Tim Couch, who is arguably the greatest quarterback in Kentucky Football history, was nearly a Tennessee Volunteer. He had already verbally committed to Tennessee, but his final decision came down to an in-home recruiting visit in 1995, which he recently gave a story about on Kentucky Sports Radio.

Following Couch’s record-setting senior season at Leslie County High School, he was one of the most highly sought recruits in the nation. The 1995 Kentucky Mr. Football winner had offers from just about every school out there.

Couch had his mind pretty much set on where he wanted to be. The Hyden, KY native wanted to play for Coach Phillip Fulmer and the Tennessee Volunteers. In 1995, Kentucky went 4-7, while Tennessee went 11-1. Tennessee also won the Citrus Bowl that year, beating Ohio State 20-14.

Everything was falling into place for Couch. He was going to follow in the footsteps of Peyton Manning and compete for a national championship. But, as we all know, Couch would never end up a Volunteer. So, what happened? What changed so suddenly?

“He Ain’t Coming Back”

Like a lot of us here in the Bluegrass, Couch’s father, Elbert Couch, did not think so fondly of that ugly orange team south of the border. He was an avid Kentucky fan who just could not stand the Tennessee Volunteers.

His disliking of Tennessee was so strong that he simply left the house during an in-home recruiting visit with Coach Phillip Fulmer and Offensive Coordinator David Cutcliffe.

“We’re going over everything and they’re telling me — because Peyton [Manning] was already there — how everything is going to be. You’ll come in, redshirt, this, that, and the other. And I said, ‘Yeah, that sounds great. I’m going to go to Tennessee.’ That’s where I wanted to play.”

Couch went on to explain, “In the middle of the conversation, my dad gets up and leaves the room and he goes outside. I hear him start his old red truck up and he takes off and Fulmer and Cutcliffe are in shock. This has never happened before. A recruit’s parent just gets up and leaves in the middle of a conversation. They’re like, ‘Should we wait on him?’ I’m like, ‘He ain’t coming back.’”

Elbert Couch’s anger and disgust towards his son’s plan to play for Tennessee drove Tim out of the house. Couch would stay at a friend’s house for three days before returning home to talk to his father.

Couch said, “I came to him and said, ‘You know, if it means this much to you for me to go to Kentucky, I’ll just go to Kentucky. But if it doesn’t work out, I’m leaving.’ I said, ‘I’ll give it one year.’”

Couch was Nearly a Volunteer… Again

Couch’s freshman year at Kentucky was “the worst year of his life”, as he put it. He was only at Kentucky because his dad wanted him there, and he was just miserable the whole time.

In 1996, the Wildcats would go 4-7, firing Coach Bill Curry after a 1-5 start. That same year, Tennessee would go 10-2, again winning the Citrus Bowl. They would beat Northwestern 48-28 and finish ranked in the top 10.

Couch had every reason to believe he made the wrong decision coming out of high school. However, after conversations with Athletic Director C.M. Newton and Hal Mumme, Curry’s replacement, Couch was ready for a sophomore campaign in Lexington.

Things were still a little shaky under Mumme during his first season, as UK would go 5-6 and end their season with a 59-31 loss to Tennessee. In 1998, however, things changed drastically.

In Couch’s final season in Lexington, the Wildcats would finish 7-5 and make an appearance in the Outback Bowl. Up to this point, it had been 15 years since UK won 7 games, and it had been 6 years since UK made a bowl game.

History in the Making

Couch would experience a lot of success in his junior season, throwing for 4,275 yards and 36 TDs. He would be named the 1998 SEC Player of the Year and a Consensus All-American, while finishing in the top 5 in Heisman voting.

He would go on to lead the SEC and the country in virtually every offensive and passing statistic there is. Couch would break dozens and dozens of NCAA records in the process. Having proven his worth, he decided to forego his final year of college eligibility.

Then, in the 1999 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns would select Tim Couch as the No. 1 pick. To this day, Couch is the only UK football player to ever be drafted first overall in the NFL Draft.

Fans of Kentucky football will forever immortalize the greatness of Tim Couch. Perhaps Couch helped opened the door to the success that the UK football program has experienced as of late.

The Pride of Hyden was ready to head to Knoxville and be Peyton Manning’s successor, but thanks in part to Elbert Couch, the BBN gets to reminisce on just how awesome Tim Couch was.