KSR Hour 2 (2026-01-21): Summary

Podcast: Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR)
Host(s): Matt Jones (MJ), Ryan Lemond (RL), Drew Franklin (DF)
Date: January 21, 2026
Location: KS Bar & Grill
Main Theme:
A wide-ranging, entertaining discussion about Kentucky football’s potential in the post-Indiana national championship landscape, fan culture, local weather drama, and some local color around UK basketball fandom, community traditions, and even a wild alien/ghost story.

1. Major Topics & Episode Flow

Kentucky Football: Can UK Replicate Indiana’s Rise?

• [05:20] RL raises the big question: After Indiana's shocking national championship, can Kentucky football become the next "Cinderella"?
• MJ & Panel Reflection:
  • Kentucky historically like Indiana—bad football history, basketball school, but now with a new coach/system and some recruiting buzz.
  • MJ: “I think the answer is yes. I never thought it would be a yes, but after I saw Mark Stoops and then get 10 wins a couple times. It can be done.” [06:17]
  • Key Ingredients: Star quarterback (reference to Will Levis), impact transfers, and culture change in a shifting college football landscape.
  • DF: Kentucky may not be a year-in, year-out contender, but "you can get in the conversation," especially with a special quarterback or defensive star (Josh Allen reference) [07:03].
  • RL: The SEC’s tough, but a 9-3 UK team gets more credit than an equivalent ACC/Big Ten squad [08:52].
  • External validation: Even national shows, including Barstool and Fox, are now calling Kentucky a potential “next Indiana.” [10:14]
  • Fan Pressure: Is there now more pressure on Louisville’s Jeff Brohm and Kentucky’s Will Stein? Panel agrees standards have changed post-Indiana. [09:28]

The Fan Conversation: What Makes the “Biggest UK Fan”?

• [15:42] Caller Deanna strongly disagrees with the idea that being present at every game makes one the biggest fan; travel and ticket costs exclude many hardcore fans.
  • RL: Agrees—"I don't think you have to go to any games to be the biggest fan."
  • MJ: Observes some of the most emotional fans “live and die by the radio call, the TV call. It's almost more emotional for them because maybe we get spoiled a little bit.” [17:26]
  • DF defends his position: “I know people who don't have money that still go…” [15:47] but acknowledges most all-game attendees do have resources.
• [35:17] Caller Peggy: UK memorabilia, collections, UK-decorated house—fanhood extends far beyond attendance.
  • RL: Suggests adding to the criteria—listening to KSR, watching every game (live or replay), knowing the roster, having a UK centerpiece at home, even pet/child naming conventions (“Kalina Azabuki Ray from Harlan County” wins extra points) [39:28].

Notable Quote:

• DF, joking about fan-criteria: “Minimum one UK tattoo. Gave up your body.” [39:28]

The Weather Segment: Meteorologist Beef and AI Debates

• [14:02 & 26:21] Running jokes about Louisville weatherman Mark Weinberg clashing over “ice maps,” and AI-generated weather predictions—local meteorologists are feuding online. MJ: “I just love watching them fight. It is so clear they hate each other.” [26:55]
• Panel imagines an on-stage weatherman debate: “Then we get a winner when we see what happens.” [27:23]

Local Color and Community Jokes

• Ghosts & Aliens in KY: The ghost/alien “support group” and Bob’s book event:
  • “He said an alien put a booger in his son's nose. He said it was a tracking device.” [34:19]
  • Mario reports back: Mostly older, all-white crowd, deeply invested. “These people really believe it, though. That's the crazy.” [33:58]
• “365 Buttons” Trend: Explained—a viral TikTok where a woman wants a button for every day, but refuses to explain her logic. “It doesn’t need to make sense to anyone but me.” [22:00-23:40] RL: “That’s you, Ryan. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone for you.”

High School Hoops Update

• [29:14] North Oldham beats St. X in a big upset, led by Pierre Rondo, Ra’Jon Rondo’s 8th-grade son, who scored 14 points.
  • MJ speculates about Pierre’s future, possibly with Overtime Elite or big prep schools. [29:14-30:55]

Parent Corner/Tangent: Baby Names App

• [42:07] Drew demonstrates an app called “Kinder,” like Tinder but for baby names. Panel jokes through possible names, including Kentucky-legend-inspired options (e.g., “Kalina,” “Callie Perry”).

Betting Wrap & Show Outro

• [44:27] KSR DraftKings consensus: UK will win vs. Texas, but panel leans toward Texas +6.5 against the spread.

2. Notable Moments & Quotes

On Kentucky Football’s Future:

• MJ [06:17]: “With the right player evaluation, you budget the right way, you get the right players in here, you get the right quarterback. I think it can be done.”

On the “Next Indiana” conversation:

• DF [10:30]: “National people... They're all having the ‘who can be the next Indiana’ and Kentucky seems to be a pretty consistent answer across several of these national conversations.”

Fan Loyalty:

• RL [15:42]: “I don't think you have to go to any games to be the biggest fan. As a matter of fact, I would say that the biggest fans may go to, like, one game a year.”
• Deanna (Caller) [16:19]: “My schedule is revolved around the game… Before we schedule zoom meetings, the question is asked, Deanna, what night does Kentucky play?”

On Viral Trends:

• RL [22:00]: “This girl wrote, I am going to have 365 buttons. And everybody was like, okay, what? She said, each button represents one day of the year. ...It doesn't need to make sense to anyone but me.”

Ghosts, Aliens & Tracking Devices:

• Mario [33:58]: “These people really believe it, though. That's the crazy.”
• RL [34:33]: “He said it’s a tracker. That’s just what [aliens] do.”

On Fan Criteria:

• RL [39:02]: “I think you need something that’s a centerpiece of your life that says you are a UK fan. It could be a tree…your car, a tattoo on your arm… [or] you named your child after a UK person.”

3. Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:41] Hour 2 begins / live setting banter
• [05:20] Indiana's championship, Kentucky’s football ceiling
• [15:42] Caller Deanna kicks off the “biggest fan” debate
• [22:00] “365 buttons” TikTok meme explained
• [25:00] Trip planning & snow—a fan’s travel concern
• [26:21] Meteorologists’ online beef segment
• [29:14] Pierre Rondo’s breakout high school basketball performance
• [33:58] Ghosts, aliens, and the "alien booger" story
• [35:17] “Biggest UK fan” debate continues—Peggy calls in
• [39:02] Defining “biggest UK fan” criteria — panel brainstorms
• [42:07] Drew demonstrates Kinder, the baby name app
• [44:27] Betting wrap on UK-Texas, final jokes

4. Overall Tone and Style

• Relaxed, funny, and conversational
• Full of running inside jokes and local references (weatherman beef, ghost/alien gatherings)
• Demystifies big sports topics by relating them to Kentucky-centric realities and working in caller input
• Regular debates between hosts, especially on how to define fandom

5. For New Listeners

This episode serves as a snapshot of Kentucky sports fandom: passionate, a bit quirky, and unfiltered. If you care about the pulse of Big Blue Nation—on the field and off—you’ll feel right at home amid the debates about rising football expectations, weather drama, wild paranormal tales, and what it truly means to be a Kentucky fan.

Most Memorable Segment:
“A guy at the ghost meeting told Mario an alien put a booger in his son’s nose—and it was a tracker” [34:19]. Nothing more Kentucky than that.

End of Summary