Kentucky’s athletics department continues to evolve as the faces we’ve seen for decades depart from the Wildcats and take on other opportunities.

On Tuesday, Aug. 11, it was announced that deputy AD Marc Hill was hired to BYU’s executive team under athletic director Brian Santiago. Reported first by Pete Thamel, Hill will be taking on a new role after 27 years at the University of Kentucky.

Among his various positions over the years, Hill worked with former head coach Mark Stoops as a top admin for over a decade with Kentucky Football. He was promoted to deputy athletics director back in 2019, serving essentially as Mitch Barnhart’s No. 2.

Now that the J Batt era is fully underway in Lexington, the landscape within the upper administration has a whole new look to it.

A statement from BYU’s athletics department and Santiago:

“BYU Director of Athletics Brian Santiago has announced the addition of longtime Kentucky Athletics administrator Marc Hill to the BYU Athletics senior leadership team.

Hill will serve as a deputy athletic director at BYU, overseeing various administrative and operational efforts within BYU Athletics.

‘We are excited to add Marc to our executive team,’ Santiago said. ‘He brings a wealth of experience from the highest level of collegiate athletics that will elevate our entire athletic department. He is a great fit and will help us as we continue to chase greatness the BYU way. We look forward to welcoming the Hills to our BYU athletic family.’

Hill comes to BYU with 27 years of experience at the University of Kentucky. After serving nine years as executive associate athletics director, he was named deputy director of athletics in 2019 and served as the athletic director’s right-hand man. He also served as the sport administrator for Kentucky football.”

Kentucky Baseball has built a culture that’s unbreakable, even through the thick and thin of a roller coaster season. The Bat Cats have appeared in four straight NCAA Tournaments, have fans pack out ballparks no matter the location and are never out of a ballgame.

Kale Hammer, a Seattle University left-handed pitcher, recently transferred to Kentucky on Wednesday, June 10. He started in 13 games in the 2026 season, going 2-4 with a 5.79 ERA. He tallied 61 strikeouts through 70.0 innings pitched as well.

Hammer sat down for an interview with myself as part of KY Insider, highlighting the culture, his transfer decision and how important he will be in the Wildcats’ bullpen next season.

Q: What influenced your decision to transfer away and what stood out to you about Kentucky? Was it as simple as playing at a SEC school with more opportunities or was it more complex than that?

“What stood out to me about Kentucky is the coaching staff and how they are as human beings, they truly are great people and want to make their players better at every aspect of life. SEC was a big part but I felt like I connected with the Kentucky coaching staff very well and they were exactly what I was looking for.”

Q: What do you think the most impressive part of your game is? Are you focused in big moments, strikeout heavy, etc.?

“I believe the best part of my game is my ability to keep an even demeanor on the mound in any situation, I think I have a great ability to locate multiple pitches around the zone and be clutch in big moments.”

Q: What’s your best leadership qualities? I think, and I speak for the fanbase, but the team is in need of a guy to lead the bullpen and consistently put out during the season and postseason.

“I’m a quarterback at heart, so I think when it comes to my leadership qualities I just want to lead by example. When energy is low always making sure to get it back up and everyone rally’s off of everyone.”

Q: How do you feel about the fanbase so far? I know you’ve only had a short glimpse of it, but have you had any interactions yet?

“It honestly doesn’t feel real yet to me, the amount of support I’ve already gotten within a few hours is incredible and I think that alone speaks for how awesome of a fanbase Kentucky has.”

Q: What’s your personal goals for this upcoming season? You can be as specific as you want to be, and even include team aspirations as well.

“I definitely want to earn a big role on the staff, I believe I can help the team win but the most important thing to me is just that we win. I want to help bring Kentucky to Omaha next year and win the national title.”

Kentucky athletics is in the prime of the offseason, with the Bat Cats wrapping their season up and the countdown to college football underway. Luckily for members of the Big Blue Nation, three former Wildcats will be playing in the 2026 NBA Finals, beginning tonight on ABC.

Karl-Anthony Towns

How can we not start with the most loved big man in the league, Karl-Anthony Towns. From his funny character on the court to his big moments in the blue and white, Towns has made a name for himself in this playoff run as one of the most consistent bigs in the league.

He basically records a double-double every single game, and has set multiple records for the New York Knicks this year, notably becoming the first Knicks center to record a triple-double in the playoffs and moving up to the third all-time for the most 20-10 games in Knicks postseason history.

However, while he’s battled and bruised his way through the eastern conference, “Big Purr” will be tasked with taking on superstar Victor Wembanyama, who’s quickly took the league by storm. It’ll be interesting to see how KAT, the former cat, performs against the 7-foot-4 big.

De’Aaron Fox

Switching teams, we have to talk about the speedy De’Aaron Fox. While he’s dealt with a right ankle injury and fought through adversity this postseason, he’s still produced a handful of impactful games for the San Antonio Spurs.

Fox is good for six or more assists a night with a couple of steals, and if his shot is falling, he becomes extremely dangerous on the court. While he struggled against the Oklahoma City Thunder from the field, he’s still managed to tally double-digit performances in most of the playoffs games so far.

His shiftiness and agility opens up the Spurs offense in a multitude of ways, and when he’s on the court, any game turns into must-see television. Fox will earn the starting spot tonight at point guard, making his first NBA Finals appearance.

Keldon Johnson

Last, but certainly not least, is one of my personal favorite Wildcats ever with forward Keldon Johnson. Serving a pivotal role off of the bench, Johnson makes the right plays at the right time.

He silently will get a big rebound or make a huge play on the defensive side of the ball, but more occasionally, he’s hitting a shoot from deep, just like he used to do at Rupp Arena.

Making two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Johnson will look to spark some momentum for the Spurs on the biggest stage of them all.

Get Your Popcorn

Well Wildcats fans, get your popcorn ready and find a comfy seat. Towns will face Fox and Johnson tonight in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, airing live on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Can the Knicks break the drought that has casted a shadow on New York for some time, or will the Spurs add another championship to their collection and etch the beginning of a new dynasty?