Why Jon Sumrall’s impact on Kentucky football is ongoing

Quick hitters from the sports book:

21. Jon Sumrall. In the second season since the ex-Kentucky Wildcats linebacker and assistant coach left to become head man at Troy, Sumrall’s ongoing impact on the UK program is apparent when the Wildcats’ defense takes the field.

20. Trevin Wallace. The 6-foot-2, 241-pound linebacker from Jesup, Georgia, the prized recruit of Sumrall’s UK assistant coaching tenure (2019-2021), is the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week after making 12 tackles in Kentucky’s 44-14 season-opening win over Ball State last week.

19. Kahlil Saunders. An unheralded recruit that Sumrall plucked out of the coach’s hometown, Huntsville, Alabama, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound sophomore defensive tackle looked like a potential breakout player for UK vs. Ball State with four tackles and 1.5 quarterback sacks.

18. Josaih Hayes. The 6-3, 317-pound senior nose guard from Horn Lake, Mississippi, who Sumrall won out for over the home-state Mississippi Rebels in an intense recruiting battle, logged three tackles last Saturday.

17. Martez Thrower. A product of Rochelle, Georgia, Thrower had offers from nine other Power Five schools before Sumrall secured him for UK. Against Ball State, the 6-2, 224-pound junior made two tackles.

16. Troy Trojans. Meanwhile, Sumrall, who has won 13 of his first 15 games as Troy head coach, will lead the Trojans (1-0) into a big opportunity at No. 15 Kansas State (1-0) on Saturday.

15. Gerad Parker. Through two games as Notre Dame offensive coordinator for the ex-Kentucky wide receiver and Lawrence County star, the Fighting Irish (2-0) stand 16th in the FBS in scoring (49 points a game), 25th in total offense (500.5 yards), 34th in passing (294.5) and 38th in rushing (206).

14. First big test. After opening against Navy and Tennessee State, Parker’s Notre Dame offense will get its first major test this week at North Carolina State (1-0).

13. Neal Brown. In a season in which the West Virginia head man (22-26 in his fifth year) is thought to be coaching for his job, the former UK wide receiver and offensive coordinator’s team took a 38-15 defeat at No. 7 Penn State last week.

12. Pitt is it? Assuming West Virginia handles FCS foe Duquesne this week, Pittsburgh (1-0) in the renewal of the “Backyard Brawl” on Sept. 16 in Morgantown could be a make-or-break game for Brown.

11. Jordan Watkins. The former UK football recruiting commit and Louisville Cardinals wideout had a monster opening to the 2023 season for Mississippi. In the Rebels’ 73-7 strafing of Mercer, Watkins caught six passes for 111 yards and returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown.

10. Khalifa Keith. The ex-Kentucky commit, a running back who spurned the Wildcats in favor of Tennessee, carried twice for 8 yards in the Volunteers’ 49-13 demolition of Virginia.

9. Tomiwa Durojaiye. The former UK defensive lineman had a quarterback sack for West Virginia in its loss at Penn State.

8. Justin Rogers. Last season’s Kentucky starting nose guard is listed No. 2 at that position on the depth chart at Auburn. Rogers did not register any stats in the Tigers’ opening 59-14 victory over Massachusetts.

7. State of protection. After one week, the commonwealth of Kentucky’s three FBS football teams, UK, U of L and Western Kentucky, have combined to allow only one quarterback sack — which Kentucky surrendered vs. Ball State.

6. Roy Kidd. It was announced Wednesday by the family of the iconic, former Eastern Kentucky football coach that Kidd, 91, will be entering hospice care.

5. Kentucky’s best. Kidd is the most significant college football coach in our state’s history. His 39-years (1964 through 2002) on the EKU sideline yielded 314 victories (314-124-8), 17 playoff appearances in what is now known as the FCS, 16 Ohio Valley Conference titles, four trips to national championship games and two national titles.

4. Kidd’s peak. The height of Kidd’s coaching run was Eastern’s four straight appearances in what was then called the Division I-AA national championship game from 1979 through 1982. The Colonels won it all in 1979 and 1982.

3. Best team in the state. While Eastern went 13-0 and won the I-AA national championship in 1982, Kentucky was going 0-10-1. Three years after Kidd’s second national title, EKU traveled to Louisville for the 1985 regular season finale and pulverized the Cardinals 45-21.

2. The first Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year. When the Lexington Herald-Leader launched the sports media-voted award now known as the Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year, Kidd won the first two in 1981 and 1982.

1. An EKU lifer. At various times in his Eastern Kentucky tenure, Kidd interviewed, ambivalently, for other coaching jobs. However, the only job he would have left EKU for was Kentucky. Kidd truly believed, given the chance, he could have made the Wildcats into perennial football winners.

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