Notes: How Kentucky’s Rich Scangarello and Will Levis prepare for an opposing defense

After Kentucky football’s Tuesday practice, I asked offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello what he wanted his quarterback, Will Levis, to know about the Miami defense.

After all, the Wildcats open the season Saturday at 7 p.m. against the visiting RedHawks. And Scangarello has a deep NFL background, having recently been the offensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos and quarterbacks coach with the San Francisco 49ers. The level of preparation of an NFL quarterback for an opposing defense might be different than that of a college quarterback.

“Every week is different, but we have a routine,” Scangarello said. “That was the fun part with Will. We sat down and I talked about Matt Ryan and Jimmy Garoppolo and different guys and how they prepare. Heck, Tom Brady, because I know Brian Hoyer and Jimmy would talk about their routines.

“If you just lay different ways to approach it out, how you want to get from Point A at the start of the week to the time you take the first snap. There’s all the knowledge that’s required that won’t bog you down and let you play fast so you’re ready to roll.”

That’s an important piece of the puzzle. Obviously, an OC wants his QB to study the opposing defense, but not to the point where it’s overkill, where he’s not concentrating on the task at hand.

As well, Levis is not Ryan or Garoppolo or Hoyer or Brady. Levis is still in college. Unlike NFL quarterbacks, he has certain time constraints as to his preparation.

“We talked it out and Will had his thoughts and we came to an agreement on how we wanted to do it and what’s most efficient with him going to class and working on his masters,” Scangarello said. “You do all those things and you let it roll. That’s been our process to get him ready. He knows what he’s up for. He understands the scheme, how it fits with what we’re going to do and how we’re going to attack them and be on the same page and be an extension of me on the field.”

▪ I wrote about Levis’ new partnership with Winchester soft drink company Ale-8-One.

▪ Our Jon Hale reports that ticket sales for Kentucky football are at their highest since 2015. UK has sold 38,100 season tickets. Its 6,000-plus student season ticket packages are also sold out.

▪ Ex-Kentucky center Jon Toth is hanging on with the NFL’s Washington Commanders. He was named to the team’s practice squad on Tuesday. Since graduating from UK in 2016, the 28-year-old Toth has been with the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Commanders.

▪ Ex-UK wide receiver Josh Ali has been signed to the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad. Ali caught 131 passes in five seasons at Kentucky.

▪ Matt Hayes of Saturday Down South wrote about how Kentucky and Alabama handled offseason DUI charges differently for a player and a coach. “It’s terrible optics, and frankly, the SEC is better than this. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone deserves second chances. That’s not the point. With the heightened awareness on campus communities to eliminate drinking and driving, there can be no mixed signals from the SEC university presidents. There can’t be rules for thee, but not for me.”

▪ College football’s Week 1 has five straight days of games, starting Thursday night with a handful of interesting matchups, including West Virginia at No. 17 Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Former Wildcat and UK offensive coordinator under Mark Stoops, Neal Brown, is 17-18 as the West Virginia head coach. His Mountaineers went 6-7 last season. They start former Georgia quarterback JT Daniels against the Panthers, who are replacing quarterback Kenny Pickett.

▪ Tennessee and Missouri are the only SEC teams in action Thursday. The Volunteers play host to Ball State at 7 p.m. on the SEC Network. Mizzou plays host to Louisiana Tech at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. Sonny Cumbie is the new head coach at Louisiana Tech, replacing Skip Holtz. He was offensive coordinator at Texas Tech (2021) and TCU (2014-2020).

▪ Eastern Kentucky opens its season Friday night at Eastern Michigan. The school provided an update Wednesday on head coach Walt Wells, who suffered a cardiac episode Sunday and remains in the UK Hospital.

“Head football coach Walt Wells continues to recover at UK Hospital as a result of the cardiac episode he experienced Sunday morning. All of his vital signs are encouraging, and he is sitting up and talking with his family and friends in his room. Coach Wells continues to be monitored by the medical professionals within the hospital. We join the Wells’ family and friends in continuing to hope for a full recovery.”

▪ Louisville opens its season Saturday at Syracuse. Check out my preview podcast about the Cardinals with U of L radio analyst Jody Demling.

▪ News that the Big 12 has started early negotiations for media rights deals may pave the way for Texas and Oklahoma to enter the SEC before 2025. That may be one reason why the SEC has held off on officially adopting a future scheduling format for conference football games.

▪ South Carolina has established its own in-house NIL collective. A partnership with Everett Sports Marketing was announced Tuesday night. The school’s board approved a $2.2 million, two-year contract with the agency, which is based in Greenville, SC.

▪ Remember Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras, who was 19-of-30 for 211 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions in the 20-17 loss to Kentucky in last year’s Citrus Bowl? He has been named the Hawkeyes’ starting quarterback for Iowa’s opener against South Dakota State.

▪ Auburn Coach Bryan Harsin says offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau will call plays for the Tigers in 2022. OC Mike Bobo called plays last season but was fired. There was speculation Harsin would call plays this season.

▪ The Bengals added to their roster Wednesday, picking up former Buccaneers and Bills tight end O.J. Howard, who was cut by Buffalo this week. He has 46 career receptions in 59 NFL games since leaving Alabama in 2016.

▪ Bengals Coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday that Cordell Volson will start at left guard. Volson was a fourth-round pick in 2022 out of North Dakota.

▪ Former NFL coach Jon Gruden made his first public appearance and statement since being fired for inappropriate e-mails. Speaking to the Little Rock Touchdown Club, Gruden called his actions “shameful” and asked for forgiveness.

▪ In college basketball news, Duke freshman Dariq Whitehead underwent surgery on his fractured right foot. The school said Whitehead, the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2022, should be back sometime in the fall. He was named the Naismith High School Player of the Year for 2022.

▪ Kentucky men’s soccer is now No. 6 in the national rankings.

▪ From UK basketball: “Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari will receive the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service in Sports by Multiplying Good on Nov. 2. For more than 50 years, Multiplying Good has honored those who put others first. Those receiving the Jefferson Award are empowered to do more, while their stories of extraordinary public service inspire others to action. It is an award that underscores impact.”

▪ After splitting their first two matches, now No. 16 Kentucky volleyball is back in action Friday against Northern Iowa in Omaha, Neb. UK faces No. 17 Creighton on Saturday morning and No. 25 Southern Cal on Saturday night, both in Omaha.

▪ No. 3 Louisville volleyball defeated Western Kentucky 25-18, 25-15 and 25-17 before a crowd of 3,811 in Bowling Green on Wednesday night.

▪ Baseball America has ranked Kentucky baseball’s transfer class the sixth-best for college baseball in 2023. According to BA, UK’s class “provides a little bit of everything.”

▪ From Keeneland: “Keeneland kicks off its 2022 fall hiring campaign with a series of hiring events during September, anchored by a Job Fair on Saturday, Sept. 17, all aimed at recruiting employees to join Keeneland’s seasonal team for the Fall Meet on Oct. 7-29 and the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Nov. 4-5.

“Hiring events will be held at Keeneland on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 6-29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the second-floor Grandstand (take Elevator B from the ground floor near Paddock). A Job Fair will take place Saturday, Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., also on the second-floor Grandstand.”

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