KSR – Hour 1 (November 25, 2025) – Kentucky Sports Radio

Theme/Purpose:
In this pre-Thanksgiving episode, Matt Jones and the KSR crew (Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin, Shannon the Dude) broadcast from across Kentucky, engaging listeners with lively discussion about UK football, their own mishaps with expired licenses and Social Security cards, the efficiency of Louisville’s DMV, the latest UK athletics call-in shows, frustrations about the football program's direction, and a few hilarious personal stories. The episode is marked by upbeat banter, some fan venting, and analysis of upcoming rival games and team trajectories.

Table of Contents

• Callers and Listener Engagement
• Matt’s DMV Debacle, Skittles Fiasco & Social Security Card Quest (03:07–16:40)
• Real ID, Lost Documents, And Adulting (13:24–16:40)
• UK News & Views
  • UK Volleyball Advances (21:56–23:06)
  • Stoops’ Future & Cutter Bowley Commitment (22:37–25:49)
  • Drew Franklin’s “Rant”: Program Direction & Fan Frustrations (31:06–34:52)
  • Coaching Tenure, Stadium Atmosphere, and NIL Issues
• Call-In Highlights (26:09–39:48)
• College Basketball Tournament Talk (44:42–50:47)
• Fun Broadcasting Moments (Candace Parker & Bruce Pearl, 48:12–50:47)

1. Caller Energy & Engagement

• Heavy participation celebrated – Matt notes (04:09) the highest diversity of callers ever, confirming fans’ strong feelings about UK football:
  “Yesterday was the most different phone numbers to ever text the text machine...in the history of the text machine.” – Matt Jones (04:09)

2. Matt’s DMV Adventure, Car Crash & Skittles Fiasco

(03:07–12:25)

Key Points:

• Matt shares a personal story about his car wreck, learning his license and registration were both expired.
• In the aftermath, he “gifted” Shannon a pack of Skittles from his wrecked car, only for Shannon to discover it was four years expired and rock-hard.
• Funny debate ensues about whether candy ever expires.
• Matt lost magazines and gifts in the car, but the infamous pickle jar survived!

Notable Quotes:

• “A few weeks back, I realized that my driver’s license and my car registration had all expired.” – Matt Jones (05:40)
• “I nearly broke a tooth on how hard these Skittles were...and it was August of 2021.” – Shannon (08:49)
• “Some gifts did not make it...some things did make it, including...a box of Skittles.” – Matt Jones (08:16)

DMV Experience:
Matt surprisingly praises the Jefferson County DMV for efficiency:

• “I was in and out of the DMV in like 12 minutes...I just want to salute...our government workers in the Jefferson County DMV.” – Matt Jones (10:44–12:25)

3. Real ID, Lost Documents, and “Adulting”

(13:24–16:40)

• The crew riffs on the requirements for the “Real ID” and Social Security card, commiserating over lost documents.
• Turns out, most people never lose these, sparking a deluge of messages.

Notable Quotes:

• “Do you all have a Social Security card?” – Matt Jones (14:26)
• “No, Shannon, you don’t. All right, I’ll stick with you.” – Matt Jones (14:29)
• “I got mine when I was 16 years old...I know exactly where it is.” – Ryan (14:36)
• “I do still have my birth certificate, which is amazing if you think about it.” – Matt Jones (16:34)

4. UK News & Views

A. Kentucky Volleyball Advances

(21:56–22:08)

• UK Volleyball comes back to beat Tennessee, faces Texas in the SEC Championship.
• Crew plans a KSR watch party.

B. Stoops’ Call-In Show: Cutter Bowley Commitment & Stoops’ Future

(22:37–25:49)

Key Insights:

• Stoops all but confirms his intention to stay as UK football coach by projecting into 2026 and mentioning building around QB Cutter Bowley.
• The crew debates whether Stoops put pressure on Bowley by announcing his intention before the player made an official statement.

Notable Quotes:

• “He didn’t say ‘I’m back,’ but he said almost everything except that...‘Cutter Bowley is committed to coming back in 2026.’” – Matt Jones (22:41)
• “My first reaction was, oh, you kind of threw that kid under the bus...Now if something happens and he leaves, it’s a bad look on him.” – Ryan (24:17)
• “That sounded like something to me that Cutter might have said, but not necessarily wanted him to say on the radio.” – Matt Jones (25:06)

C. Drew Franklin’s “Rant” – Program Direction & Game Day Frustrations

(31:06–34:52)

Theme:
Drew vents about the overall direction and game day experience of Kentucky football, criticizing both the athletic department and lack of atmosphere, tied to perceived complacency at the top.

Key Points:

• Drew’s frustration is with UK’s lagging NIL, promotional failures, and game day atmosphere despite the long tenures of the coach (Stoops) and AD (Mitch Barnhart).
• He recounts an embarrassing spring game and low attendance.

Notable Quotes:

• “We are so far behind on NIL. We’re like a tech company that ignored the internet for several years. Now we’re going to have to catch up...playing from behind.” – Drew Franklin (33:13)
• “The whole operation has been an embarrassment lately.” – Drew Franklin (33:41)
• “Drew is not a guy who gets worked up...I do think you’re speaking for a decent group of the fan base who feels the way you do.” – Matt Jones (32:29–33:13)
• “There needs to be new blood injected...we have people who worked in the train industry trying to run the plane industry, and that’s not a recipe for success.” – Matt Jones (34:52)

5. Call-In Highlights

(26:09–39:48)

A. Six Wins & Contract Extensions Debate

• Caller asks Matt to clarify earlier statements about Stoops’ contract being extended for six-win seasons.
• Matt distinguishes between “keeping your job” and “deserving a new contract,” stressing fans don’t want to plateau at 6–6.
  • “6 and 6 is a year worthy of probably keeping your job, but...you don’t get an extra year for going 6 and 6.” – Matt Jones (27:44)

B. Louisville Game Stakes

• Callers and crew agree beating Louisville is the minimum expectation given Louisville’s injury woes:
  • “If he loses to Louisville, I feel like he needs to be fired. If he beats Louisville...you probably keep him.” – Caller Ron (35:38)
  • “...you gotta win that game.” – Matt Jones (36:40)

C. Future of the Program

• Matt outlines three questions:
  1. Is Stoops coming back? (Yes)
  2. Should he? (Leaning no)
  3. Will it work? (Matt is pessimistic) (38:48–39:48)

6. College Basketball Tournament Talk

(44:42–48:12)

Key Points:

• Crew analyzes early season tournament games, with Gonzaga emerging as a clear basketball power.
• Impressive wins make KSR nervous for UK’s matchup with Gonzaga.

Notable Quotes:

• “I'm a confident Kentucky basketball fan 99 times out of 100. But when I was watching Gonzaga–Alabama, I was like...oh no, Gonzaga looks like a machine.” – Drew Franklin (45:26)
• “I mean, I think they are the best team in the country by far.” – Ryan (46:50)

7. Fun Broadcasting Moments

(48:12–50:47)

Bruce Pearl Roasts Candace Parker On Air:

• During TNT’s Tennessee game broadcast, Bruce Pearl jokingly accuses Candace Parker of “dating with one of my guys, and she was talking to two or three others at the same time.”
• Candace laughs it off but is taken aback by being called out on live TV.
• Quote:

  “Bruce Pearl says on the broadcast...that Candace Parker caused some turmoil with one of his teams because she was dating two different players on the team.” – Matt Jones (48:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Yesterday was the most different phone numbers to ever text the text machine...in the history of the text machine.” – Matt Jones (04:09)
• “I nearly broke a tooth on how hard these Skittles were...and it was August of 2021.” – Shannon (08:49)
• “We are so far behind on NIL. We’re like a tech company that ignored the internet for several years.” – Drew Franklin (33:13)
• “There needs to be new blood...We have people who worked in the train industry trying to run the plane industry...” – Matt Jones (34:52)

Summary Takeaways

• The KSR crew blends serious sports discussion with relatable, humorous personal stories.
• The mood among fans is energized but divided, with growing unrest about the program’s infrastructure and vision.
• Matt continues his tradition of turning minor personal mishaps into relatable, comic content—this time about expired licenses, expired Skittles, and government bureaucracy.
• UK athletics’ upcoming games (volleyball championship, the Louisville football rivalry) are presented as must-win both for team momentum and for the coaching staff.

Episode Flow

• [03:07] – Show proper starts; listener engagement and Matt’s DMV/expired license & Skittles story
• [10:44] – DMV efficiency praise & segue to “Real ID” requirements
• [21:56] – UK Volleyball and watch party announcement
• [22:37] – Stoops’ call-in show analysis; Cutter Bowley recruiting news
• [24:46] – Debate on public commitments by coaches/players
• [26:09] – Calls about Stoops’ contract, the stakes of the Louisville game
• [31:06] – Drew Franklin’s “rant” on overall program problems, game day/AD gripes
• [34:52] – New blood/vision needed for UK sports
• [36:32] – Stakes of beating Louisville given the opponent’s injuries
• [44:42] – Men’s basketball tournament breakdown, schedule fears
• [48:12] – Bruce Pearl “dating” story on broadcast with Candace Parker

For listeners who missed the show:
This episode is a quintessential sample of KSR: highly interactive, sharply opinionated, and infused with the hosts’ everyday Kentucky quirks. It balances venting about program frustrations with the light-hearted camaraderie of a crew that knows how to keep things moving, even between Skittles disasters and UK’s up-and-down football fortunes.