staying with it.”

Advertisement

When asked about his historic performance, Davis declined to take any individual credit, citing the “collective unit” made history. “I didn’t make history, our O-Line made history. WE ran for over 300 yards. As a collective unit, we made history.”

Davis’ performance earned him SEC Offensive Player of The Week, while also establishing himself as one of the SEC’s top running backs.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Football

NFL Analyst Dan Graziano Expects Will Levis To be Titans Starter Soon

Published

on

ennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) walks to the field before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Nissan Stadium.
© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Many analysts and folks around the NFL expected Will Levis to be a top pick in the NFL Draft. It was already odd to see Levis fall out of the top ten, but when he fell out of the first round, people were shocked.

However, it didn’t take long for Levis to find a new home. With the 33rd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans drafted Will Levis. Surely, Levis would become the starter in Nashville, right?

The Titans have an aging, declining quarterback in Ryan Tannehill, and the Malik Willis experiment seems to have failed. Despite those things, Levis is playing second string alongside Willis.

Advertisement

Tennessee is 2-2, coming off a 27-3 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite that, it may be time for a change at QB, and NFL analyst Dan Graziano thinks that change is coming.

Graziano said it is NOT an overreaction to think that Will Levis will be the starting quarterback for the Titans by November.


With the Titans heading toward impending doom as they fall to the bottom of the AFC South, why not give Levis a shot? After all, he was just drafted with a 2nd round draft pick, and the sky is the limit for him.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Football

RECAP: Three Takeaways from Kentucky’s Historic Win Over Florida

Published

on

Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis (1) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Florida Gators at Kroger Field.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday was a fun day in Lexington, Kentucky. The BBN was up and early, energized and ready to go as the Florida Gators came to town. However, Mark Stoops’ team was just as ready for the game. The Cats took a big lead early and never looked back as they won 33-14.

To start the game, Ray Davis set the tone early with a 22 yard run, a receiving touchdown, and then a massive 75 yard dash to the house. Kentucky would lead 16-0 after fifteen minutes of play.

The 2nd quarter was pretty uneventful for the most part, but Ray Davis would score his third touchdown of the day, and Florida would answer with their own touchdown via Graham Mertz finding Hayden Hansen in the end zone. UK led 23-7 at the break.

Advertisement

To begin the 2nd half, Ray Davis would score his fourth touchdown of the day. Then, Mertz would find superstar receiver Ricky Pearsall for a 33 yard touchdown. Heading into the 4th quarter, Kentucky was up 30-14.

Brad White and the defense would stop Florida again and again, and Alex Raynor would put the icing on the cake to make the final score 33-14. Kentucky would end up beating Florida for the third consecutive season.

Execution on Defense

Other than a couple of big plays, Kentucky held their own against the Florida Gators offense. Coming into the game, everyone knew that Florida was a run heavy team fueled by a two headed monster in the backfield in Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr.

All week long, Brad White and Coach Stoops preached that it was imperative for Kentucky to execute. They noted that physicality and technique were going to be key in this game.

Advertisement

From making open field tackles to getting pressure in the backfield, Kentucky did everything they needed to do on the defensive side of the ball. Very impressive game from Coach White and his unit.

Big Blue Wall Finally In Gear

One of the biggest surprises of the day was that Kentucky’s o-line really dominated against Florida. The Gators have a very big, strong, and rather athletic front seven, but they were no match for Kentucky.

Suddenly, all of those costly holding calls were nonexistent. There were no bad snaps, and of course, they paved the way to Ray Davis’ historic game. Despite finishing with 280 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, Davis had to give credit to the guys up front.

“I didn’t make history. Our o-line made history… As a collective unit, we made history.” The offensive line did all the small things right. However, they did the big things right too, and it resulted in making history.

Advertisement

This Team Can be Special

Now, time for the news that the BBN wants to hear: the 2023 Kentucky Wildcats can be special. Kentucky is 5-0 for only the third time in school history. The first two times? 2018 and 2021.

It won’t be an easy road for Kentucky from here on out. The brutal gauntlet of the SEC schedule is here, and the Cats will face the toughest team they will all season, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.

We’ve already seen some special stuff from Kentucky over the last several seasons. 10-win seasons and Citrus Bowl wins are cool, but maybe this is the year UK takes the next step. For that to happen, Kentucky must do the impossible next week.


You can view the full box score from UK’s 33-14 win below:

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Trending