September 19, 2025
Kentucky wildcats news
The Kentucky–Louisville rivalry heated up this week, both in recruiting circles and in competition.
Reports surfaced that Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and Louisville’s Pat Kelsey exchanged heated words during a recruiting visit with four-star guard Taylen Kinney in Atlanta earlier this month. According to sources, Pope was scheduled to meet with Kinney at midnight, with Kelsey set to follow immediately after. When Pope arrived late, Kelsey began his meeting early, leading to tension between the two coaches. While some rumors exaggerated the situation into a near-physical confrontation, sources confirm there was “definite animosity” between them.
Ironically, neither program is favored to land Kinney, who will announce his commitment on September 28, with Kansas seen as the frontrunner.
The rivalry drama coincided with a big win for Kentucky volleyball. The No. 6 Wildcats defeated No. 3 Louisville in a five-set thriller at the KFC Yum! Center, their first win in the series since 2019. After falling behind 2–1, Kentucky stormed back to claim sets four and five in dominant fashion.
Brooklyn DeLeye starred with a career-high 24 kills, while Eva Hudson added 17. Setter Kassie O’Brien recorded 30 assists before leaving late with cramps, and Ava Sarafa stepped in with 25 more. Hudson also notched 21 digs to complete a standout performance.
The victory improved Kentucky to 6–2 on the season, including two top-10 wins after upsetting No. 5 Penn State earlier this year. The Wildcats next face Washington on Saturday at Memorial Coliseum.
Meanwhile, Kentucky football enters a bye week. Head coach Mark Stoops stressed improvement and health as priorities before facing South Carolina. Young quarterback Cutter Boley, filling in for injured Zach Calzada, continues to grow into the role, with Stoops noting his progress each week.
On the basketball front, Croatian newcomer Andrija Jelavic is settling into Lexington quickly. He said committing to Kentucky was an easy decision, crediting Pope’s immediate outreach as the reason he chose the Wildcats without exploring other schools.
Looking ahead, the SEC will release its 2026 nine-game conference schedules next week, which will outline Kentucky’s slate of rivals under the league’s new 3+6 format.
For Big Blue Nation, this week has been about rivalry fire, a major volleyball win, and the promise of a new era under Pope. With both Kentucky and Louisville trending upward, the upcoming basketball matchup on November 11 in Louisville — just the third game of the season — is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated in years.
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