Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
You’re looking at Denzel Ware, a 2014 4-star Defensive End/Linebacker from Crestview, Florida, who has just committed to Kentucky. At 6’3″ 220 lbs., Ware is a former Florida State commitment who chose the Cats over the Noles, Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia Tech, LA Lafayette, Ohio State, Texas and USC.
He’s ranked in the Top 200 players in the country and is ranked the 3rd best outside linebacker in the country by Scout. 24/7 rates him the 44th best player in the 2014 class. He said the reason he decommitted from Florida State was his close relationship with UK’s current defensive coordinator, DJ Eliot.
Get ‘em, Stoops!
UPDATE: Rivals’ Justin Rowland has confirmed that Ware will play defensive end for UK, not linebacker. His Rivals profile lists him as a weakside defensive end. Click here for 21 of his highlight videos from Crestview.
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Bill Keightley Report : Never to be forgotten.
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February 12th, 2013 at 11:11 am
That kind of looks like Metta World Peace!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:11 am
what is an “offensive outside linebacker”?
February 12th, 2013 at 11:13 am
About time we started buying some good players like the rest of the SEC…
February 12th, 2013 at 11:13 am
OMG! STOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:14 am
“whatever” stoops is doing…I don’t care just keep it up. Walk that Line as much as you like….
February 12th, 2013 at 11:14 am
2. A nickname for your mother.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:15 am
#2–I’m with you. In any event, looks like a solid recruit!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:15 am
StooopS!!!!!
I think we’ll have a rough year this year but after the garbage joker left who would expect more. But starting next year I think we’ll see some BIG changes.
I just hope we can hang on to stoops.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:17 am
SWEET!
oh
and
UK 88
UF 77
February 12th, 2013 at 11:18 am
I am very impressed with how quick Stoops and his staff have changed the complexion of this football program. Im eager for the season to get started.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:18 am
2 – That was my mistake, too excited to type correctly!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:19 am
Welcome to BBN! Glad to have you on board! Go Stoooops and go CATS!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:20 am
Amazing. I hope we can hang on to him. The bigs will be all over him and there is one year to go to signing day.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:22 am
Holy Shit!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:22 am
Will be UK’s highest rated recruit since Micah. Unreal
February 12th, 2013 at 11:23 am
I always thought Ron Artest’s game was more suited to the football field.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:24 am
haha I figured, just givin ya a hard time. Stoops is gettin’ it done right now!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:24 am
Did he take part in this past weekends Junior Day?
February 12th, 2013 at 11:27 am
Id have to think that with a full year of recruiting these guys could finish with a top 15-20 class.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:28 am
I sucked at recruiting.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:29 am
I think by Stoops fourth season as HC we could be playing in the SEC title
February 12th, 2013 at 11:31 am
HOLY SHIT BATMAN!!!!!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:31 am
This dude just has that “I’m gonna crush you” look about him. We need more of these guys!!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:34 am
Wow. I just shat me pants. Is this a dream?
February 12th, 2013 at 11:34 am
I’ll take it with a grain of salt. High school verbals don’t mean much. Sign your name on the paper.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:35 am
Dude looks like he’s pushing 40 and has three kids, but I’m pumped.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:36 am
As hot as Stoops is right now lets get him to give the basketball team a pep talk before the game tonight
February 12th, 2013 at 11:36 am
I agree with #25. This is great news, but we know firsthand (Hatcher) that a verbal from a junior isnt a done deal.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:37 am
hope we are doing things legit! I can’t believe the class we are getting, I mean this is kentucky football, stoops must be the man!! can’t wait to whomp up on some dirty birds!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:38 am
21. If he recruits like this he wont be here by year four.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:38 am
OMG……this is a dream come true for all of us fans that have supported the football program for year…hearing year after year , Bigger,Stroger, Faster and trying to kid ourselves into thinking it actually might be true this time……..We don’t have to hope and pray that is true from this point on! Great job to the staff and UK finally made a commitment to football, Im curious what we could have been if we did this before little brother forced us into it…..We all have Tommie turtleneck to thanks for this push in football. Thanks little brother for creating a beast !!!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:39 am
I agree with who ever said that he looks like Metta World Peace. Weird
February 12th, 2013 at 11:41 am
Amazing. What Stoops is doing at UK is unreal and long overdue. He is showing that he can recruit with the best of the best. Ware had OFFERS from FSU, USC, Ohio State, Alabama, and Florida. The fact that Stoops could go out of state and beat those kind of programs tells me that the future of UK football looks very bright.
I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for the next 12 months that he inks with us on NSD.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:42 am
25 & 28, just what I was thinking. However, this is still HUGE to get commits like this from players who would’ve laughed and hung up the phone and wouldn’t have given us the time of day under the old regime.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:52 am
@3,
Do you UL fans have nothing better to do with your lives than to constantly comment on a UK website? Get a job trolls
February 12th, 2013 at 11:55 am
@5,
Refer to #35′s message
February 12th, 2013 at 11:55 am
haha check out this qoute on a florida 24/7 site i found when i searched about him.”And I say that we start a petition to post ZERO news coming from Kentucky Sports Radio. That site is an embarrassment!!! Basically over the top fans, but Matt Jones has some ins with the athletic department. They destroy any journalist that questions the tactics of Calipari, and then Matt Jones will tell KY fans to troll those guys on Twitter and Facebook and their websites. It’s shoddy work, over the top biased work. Think Danny Kanell but with a large fan following. And then jack up the douche meter”
February 12th, 2013 at 11:57 am
@29,
Look at #35′s message
February 12th, 2013 at 11:59 am
#30 If Stoops has major success at UK then where do you think hes going to go? Hes already in the SEC and he has complete control of the football program. Is he going to pull a Guy Morris and leave for more money? I think hes here for the long haul and I dont see how going anywhere else would be a move upward unless its the likes of alabama, lsu, florida, etc
February 12th, 2013 at 11:59 am
Metta has a son??
February 12th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
@37,
Refer….well, you what to do! Get a job troll
February 12th, 2013 at 12:01 pm
Know**
February 12th, 2013 at 12:02 pm
This one will really be hard to keep. He de-commited from FSU saying he was going to attend the same school as his older brother who is a baseball player. His brother just to committed to the UK baseball team. Can you imagine the number of baseball scholarship offers his brother is going to receive now? Just hope Stoops was the reason for the commits.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:02 pm
At my advanced age, I can’t take football and basketball being relevant!!!!
February 12th, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Is there some type of defense where you can have more than 2 DE on the field at one time? We are recruiting them like crazy.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:03 pm
I can’t believe it! This kid is a stud. I knew UK was going to go after him, but I didn’t think he’d commit already. Come on down, Drew Barker!
February 12th, 2013 at 12:04 pm
Bob Stoops has stayed at Oklahoma for the long haul, so why can our Stoops not do the same? This program will be HIS and HIS only, playing in the SEC and UK will make him amongst the highest paid in football if he makes an SEC title game within 4-5 years. Stoops seems like the kind of guy who will want to put his name on a program…not just use it to go to another team. UK can be a PREMIERE football program….if that happens then why would he go elsewhere?
February 12th, 2013 at 12:04 pm
@30,
Why would Stoops leave? We are in the SEC. If Stoops can pull in Bama and LSU recruits at KY why would he leave the greatest fan base in the world?
I mean if you go to LSU or Bama and don’t win at least 10 to 11 games they fire you.
At KY Stoops can create his own legacy and go down in history rather than falling in the shadows of other peoples legacy elsewhere. Stoops will be at UK for 20 years!
February 12th, 2013 at 12:10 pm
48 and 39. The same reason we never keep coaches or are able to hire big name coaches. A bigger football school with a bigger budget will pay him what our program cant or wont. This isn’t and never will be a destination job for football.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:10 pm
47. Stoops has stayed at Oklahoma because its Oklahoma. Duh.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
I could be wrong, but by looking at the length of his arms and hands, it seems this kid has some growing left in him, which will only add to his already-dominating abilities.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
I think we should be fair about a couple of things. We shouldn’t bad mouth the young men left from the former regime, they have worked hard and represented the BBN to the best of their ability and proudly wear the Blue and White when others turned it down. Also, the worst thing that happened to Joker was getting promoted to HC. He can recruit, that’s why he’s at Florida now as the head of recruiting. Also, he is a homer from KY, played at UK, and although works for a different school now still bleeds UK Blue. He has come back to his hometown for years and ran football camps for free for elementary and middle school kids and is a great role model for the youth in this community. Granted UK football has a much higher upside now Coach Stoops and crew are here, we can’t bash the young men who are still here or who brought them here. Recall Patrick Towles, Maxwell Smith, and too many others to list. Oh BTW let’s pack CWS for the spring game! #STOOPSTROOPS #BBN
February 12th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Some of our fans need to grow up and have more class than continue to ridicle Joker Phillips. I am sure people like Head Coach Mark Stoops is not impressed with that type of comments from so-called UK fans.
I have been a season ticket holder since 1981. We have had tough times and decent times. I believe Stoops will bring us good times. But I respect all the coaches and players who have dedicated time to Kentucky. It is time UK fans start cheering for Stoops and stop criticizing former coaches. I assure you present coaches are not impressed with criticism of former coaches!
February 12th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
35. Nope. It’s not like they have jobs or anything to do with their time. They sit in their grandma’s attic, listening to Pitbull, and waiting for their dial-up connection to refresh so they can get on here an troll.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Damn this staff can recruit! GO BIG BLUE!
February 12th, 2013 at 12:24 pm
@48 with the new budget proposal UK is upgrading almost everything regarding the football program. UK can definitely become a destination job if things are done correctly. Just curious though, what programs do you think would be better than the current UK position outside of the SEC?
February 12th, 2013 at 12:24 pm
@43: Ky has a top 10 baseball team too.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:25 pm
I gotta agree with #53. I am sick and tired of Joker comments. He was at UK for over 20 years and we now have people criticizing him. While I am thrilled to have Coach Stoops now, I appreciate Joker. Go Big Blue and welcome Mr. Ware to KY.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:31 pm
56. Do you really want me to list the vast number of schools outside of the SEC that are better destinations than UK? Are you really that much of a homer that you dont think that any of the Texas schools, or big ACC schools or the big PAC-12 schools are better destinations than UK? Are you high?
February 12th, 2013 at 12:34 pm
@49,
We can pay him if he wins. ESPN signed a 6 BILLION dollar contract with the SEC. Not Florida, LSU or BAMA. They signed with the SEC. It’s split 14 ways!
Why do you think everyone would kill to get into the SEC? It has the best sports teams in every sport but the teams in the SEC have HUGE TV contracts!
February 12th, 2013 at 12:35 pm
Holy Crap! You folks have finally found a coach who can coach AND recruit! WOWZER!!! By the way….has anyone heard if Mary jo got her request for transfer to Gainseville?
February 12th, 2013 at 12:37 pm
59. Do you think a UK fan has ever been to a UL website? And why would you visit a UK website?
You’re obviously a UL fan so get it together and stay in your lane. It’s going to be okay, you only have to play 1 SEC team a year. You’ll be alright
February 12th, 2013 at 12:38 pm
60. I believe it when I see our program pay our football coach something comparable to our basketball coach.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
62. Jesus christ you guys are idiots. I’m not a Louisville fan. Its called being realistic. Grow up.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:43 pm
Is UK a destination school in football, not yet. I do think, however, there is a HUGE upside and potential to be one though. At one time I thought we were located too far north to recruit the south and too far south to recruit the north. We are surrounded by storied programs which kids could go to instead of KY, but…. like STOOPS said, “Why not Ky?” Now the perception is we are located in the middle of all these recruits, Basketball can do it why can’t football? There are two of the largest interstate systems going through the middle of KY so… “Why not UK?” It’s not like people can’t get here. We just have to get them here.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:46 pm
@LeX obviously there are great football programs out there a la USC, Texas, Notre Dame, etc but my point is unless Stoops gets a home run offer from one of those schools theres no reason why we shouldnt expect him to stay here for a long time. I find it annoying when people say “well hes had some success that means its time for him to leave”.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
I have been saying for a few years now on this site that it amazes me that UK no longer recruited this area… there is a lot of top notch football here in Northwest Florida. UK recruited here in the early mid 90′s and then nothing… I didn’t watch the Niceville vs Crestview game this year because it was at Crestview… I worked at the local paper in the area here for a number of years and just made a call over there to see if they have done any stories on the kid.. when i get a reply i will post the links here
February 12th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
LeX
The difference is that the board realizes what it cost to have a successful football program and they will pony up the money. According to you we also can’t recruit elite talent to UK, simply because we haven’t in the past right? Well get out of the past pal.
Stoops is here for the long haul, he sought out the UK job over other jobs. He’s in the SEC, he’ll get whatever money he deserves and UK will match just about anything if he really turns the program around, which he will.
I can only see him leaving for a job like Ohio State since he’s an Ohio boy but Meyer will be there for quite some time or maybe Alabama but like I said he’s an Ohio guy and he’s close to home and close to where all his connections are I’m willing to bet you whatever you want that if Stoops is successful he’ll still be here in 4 years. If he’s winning big in the SEC, why would he make a lateral move to another SEC school? As far as going out of conference why would he go out of conference if he’s winning in the best conference in NCAA?
Stop just assuming Uk will either fail or they will lose their coach if they succeed… are you just natrually glass half empty? Find some joy man
February 12th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
64 keep me out of this.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
49) I don’t think you can say “we can’t keep our coaches”, and more importantly, who, besides Bear Bryant, haven’t we been able to keep??? The problem is we’ve never had a coach with success, at least in my lifetime, that would be worthy of keeping, outside of Brooks, who retired. While I agree with you that UK certainly isn’t a big boy, we don’t really know what would happen if a young guy had success, because quite frankly, ITS NEVER HAPPENED.
Joker – Fired
Brooks – Retired
Morris – Left due to pending probation
Mumme – Fired due to probation
Curry – Fired
Claiborne – Retired
Curci – Retired (NCAA sanctions)
Ray – Fired
Bradshaw – Assuming he was fired
Collier – Fired (although had relative success)
Bear Bryant – We all know this one…
I do think we could pay 5 million a year, just like UL to keep a guy if need be. If he’s successful Commonwealth will be packed and with the new renovations revenues will be at record high’s. Again I’m not saying we will keep him, but to say we couldn’t is silly, because there just isn’t a precedent for a young guy having success here. I hope we have this problem because that will mean he’s accomplishing quite a bit.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:50 pm
LeX
You’re right. We’re all wrong. There’s ZERO chance Stoops will stay at UK for 4 years. clap clap
February 12th, 2013 at 12:52 pm
facilities upgrade- check
coaching- TBD (should be a check)
recruiting- the start of a check
commitment from athletic dept.- check
conference affiliation- big check
fanbase- big check
Absolutely no reason why UK can’t be a destination school in football.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:57 pm
68. Again, Ill believe theyll pay him when I see them actually pay him. This area just doesnt care about football enough for me to really see it as a place a big name coach wants to stay at unless we pay him on par with the other genuinely big name guys.
February 12th, 2013 at 1:02 pm
70, when morris left we were in probation. that’s why his 7-5 team wasn’t eligible for a bowl game. he left, and took the entire staff, because baylor made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
February 12th, 2013 at 1:03 pm
I do understand skepticism due to the fact that “Failure” is what we’re used to, but… I like our chances if all pans out. The NFL is the wildcard in this situation just because there is a sudden influx of successful former college coaches. If the trend continues, I could see him leaving to the NFL, but that would be over 4 years from now most likely. The OSU job only depends on how long Meyer is there. If he is successful enough at UK i.e. SEC championship appearance(s) then why if he built it up would he leave then to go to another SEC school. More than likely UK will throw the money to keep him. My biggest concern is how long will Brown be here.
February 12th, 2013 at 1:11 pm
UK Athletics was the 8th highest visited athletics site on NSD. Your assertion that “this area just doesn’t care about football” is pretty dumb in the face of that. Not to mention the perennial top-25 attendance figures right up until 2012. Sounds like plenty of people in “this area” care about football.
February 12th, 2013 at 1:25 pm
74) You’re right, it was the first year. The only real issue that team had was a post-season ban. I guess what I meant was he still had pretty much a full team of decent players. The scholarship hits didn’t really hurt that team; which was a pretty decent team. The scholarship loss crippled the early Rich Brooks years. But yeah you’re right that team was on probation, but my point was the worst was yet to come, which is why I believe Morris bounced.
February 12th, 2013 at 1:28 pm
LeX, you say “This area just doesn’t care about football enough. . . .” How long have you been around. We were packing CWS during losing seasons and we follow the bowl teams better than most schools that have better records (UL comes to mind, per Charlie Strong). Hal Mumme famously stated, “you fill out CWS with a losing record?” or words to that effect. UK fans are passoniate about football also. We have fallen down the last two years but with Stoops the fan base is ready to #PackCWS. If Stoops is mildly sucessful and the team is competitive, you’ll see how much we care. Season ticket holder since 1976.
February 12th, 2013 at 1:28 pm
Your assumption that the area doesn’t care is solely based on the lack of success we’ve had. Uk fans care greatly about football we just haven’t had a lot to cheer for but when a coach is successful we sell out, get greatly involved, and do all we can to support the program.
Where you’re getting that people don’t care is a mystery to me. The highest unique visitor day in KSR history was Football NSD… who doesn’t care?
February 12th, 2013 at 1:40 pm
If #CWS were as big as Neyland, The Big House, The Shoe, or even the Super Dome, I firmly believe #BBN would fill it, especially, if UK football is even mid-pack in the SEC. That’s how much #BBN cares about football. The fanbase is here. That’s not even counting the fair weather fans which will come out when UK is a winning football program.
February 12th, 2013 at 1:43 pm
He kinda looks like a young dominique wilkins although he is a de.
February 12th, 2013 at 2:04 pm
#30…Why not?…MB has said that for the “right guy” we would pay as much as any schoold in the country…I know it’s early, but it sure looks like we are headed in the right direction and MS may be the “right guy”
February 12th, 2013 at 2:17 pm
By the time the top schools start looking at Stoops hard, he will have UK on the top 10-15 level, and growing! We will BE one of the top schools by then!?!? Ohio St is the only wildcard that would worry me, and Meyers will be there for the long haul. Saban isn’t going anywhere. Florida’s job may come open in the next 2-3 years, but we won’t have to worry by then. Fl St job is about the same. Won’t open up for at least 2-3 yrs. Stoops is old school. He believes the stepping stones should come by assistant coaching jobs! I agree, Neal Brown should be main concern. Stoops isn’t going anywhere. If Brown is smart, he’ll stay here till THE job comes along.
February 12th, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Let’s not be too hard on Jokers kids on the team. We probably have not been able to see their real talent level based on the coaching they had to endure. I fully expect to see many of the hold overs really come alive and produce as never before. None of them want to surrender their spots to newcomers.
Everyone knows that the offense will be greatly improved and that we will score, and I expect the defense to be improved by leaps and bounds, I doubt that our D backs will be just standing around attempting to minimize the damage. Our return game has to improve, no where to go but up.
February 12th, 2013 at 4:24 pm
@ LeX – one of the things discussed often is changing the mindset – nay culture – of UK football. We can do it, one person at a time. So I challenge you to change YOUR mindset. The power of positive thinking works wonders. Look at it this way, if Coach Stoops is doing so well that the “big name” schools come calling, it means that UK has become a true contender in the SEC. That, in turn, would mean that we’re making the money and have the support needed to continue. Which, in turn, would mean we could keep him. Obviously, if Coach Stoops really wants to leave, we won’t be able to stop him, but money and facilities won’t be the reason. Also something else to consider: his family. His boys are VERY young, do you really think, if he’s successful, he’d want to yank his children out of school where by then they’ll have developed friendships and school relationships? There are alot of factors for a coach leaving – I don’t think his success will be one of them.
February 13th, 2013 at 3:38 pm
Those that say we cannot be successful over the long haul/cannot keep a successful coach over said period are merely in denial/placing their own problems/past history upon us,ie the dirty birds(trolls). Just b/c your school is the epitome of a stepping stone program,ever in flux as to league identity,does not mean that we too suffer from such an identity crisis. We may have been bad in the past,still good enough to have a winning % against you,but that is THE PAST. The fear you show now will only grow and morph into the realization that the BEAST you have always feared awaking is now up,out of the cave and looking for dinner! And we all know what a hungry CAT loves to eat most! GBB!!!
February 13th, 2013 at 4:16 pm
I have attended UK football games ALL my life.Since I was one in my blue jumper carried by my parents. Before ul even had a program worthy of coverage/thought/not playing on a baseball diamond. You are welcome that we gave you the ability to even be relevant in football,if you know the true history behind your program/or are willing to admit it.As we gave you the necessary tools in which to build yourselves up/become a true team.And as far as we are concerned I have attended most home games/still have the same seats, ever since day one, even during the Curry years and attending/graduating UK. I have always wondered why we would not take a chance on a young up an comer and instead go the retread route over and over. Mumme was the only true experiment in that time,and somewhat successful,if not out of control/lacking true direction/no defense/A mad basset hound. By trying again, this time w/the help of common sense and due diligence in choosing,we have finally made a move that could indeed have the lasting affect we all so dearly want/deserve as CATS football fans. Bottom line is that there is NO fan base willing to back their teams,good or bad/travel/invade like we CATS fans.No one/anywhere. So if Stoops and Co. are somehow able to put us on the right track/make Lexington a destination for top players,then exactly what is it that can stop us from making it a yearly possibility at an SEC Football Championship run/keeping a great coach? NOTHING but ourselves(sorry trolls). Money we have and in good amount. And we have allot of practice at backing our teams,especially when successful. We are not known s the Big Blue Nation/Mist etc. for nothing after all.Just ask your own coach about that as he knows quite well. And has been quoted on the subject quite extensively as of late.If your going to hate on something, might as well hate on the best! At least ya’ll got something right. And thank the lord,and to your horror, I think/believe we have just done the same in football! It has been a long time coming. But then most great/worthy of waiting for type things are and we CATS fans have shown we are worthy of such a blessing at long last. So hate on as in the end it is only your own head you will be beating against the wall as our team beats yours on the field. GBB!!!